How Markiplier Livestreamed His Most 'Unbelievable' Injury
Most people wouldn't stream live less than an hour after a trip to the hospital for a bone break, but as his fans already know, Markiplier isn't most people. The engaging and fun-loving YouTuber has been through his fair share of pain, like cracking his skull while jumping down the stairs as a kid, severely burning his hands by putting water on grease, breaking his arm falling off the monkey bars, and many more intense injuries throughout his life. Though he's shared past injury stories on his channel, in February 2021 the streaming star gave fans a uniquely close look into a mishap on the same day it happened.
Markiplier has a way of turning anything into entertainment even if it may seem unpleasant at first glance, whether that's sharing how he got seriously hurt playing VR tennis, enduring horror games to entertain his fans despite his fear of mannequins and dolls, or doing weird tricks without breaking a sweat. Speaking of feet, the unbelievable injury Markiplier went through affected none other than his "tootsies," which is ironic considering his propensity towards foot-themed humor.
Markiplier first clued fans in on his foot break on Twitter, sharing both the moment he suspected the break, when it was confirmed, and a photo of his broken foot in a cast that he joked would "tank his wikifeet score." Fans didn't have to wait long to get the full story behind the incident thanks to a 17-minute livestream Markiplier launched just 45 minutes after returning from the hospital.
Buildup to the Break
In true melodramatic fashion, Markiplier waited until over halfway through his stream to share the details of how he broke his foot, but plenty of tidbits were shared before the big reveal. Early on, Markiplier explained that he endured a Jones fracture, a common break that snaps the connecting metatarsal bone between the pinkie toe and the foot's center.
Right away, the streamer created suspense for his audience, letting them know "the story is unbelievable" and that "it would destroy your perception of many things that you take for granted in your day-to-day life." Though he was certainly exaggerating for effect, Markiplier's misstep really was a shockingly unexpected occurrence. After the accident (which he would explain in due time), he immediately knew what happened since he heard the break crack like "a chicken bone," after which point he "felt it immediately."
Markiplier didn't have time to film at hospital. Though he shared that because he's been through intense pain in the past, he told a doctor that his pain was "a 5 or a 6" on a scale of one to 10. He later revealed that the break was "surprisingly painful," ranking at an 8 on his "personal pain scale." He explained that "it's not because I wanted to tolerate the pain. I'm just always honest in those situations." He later laughed at himself for asking the doctor "what do you think I should have?" The result was Tylenol, which made Markiplier immediately regret downplaying his pain. After the suspenseful buildup, Markiplier finally revealed what really happened.
How It Happened
Hilarious as always despite the circumstance, Markiplier set the scene of the break with truly cinematic storytelling. It happened during a walk with his dog Chica. As he put it, "little did I know that my entire existence would take a turn as I took a turn to cross the street." Channeling some major narrator energy, he went on: "you can see it now. Me, Chica, a crowded street. Destiny lying on the other side." He even threw in some details about "how the sunlight danced through the leaves" and "a butterfly fluttering by."
Though things naturally were a little "blurry," Markiplier definitely remembers looking both ways before crossing the street, but that didn't save him. Adding plenty of pauses for dramatic effect, the streamer strode on in his story, saying, "I reached out with my foot, but I forgot to look the most important way of all. I forgot to look down."
What Markiplier didn't see before stepping out into the street was not just a storm drain, but "a slight decline to the storm drain" which he stepped into, which caused him to trip and twist his foot. While his chat declared that he had just tripped, Markiplier jokingly denied the simplification of his dramatic story, saying, "It's not like I 'just tripped'...If you're gonna be technical about it, yeah, I tripped."
Markiplier didn't call an ambulance, but fortunately, his girlfriend Amy "Peebles" Nelson was with him at the time. As for Chica, she "didn't even notice, didn't bat an eye." He laughed about how he thought he and his dog had "some kind of empathic connection," but now he's feeling a bit dubious about her lack of protective instincts.
Milking the Moment
Throughout his recounting of the fateful footstep, Markiplier kept things light by ironically asking for new members, asking them to "please pity me." As he put it, "I go through pain, I should be able to milk this, right?"
As is his right, Markiplier decided to conceptualize each new member as one "boo boo kiss on my toot." He called them "heroes," even claiming that they were "lifting the pain away better than any painkiller possibly could," which may not be true, but it was probably at least half as effective as the meager Tylenol prescription he was given. He even took moments to jokingly wallow in his pain, taking on an entirely different tone to say things like, "oh, good god, the pain," and "the smallest bone in my midline foot, the agony's unbearable."
Markiplier certainly got his boo boo kisses, and he was thankful for his fans indulging his "pity party." He warned his fans to look three ways before crossing the streets and take extra care around storm drains. Even taking the time to promote his upcoming content, Markiplier assured fans that he'd be OK and that the cast would come off in a month's time. In the meantime, he gave fans full permission to laugh with him about his literal step in the wrong direction.