Hoax-us Pocus? Magician Criss Angel Hits Back After He's Accused of Faking Injury for Publicity
Magician Criss Angel has struck back at skeptics who say he faked a medical crisis recently to drum up publicity for his Las Vegas show.
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The magician was performing an upside down escape trick while wearing a straight jacket Friday night when he blacked out. His show had to be stopped and paramedics removed him from the stage for medical attention.
Just 24 hours after his emergency, he performed the stunt again during his Mindfreak Live show Saturday night at the Luxor, which had skeptics wondering whether his medical crisis was real.
“I was told I began my escape and that’s all I remembered until I woke up and I was surrounded by paramedics and people putting things in my arm,” he told Good Morning America Tuesday.
The 49-year-old magician added: “This is real. I blur the line between reality and illusion but this demonstration and the risks that are at stake are no joke."
His mom and 3-year-old son, Johnny, were in the audience Friday night when the incident occurred.
Angel told TMZ he would never have deliberately put the boy through that frightening experience, saying: “If you saw what they went through — watching someone they love going through what I went through— you know it wasn't a stunt.
Angel told GMA that he felt his blackout happened because he was “not eating properly.”
"I've only been sleeping about two hours a night the past few days and I don't think I was hydrated so I attributed my unconsciousness to those elements that can cause this," he said.
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According to Angel, the hospital asked that he get an MRI and stay overnight for further observation. However, he wanted to get back to work and signed a release waiving liability so he could leave.
"I actually left the hospital early because I was so angry because I wanted to get back to doing my show and thrill the audience with a show and a spectacle that the world of magic has never seen before," he said.
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