Ryan Reynolds Chose Not To Drink And Drive, Then A Drunk Driver Nearly Killed Him

Ryan Reynolds nearly died at 18 after being mowed down by a drunk driver, in a cruel twist of fate that unfolded precisely because he had made the responsible call not to get behind the wheel.

The Deadpool star, now 49, made the revelation during a June 9 GQ video in which he and Welcome to Wrexham co-owner Rob McElhenney attempted to assemble IKEA furniture, a lighthearted setting that gave way to a startling confession.

Reynolds said he had left a bar after a single beer and walked back to his car. He chose not to drive. “Even if it’s four blocks home, absolutely not,” he recalled thinking. He turned around, stepped off the kerb and was struck by a drunk driver crossing the street.

The impact was devastating. Reynolds broke every bone on the left side of his body. “He hit me so hard, his car was not operational,” he said. He spent four weeks in a Canadian hospital recovering and credits his doctor with helping him get back on his feet.

Sitting beside him, Mac was visibly floored. “What? That’s the first time I’ve heard that,” he said.

Reynolds described it simply: “Yeah. Very bad.”