Gun rights activist Kyle Rittenhouse hospitalized following bite from venomous spider
Mia Williams
Featured Image Credit: Sean Krajacic - Pool/Getty Images
Gun rights activist, Kyle Rittenhouse, has been hospitalized after being bitten by a venomous brown recluse spider.
The firearms instructor posted from his hospital bed, informing his loyal followers on X that the spider 'did not survive' after attacking him.
"The spider, like the commies, also thought it was a good idea to come after me while I was armed," he wrote.
The 23-year-old received numerous well wishes from users online, including senators and fans, in the comments.
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Rittenhouse added: "The communists couldn't take me out and i'll be damned if I let a brown recluse take me out."
US Sen. Rand Paul wrote: "You got this."
As another user said: "Stay strong patriot."
"Those things are no joke," a third added.
It appeared that the venomous spider bite had left a large red rash on his leg, which doctors had attended to.
A brown recluse spider bite may cause severe side effects or require immediate medical attention, as per Cleveland Clinic.
Symptoms include pain and aching surrounding the muscles near the bite, pain in the abdomen, back, chest, and legs, blistering, swelling, and bruising.
According to Mayo Clinic, while serious systemic reactions like fever, nausea, and rarely, blood disorders can occur, most bites heal on their own within weeks.
Rittenhouse gained notoriety in the late summer of 2020, after he fatally shot two men and wounded a third during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
During the shooting, he killed Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, as well as wounding paramedic Gaige Grosskreutz, 26.
The then 17-year-old claimed that the gun shots were fired in self defence.
And from there, the case became a highly-polarizing political topic, after a jury acquitted him of all charges in November 2021.
Following his clearance, Rittenhouse has become a public speaker on self-defence rights and a gun rights advocate.
He became the chief firearms instructor and director of partnerships for Texas Gun Rights, which brands itself as the 'largest no-compromise gun rights organization' in the state.
The 23-year-old has also met with President Trump following his acquittal, and has spoken at Turning Point USA events.
He disappeared from social media in 2025, but returned later in the year to announce his marriage to Bella Nelson Rittenhouse.
The couple posed for their wedding photos while holding firearms.