“That spider was actively trying to kill me.” Taylor Momsen on being bitten by a venomous brown recluse spider
Taylor Momsen says a brown recluse spider bite in Mexico left her seriously ill, despite her initially treating it lightly in public. The singer says doctors warned that without hospital treatment she could lose her leg, highlighting how dangerous the bite became.
Momsen was bitten on her lower right leg before The Pretty Reckless played Mexico City on 7 April. She told interviewer Rick Beato that she was later admitted to hospital and put on intravenous antibiotics, with doctors recommending a five-day stay; she left to perform after asking them for an alternative plan. She had first been told the symptoms were an allergic reaction.
- Momsen says a spider bite threatened her leg.
- She received strong antibiotics in a Mexico City hospital.
- She left hospital to perform with her band.
New here? Start with this
Taylor Momsen is an American singer and actor, best known as the lead singer of rock band The Pretty Reckless. The band was in Mexico for a concert in Mexico City when Momsen was bitten on her lower right leg by a brown recluse, a spider whose venom can damage tissue.
A bite does not always cause severe illness, but symptoms can worsen and need medical assessment. Momsen says doctors treated her in hospital with antibiotics and warned that the bite could put her leg at risk, illustrating why suspected venomous bites should be taken seriously.