Actor Joe Manganiello has revealed a deeply personal struggle during his time filming the superhero movie ‘Justice League’. He disclosed that he wore an ostomy bag under his full Deathstroke armor due to a life-threatening illness that led to the removal of his entire large intestine.
Appearing on ‘The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon’, Manganiello shared that he kept his health battles private for years, even while navigating a prolonged and difficult recovery. The need for an ostomy bag arose after an emergency surgery in 2016. Doctors had to remove his large intestine when it failed due to a severe, undiagnosed autoimmune condition.
Recalling the harrowing experience, the actor said, “I collapsed on the ground and I had to be taken to a hospital… they wound up cutting me open at the 11th hour to try to save my life and they found that my entire large intestine had turned to pus and was going to explode.” He noted that it was ‘caught at the last moment’.
After waking up, he was informed about the intestine removal and the ostomy bag. “I got out of the hospital and I lost 60 pounds in two weeks. People had to help me lift my legs. I had to learn how to walk and stand up again,” he explained. Despite this, when he received a call to star as the main villain in Ben Affleck’s Batman, he accepted, seeing it as a sign.
“And what people don’t know is when I shot that scene for the end of Justice League in my full armor as Deathstroke, I’m probably the only villain ever with an ostomy bag on under the armor,” Manganiello stated. He credits his support system during the seven-year ordeal and hopes that by sharing his story, he can help destigmatize such illnesses and ostomy bags, encouraging open conversations.