Is Paul Rudd's burn injury real? Viral stretcher accident video debunked

A couple of clips of actor Paul Rudd lying on a stretcher had been going viral on social media. One of the clips showed him on an ambulance stretcher while moaning in pain and seemingly showing discomfort on his face. In another clip, he was seen sitting for an interview with apparent burns and bandages all over his face.

As the videos went viral, fans expressed concerns about the actor's health. However, the clips were part of Paul Rudd's appearance on the Take Your Shoes Off podcast. Prior to these videos, a clip was posted on Instagram by the official account of the podcast, in which Canadian actor Michael Cera could be seen acting as an "intern" who seemingly spilled coffee on Rudd's face.

The events in the video, with Cera as a "fake intern," imply that the incident was fake and staged. Thus, Paul Rudd's apparent burn injuries were not real. In the interview clip shared on Instagram, where he was seen with the apparent injuries, Paul was asked if he had faced something like that before. To this, the actor said:

"Not like this but... I've had sunburns obviously. I mean I think I've probably burnt like you know like you touch a pan or something and it's just too hot."

The actor added that he had never had third-degree burns. Describing the fake burns, Paul even ended up saying that he didn't think they were that bad. Meanwhile, while some netizens understood that the accident was a part of a supposedly funny episode, others considered it real.

At one point in the clip, Paul was even carried near the stretcher before being dropped on the floor. Another bizarre part of the episode was when they were trying to soothe the burns using iced coffee. The online publication Distractify also shared an article debunking the accident and claiming that Paul's acting made the whole scene so believable and real.

In the caption of the posts showing the staged accident, Rick Glassman, the podcast host, even shared the dates of his upcoming standup tour. A part of the caption read:

"Paul Rudd’s burn injuries from @shoesoffpod ep 311. Get tickets to Rick’s stand up tour @ punchup.live/rickglassman"

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Exploring more about the bizarre interview of Paul Rudd at the Take Your Shoes Off podcast

Paul Rudd in the Take Your Shoes Off podcast (Image via YouTube/ Rick Glassman)

The episode, which dropped on YouTube on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, started with actor Paul Rudd tripping over several wires. At one point, "Duncan" came into the scene and was introduced to Paul as Rick's assistant. The host added that Duncan was the one who had initially reached out to the actor's publicist.

The frame then cut to a timeline in the past, in which Michael Cera, posing as Duncan, was seen in a conversation with Nick Glassman. He told Glassman that Paul would not make it to the interview because of his fault. When asked by Glassman about what happened, "Duncan" said:

"So it was a miscommunication and it was completely my fault."

The frame then shifted to the interview, in which "Duncan" was seen asking Paul Rudd if he needed some coffee. He even added that there was a Dunkin Donuts around the corner and he could get coffee from there.

As of now, more than 200K people have viewed the YouTube episode, and more than 9K have liked it.

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Paul Rudd and Jeremy Sisto are set to work together on the indie novel adaptation Rain Reign

In separate news, Paul Rudd and Jeremy Sisto would reportedly be pairing up for Rain Reign, an adaptation of an indie novel by Ann M. Martin. Actress Felice Kakaletris would also be in the project in a lead role. According to Deadline, the story would revolve around Felice's character.

In a statement to Deadline, the film's director, Erika Burke Rossa, spoke about the project and said:

"What moved me about Ann's novel – and inspired me to adapt Rain Reign into a film – was the Howard family's journey toward breaking cycles of trauma and finding hope in hardship."

Rain Reign would also be starring celebrities like Gretchen Mol and Jeremy Davidson. One of the film's co-producers would reportedly be his wife, Julie Rudd. According to Deadline, the majority of the financiers were Jonathan Lim and Robin Jonas of City Hill Arts.

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As far as the speculations about Paul Rudd's health are concerned, the injuries were staged. The actor also did not issue any statement reporting that he had undergone an accident.

Edited by Riya Peter