Aubrey Plaza, known for her deadpan humor and eccentric characters, recently shared a jaw-dropping personal story that topped the already bizarre stroke tale she told Howard Stern. During an appearance on Stern’s radio show, Plaza recalled a terrifying incident from her early twenties when she suffered a stroke, but in a follow-up interview elsewhere, the actress revealed even more shocking details about the experience.

Plaza’s Initial Stroke Story on Stern

When Plaza first opened up to Stern about the stroke, she described how it occurred when she was just 20 years old, long before she became a household name. The incident took place while she was attending NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, and it caught her completely off guard. She explained that she initially thought something else was wrong, only to realize that she was experiencing symptoms like numbness and trouble speaking.

“I couldn’t communicate; I had no idea what was happening,” Plaza told Stern, recalling the panic and confusion she felt at the time. She was rushed to the hospital, where doctors confirmed she had suffered a stroke, specifically an ischemic stroke, which is caused by a blood clot obstructing blood flow to the brain.

While the story Plaza shared with Stern was already a chilling one—particularly given her young age—she played it off in her typical darkly comedic style. Plaza described the event with her signature wit, making light of the situation despite how serious it was.

The Untold Details: A Scarier Version of the Story

However, during a separate interview, Plaza revealed that the stroke story was even more frightening than she had initially let on. According to the actress, not only did she suffer a stroke, but there was also a significant delay in diagnosing her condition, which could have resulted in far worse consequences.

In her follow-up account, Plaza shared that the hospital misdiagnosed her for several hours, initially believing she had experienced a panic attack rather than a stroke. This delay in diagnosis meant that her condition could have deteriorated rapidly, as time is critical when dealing with strokes. “They thought I was just stressed out and not sleeping enough,” Plaza said, recounting the moment when doctors failed to take her symptoms seriously.

Plaza also revealed that the stroke left her with more than just temporary paralysis and speech difficulties. She experienced lasting physical and emotional trauma, which she had to work through in the years following the incident. “It messed me up for a while,” she said. “I had to go through a lot of therapy to get back to where I am today.”

Her Road to Recovery

Plaza’s recovery was no easy feat. In addition to speech and physical therapy, she had to contend with the emotional toll the stroke took on her. Being so young, the experience left her rattled, unsure of how to handle such a life-altering event. For someone in her early twenties, about to embark on what would become a successful career, the stroke was a sobering reminder of how quickly life can change.

“I was lucky,” Plaza admitted in her later interviews. “It could have been so much worse, but it also made me appreciate life in a different way.” Despite the trauma, Plaza’s unique ability to find humor in dark situations helped her cope. She often downplays the seriousness of the incident, but it’s clear that the stroke left a deep impression on her.

Plaza’s Perspective on the Incident

Now, years after the incident, Aubrey Plaza can reflect on her experience with a mix of gratitude and humor. While she continues to joke about her brush with death—often mentioning how odd and surreal the whole ordeal felt—there’s an underlying awareness of how serious it was.

The stroke may have been a life-changing event for Plaza, but it didn’t slow her down. Instead, she has used it as a source of strength and perspective. “I’m not scared of anything anymore,” she said in one interview. “When you go through something like that, everything else seems less scary.”

 

For Plaza, the ordeal has become part of her eccentric charm—another bizarre chapter in a life that is anything but ordinary. Through it all, she remains unflinchingly candid, whether she’s recounting the experience with a dry joke or letting slip a few additional harrowing details.