Creation Entertainment’s Supernatural Official Conventions’ event in New Jersey on Sunday was without Sam Winchester, as Jared Padalecki, 39, missed the Apr. 24 event because he was recovering from a car accident. “I miss my buddy… [Jared] sends his love. I spoke with him yesterday. He’s sad he can’t be here,” Jensen Ackles, 44, said at the event, according to Entertainment Tonight. “He was in a very bad car accident. He wasn’t driving. He was in the passenger seat, and he’s lucky to be alive.”
Jensen told the East Brunswick crowd that he was able to share some information about the accident. “He’s at home recovering, which — the fact that he’s not even in the hospital right now is, like, blowing my mind because I saw the car,” he told fans, adding that Jared told his on-screen brother that the impact of the airbag felt like he “went 12 rounds with Tyson.” However, Jensen stressed that Jared was “doing okay,” was “moving around,” and was on the mend. “But yeah, [it was a] really, really bad car accident. Just keep him in your thoughts, send him some love if you get a chance on social, and he’ll be back with us soon.”
Jared tweeted on Thursday (Apr. 21) that he would miss the convention but didn’t explain why. “Hey #SpnFamily!” he wrote. “Sorry to miss y’all in NYC this weekend. Thank you and the #WalkerFamily for all the love and support. Can’t wait to see y’all again.” Jared didn’t share any additional information, including when the accident took place.
Hey #SpnFamily! Sorry to miss y’all in NYC this weekend. Thank you and the #WalkerFamily for all the love and support. Can’t wait to see y’all again. 🙏❤️
— Jared Padalecki (@jarpad) April 21, 2022
The news of Jared’s accident comes one month after The CW cast the two leads in The Winchesters, the prequel to Supernatural. Meg Donnelly and Drake Rodger star as Mary and John Winchester, the future parents of Dean and Sam Winchester, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Jensen will narrate the pilot since The Winchesters will be a story told from Dean’s perspective about how his parents met, fell in love, and went on to save the world.
Meg’s Mary Campbell is “a 19-year-old who’s been fighting the forces of darkness for most of her life,” per THR. “After losing someone close to her, she considers quitting the family business — until her father’s disappearance and the arrival of newcomer John Winchester forces her to lead a new team.” Sadly, Jared will not be involved in the project at this time.