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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsChris Kattan has said he broke his neck during a 2001 Saturday Night Live sketch. In his account, he threw himself backward in a chair during a Golden Girls spoof, hit the chair’s railing and felt a snap. He later said he underwent five surgeries. These details come from Kattan’s interviews and memoir coverage; the accounts cited here do not independently verify the incident through medical records or SNL production documents.
How Chris Kattan says the injury happened
In an interview with Inside Edition published May 8, 2019, Kattan described a sketch in which he choked on cheesecake and threw himself backward. “I went backward on my chair to sell it and I really put myself into the character. I felt this snap on my neck when I hit the railing of the chair itself,” he said.
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Variety’s May 3, 2019 report, republished by Yahoo, says Kattan’s memoir places the event in the May 12, 2001 episode. In that account, he fell backward in a chair, landed hard on the stage and hit his head. The episode date and additional circumstances are details attributed to the memoir, not independently confirmed production records.
What Kattan said about surgeries and recovery
Inside Edition reported that Kattan said he had five surgeries for what he called a broken neck. He described the injury as debilitating and said painkillers became a struggle. Those are accounts of his personal experience, not a general medical conclusion or treatment guidance.
In a WRAL interview published January 16, 2019, Kattan said he had recovered and was doing better. He credited physical therapy and treatments with helping him through the injury and said he was fortunate not to have been paralyzed. Those comments describe his condition as he reported it in 2019; they do not establish his current health.
Where to read Kattan’s account
Kattan’s memoir, Baby, Don’t Hurt Me: Stories and Scars from Saturday Night Live, was written with Travis Thrasher and includes a foreword by Seth Meyers. The publisher’s book page lists BenBella Books as publisher, May 7, 2019 as the publication date and ISBN 9781944648763. Its description says the book recounts Kattan breaking his neck on live television.
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The injury story was part of several conversations around the memoir. WRAL interviewed Kattan in January 2019 about SNL, comedy and the forthcoming book; Inside Edition spoke with him in May. Variety’s May 2019 coverage focused on his memoir account and his decision to discuss the injury after keeping it private for years.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What is and is not established
The available accounts establish what Kattan said about the incident, surgeries and recovery. They do not independently document the injury through medical records or SNL production records. For that reason, the sketch details and surgery count are best understood as Kattan’s retrospective account, reported in interviews and memoir coverage.
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