Thomas Rhett’s favor for a friend has landed the country singer in a wheelchair.
Rhett went to surprise fans at Contemporary Christian artist Forrest Frank’s concert at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena April 13.
During the concert, when about to sing his hit duet with Rhett called “Nowhere Else,” Frank told the crowd, “I can’t sing Thomas Rhett’s verse by myself right? Hey T-R, where you at?” A spotlight lit up Rhett sitting in the stands. But when he went to make his way to the stage to join friend Forrest, he fell down the stairs of the arena. It was all captured on video. In an Instagram post clearly showing the mishap, Rhett writes, “@hiforrest told me to pull up and I left in a wheelchair”
Thomas Rhett Soldiers On With Broken Ankle
Incredibly, Rhett not only still made his way to the stage, he still performed with Frank. He even jumped up and down, dancing alongside Frank as they sang Frank’s hit “Nothing Else.”
Frank posted the video of the pair beginning their dance in preshow rehearsals before Rhett’s fall. It then cuts to the pair on stage during the concert singing and dancing. You can clearly see Rhett hopping on one foot at one point, but in other parts of the video, he is walking on the broken ankle.
But after the performance, the adrenaline wore off. As the “Die a Happy Man” singer sat in a wheelchair after the show, he said, “You know, every now and then you just have to sing in a Forrest Frank concert and break your ankle in the process. I gave my all for Tennessee tonight.”
Thomas Rhett’s Wife Lauren Has Little Sympathy for the Big Break
In the video showing Thomas Rhett in the wheelchair, he is being steered by his clearly amused wife, Lauren Akin. As she wheels him through the arena hallways, he turns and says, “you have no mercy,” which just makes Lauren laugh harder as she apologizes.
Many commenters on Instagram were laughing with her, with one writing, “it’s lauren laughing for me 😂❤️”
Another wrote, “Lauren’s laugh 😂 Feel better soon TR!” and another posted, “OMG! Y’all crack me up! 😂 Of course Lauren is laughing 😂👏🏻💕”
But other fans were quick to express how impressed they were that Rhett kept performing after the fall.
One wrote, “You handled this like a champ!!!! Seriously man you’re the real deal 🙌🏼”
Another commented, “Broooooo!!!! You’re a beast” and another wrote, “What a true champion. We never knew! Praying for full recovery in Jesus’ name!”
Another said, “Bro broke his ankle and performed like nothing happened. That’s a pros pro.”
Meanwhile Rhett and Frank’s collab continues to climb the charts. According to website ct40.com, Forrest topped Billboard‘s Christian Album chart for 14 weeks, making his album “Child of God” 2024’s biggest debut in the Contemporary Christian genre. It was also nominated for a Grammy.