Kel Mitchell Reveals Health Incident That Landed Him in the Hospital: ‘I Was Panicking’

The ‘Good Burger 2’ star told fans he initially thought he was dehydrated when he experienced health issues and went to the hospital, where he learned why he was feeling ill.

Good Burger 2 actor Kel Mitchell was hospitalized in Los Angeles on Tuesday, November 7 for an unknown illness. Per TMZ, the Kenan & Kel star, 45, entered the hospital through the emergency room. A witness to the arrival told the outlet that the comedic actor “appeared to be conscious and alert when he arrived.” Kel remained in the hospital until November 8, after which he released a statement on Instagram to give fans an update on his health. Several days later, Kel posted a video on Instagram and revealed why he ended up in the hospital.

“I was shopping when suddenly the whole room started spinning,” he recalled. “I was like, ‘I must be dehydrated so I need to get some water, some food.’ When I did that, the whole right side of my arm and my leg was numb — followed by me not being able to swallow. That’s when I panic. I drove myself to the hospital. I wouldn’t advise anybody to do that but I was panicking so I wobble myself to the car.”

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Kel explained that after he failed the motor skills test, he had to stay in the hospital overnight to get CT and EKGs scans. “What we feared wasn’t what it was,” he said. “It was actually a bulging disc that I had from a prior injury that was pressing up against a nerve, mimicking all those symptoms that I was going through. I’m thanking God that I am good. Thank you for all the prayers and the comments.”

Kel previously gave his fans a health update on Instagram November 9. “Grateful for the flood of prayers and positive vibes that surrounded me during a genuinely frightening time,” his statement read. “That scare was real, but so was the support. With the grace of God and the skill of the medical team, I’m now on the road to recovery at home, embraced by the love of my family. Your kindness has been a lifeline, and I can’t thank you enough. Much love to each of you.”

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Kel’s health scare came just as Good Burger 2, the highly anticipated sequel to the 1997 comedy co-starring Kenan Thompson, is set to be released on November 22 by Paramount +. Kel was at the film’s New York premiere on November 13 and told Entertainment Tonight that he was “feeling good” after his health incident.

In a December 2022 interview, the actor, whose career is experiencing a resurgence, admitted it’s “surreal” to be stepping back into old roles.

“Man, it’s been great,” he told Insider at the time. “It’s been surreal doing this and people still enjoying it. New fans, and then people that have followed me all my life… And it’s cool because I look at it, I love the Rat Pack, I love Lucille Ball. I love the entertainers from back then that were just killing it at different ages of their life, where they could still do the physical comedy and still do it well.”

He went on, adding that he still feels healthy enough to tackle physical comedic roles. “I feel like I’m built like that, because I’ve watched all these great comedians since I was a kid,” he explained to the outlet. “I’m glad I stayed working out and taking care of myself because my characters have a lot of physical comedy. Even with the Kenan & Kel reboot that we did on SNL, I was ready! I was ready and that was awesome. I always say, ‘You stay ready, you don’t have to get ready.'”