Actor Joe Manganiello has revealed that he wore an ostomy bag beneath his full Deathstroke armour while filming his end-scene cameo in 'Justice League', having survived a life-threatening emergency surgery in 2016 that resulted in the removal of his entire large intestine. The disclosure, made during an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, sheds light on a seven-year health battle the 49-year-old actor kept almost entirely private.

The Emergency That Changed Everything

Manganiello described collapsing without warning and being rushed to hospital, where doctors struggled for weeks to diagnose the underlying cause. 'I collapsed on the ground and I had to be taken to a hospital and the doctors couldn't figure out what was going on no matter however many scans they gave me nothing was showing up and 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,' the actor recalled in his own words.

Surgeons ultimately removed his entire large intestine after it failed due to a severe, undiagnosed autoimmune condition. Manganiello described waking up to learn he had lost the organ entirely and would need to use an ostomy bag — potentially permanently.

A Gruelling Recovery and a Career-Defining Call

The aftermath was physically devastating. '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 said. While fighting to regain weight and mobility, Manganiello received an unexpected call to star as the main villain opposite Ben Affleck's Batman — a role he chose to accept as a personal act of faith in his own recovery.

'I take this as a sign that if I can shoot one day next month and then maybe I'll be well enough next year from this mystery illness to go off and shoot this movie,' he explained, describing his reasoning at the time. The result was an on-set reality few in Hollywood would have imagined: 'I'm probably the only villain ever with an ostomy bag on under the armour,' he said.

Seven Years of Silence — and Why He Finally Spoke

Manganiello says the illness persisted for seven years, marked by unpredictable swings. He credits the people around him during that period for helping him endure what he described as a 'crazy roller coaster.' He acknowledged deliberately concealing his condition, saying he did not want to be perceived as 'the sick guy.'

The actor's decision to open up is tied to a book he has written about the experience. 'I know how embarrassed I felt or how tough I felt I had to be for everybody around me,' he said, adding that he hopes his candour will help destigmatise autoimmune illness and the use of ostomy bags, and encourage others to speak more openly about similar struggles.

The Broader Message on Illness and Stigma

Manganiello framed the disclosure explicitly as an act of public solidarity. 'I think there are a lot of people out there that feel that way. And there's a lot of people that are battling and their family members are battling. And I just hope that maybe if I came clean about it all, it would destigmatize that type of illness, ostomy bags and allow people to talk,' he said.

Notably, the revelation arrives as conversations around chronic illness, invisible disability, and mental health among public figures continue to gain traction globally. With his book now in circulation, Manganiello appears committed to shifting that conversation further into the mainstream.