Heather McDonald Fractures Skull After Fainting During Standup Routine

Just one joke into a Saturday night comedy show in Tempe, Arizona, comedian Heather McDonald passed out and landed herself in an emergency room. McDonald, 51, suffered a skull fracture as a result of the fall, a spokesperson for the comedian told NBC’s Phoenix outlet. “She may have lost consciousness because of dehydration. She was tested and does not have COVID,” McDonald’s rep said in a statement, adding that the comic hadn’t consumed any alcohol before or during the show. In a series of videos posted to her Instagram Story earlier on Sunday, McDonald apologized to her fans and explained the situation, “I passed out on stage. I got up, I did one joke and I felt so dizzy.” She lamented the unexpected end to her show and “that they had to tell everyone to leave and then cancel the second show.” According to TMZ, the sold-out audience initially believed the fainting was part of McDonald’s routine, which concluded abruptly on Saturday evening with a joke about COVID vaccines. In her video, McDonald assured fans that she is up to date on all of her shots and plans to make it up to her Tempe audience: “Tempe, I will be back. I’ve never, ever fainted in my life.”