Martin Lawrence was one of the biggest comedy stars on the planet at one point. He was the rare talent who dominated on television and then made the transition (successfully) to movies.
Lawrence starred in multiple cinematic franchises during the 1990s and 2000s, and recently doubled back on one of them alongside his fellow TV-turned-movie star, Will Smith. The pair reunited for the third installment of the Bad Boys franchise, Bad Boys for Life, proving they still have what it takes to excite fans and score an impressive opening weekend at the box office.
As of late, Lawrence has been promoting the fourth movie in the series, Bad Boys: Ride or Die but his body language and behavior have led some fans to question whether or not he’s in good health. Is the actor dealing with some unreported ailment? If so, will he be okay?
Martin Lawrence had a near-death experience in 1999
Martin Lawrence rose to prominence with the FOX sitcom Martin. The sitcom ran from 1992 to 1997, and proved that the actor had the charisma to keep fans coming back week after week. It was the success of Martin that led to Lawrence being cast in the first Bad Boys (1995). He teamed up with fellow sitcom actor, Will Smith, and their electric chemistry led to the movie becoming a surprise hit. Lawrence never looked back, scoring leading roles in hit comedies like A Thin Line Between Love and Hate (1996), Nothing to Lose (1997) and Blue Streak (1999).
Lawrence’s biggest solo hit, however, was Big Momma’s House (2000). The action-comedy grossed over $174 million at the worldwide box office, spawning a franchise and bolstering Lawrence as a viable leading man. The movie’s success came at a cost, however. In preparation for the film, the actor was jogging outside when he collapsed from exhaustion. According to the Los Angeles Times, Lawrence fell into a coma due to having a body temperature of 107 °F (42 °C). The coma lasted three days, during which time he was placed on a breathing ventilator.
The spokeswoman for Los Robles Regional Medical Center, Kris Carraway-Bowman, discussed the actor’s health during a press conference, saying, “He was in very critical and unstable condition when he arrived. This is going to be a day-by-day thing. . . . We’ll know more as time goes on.”
Fortunately, Lawrence woke up. The Los Angeles Times noted that the actor had some kidney problems but posited that he would make a full recovery.
Lawrence has assured fans he’s “healthy as hell”
Martin Lawrence has continued acting throughout the 21st century, but his biggest hits by far have been the Bad Boys sequels. Bad Boys II (2003) made $273 million at the global box office, while Bad Boys for Life (2020) made $426 million. Lawrence and Smith’s promotional tour for the new movie, Bad Boys: Ride or Die, however, has sparked concern from fans after a video of Lawrence slurring his words made the rounds on social media, as did another one in which it looked like the actor was holding Smith for support while walking.
Lawrence was asked about these concerning moments during an appearance on the radio show Ebro In the Morning. The titular host asked whether the actor was in good health given the surfaced videos, and the latter assured listeners that he was merely overwhelmed by the size of the crowd at one of the Bad Boys: Ride or Die premieres.
“I was like, oh, this is rock concert stuff,” he explained. “What the hell is going on? I was like, for a movie?”
When asked to comment on the current status of his health, Lawrence assured fans he is perfectly fine. He described himself as “healthy as hell,” and asked people to “stop the rumors” before stating:
I’m fine. I’m in God’s hands. I’m blessed, you know? I’m glad to be waking up every day. I’m all good. No need for people to be concerned.
Lawrence is so confident about his health, in fact, that he and Will Smith have begun teasing the next installment in the Bad Boys franchise.
