Coma-Teen Trauma: Anderson Cooper Talk Show Guest Injured

Daytime host's program encounters first tragic situation when a scheduled guest is hurt preparing for the show

By Brandi Fowler, Sierra Marquina Oct 02, 2011 8:20 PMTags
Anderson CooperNancy Kaszerman/ZUMA Press

CNN anchor Anderson Cooper's new show Anderson is facing its first possible crisis after a mere three weeks on the air.

A teenage boy, who was due to be featured on an upcoming episode of the daytime talk show, has landed in the hospital in a coma, E! News has confirmed. 

So, what went down? 

The boy, who was reportedly urged by a producer to "film the crazy stuff [he does]" for the episode, fell and suffered a serious head injury while he was videotaping himself skateboarding, according to the website Gawker.

The segment was about how the adolescent mind works.

A Warner Bros. Television rep confirmed the accident to E! News, explaining: "Our producers were working with a teen and his parents on a show about the science of the teenage brain, based on a National Geographic story. As part of our routine process, we ask guests for video footage and photos. We did not provide the family with a camera. On the morning that they were supposed to travel to NYC, we learned that the teen had been injured. We are very concerned about him, and are thinking of him and his family at this time."

Cooper also addressed the incident, saying "I was very saddened to hear the news of this accident, and want to express my deepest concerns for the teenager who was injured. I take this situation seriously, and my thoughts and prayers for his health, well-being and recovery are with him and his family."

No further details have been released yet on the status of the boy's condition. 

—Reporting by Claudia Cagan