Kyle Rittenhouse Hospitalized After Brown Recluse Spider Bite

Kyle Rittenhouse was hospitalized Wednesday after being bitten by a venomous brown recluse spider, he announced on X. The 23-year-old posted pictures of himself in a hospital bed and a close-up image of the bite on his leg, along with images showing significant red inflammation on his thigh marked with rings to track the swelling and IVs inserted in his torso.

” He added that he was disappointed he was not Spider-Man now.

Later he confirmed the spider had not survived the encounter and wrote that the brown recluse spider came after him while he was armed and did not survive. Rittenhouse also posted a photo of himself seated in a wooden structure that appears to be a deer stand, aiming a scoped rifle. He did not disclose where or when the bite occurred or where he was being treated.

Brown recluse bites are not commonly fatal in adults but can cause intense pain, redness, blistering, and skin necrosis. Such bites require immediate medical attention, according to the Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital. Rittenhouse rose to national prominence after he fatally shot two men and wounded a third during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in August 2020.

He was 17 years old at the time of the Kenosha shootings. Rittenhouse was acquitted on all five charges connected to the Kenosha shooting after arguing self-defense. He serves as chief firearms instructor and director of partnerships for Texas Gun Rights.

The news of the hospitalization drew a wave of social media reactions. com reported the details of Rittenhouse’s announcement and background on Thursday, May 7, 2026. The article was constructed with the assistance of artificial intelligence and published by a member of The Washington Times' AI News Desk team.