Will & Grace star Sean Hayes was recently admitted into hospital twice in one night after an ongoing heart issue sparked concerns.
Actor Hayes, 54, is living with AFib, or atrial fibrillation, a heart condition that causes an irregular and abnormally fast heart rate. It is associated with an increased risk of serious conditions, including blood clots, stroke, and heart failure.
During an AFib episode, the heart’s upper chambers, or atria, beat chaotically and out of sync with the lower chambers, known as ventricles, which can lead to shortness of breath and weakness. It is often treated with medications to slow the heart rate to a more healthy rate. In emergency situations, when a person is unstable, electrical cardioversion can convert AFib to normal sinus rhythm.
Hayes’ health issues became a talking point on Monday’s installment of his podcast SmartLess, when co-host Will Arnett playfully teased their guest Hugh Grant, who spoke about how exhausting he found flying between London and Los Angeles.
“I can’t do it anymore,” said Love Actually star Grant, 64, of the long-haul trans-Atlantic journeys. “I think that’s another age thing. I woke up hours ago very, very hungry and felt like my heart is made of Play-Doh.”
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Arrested Development star Arnett, 54, responded: “Hugh, you should know this that Sean, two, three nights ago, woke up in the middle of the night with a heart issue, drove himself to Cedars-Sinai [Medical Center]—didn’t wake up his husband.”
Arnett added that, once Hayes arrived at the hospital, medics “brought the paddles out, they put [Hayes] under. They paddled them. He drove home.”
However, Arnett added, the issues continued. “An hour later, he woke up to use the bathroom again and drove himself back to Cedars and got paddled again,” he said, as Hayes said, “and then we had dinner that night.”
Turning his attention to Grant, Arnett said: “So you’re jet-lagged by comparison. And I’m not saying this to to make you feel bad …”
“But no, you are,” Grant said, “and I just feel humiliated.”
During an appearance on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! back in May 2021, actor and comedian Hayes spoke with the titular host about living with his heart condition.
“I have AFib,” he told TV personality Jimmy Kimmel. “So your heart beats [very fast]. You feel like you’re gonna die. So when I go to the ER … at Cedars-Sinai, I’m like Norm from Cheers, because I’m in there all the time.”
Hayes added that his hospital visits to treat the condition are so regular that he is greeted like a sitcom character returning to a bar each time he arrives. It also means that Hayes is matter-of-fact with medical professionals about his treatment.
“All I do is I know exactly what needs to be happening,” the screen star said, before recounting how he explains his medical requirements to those treating him. “‘Look, this is how this gonna go. You’re gonna give me propofol. I’m gonna go out, you’re gonna go, ‘Clear,’ [apply the electrode pads], and I’m gonna go home.’
“And that’s all this, because it snaps you back into regular rhythm,” Hayes added.
