What Happened to Sterling K. Brown? Explaining the ‘Paradise’ Star’s Injury at the Emmys

Sterling K. Brown didn’t let his recent injury keep him from the 2025 Emmys.

The This Is Us star rolled up on a knee scooter to present the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, alongside Julianne Nicholson and James Marsden. Brown himself is nominated for Best Lead Drama Actor for his role in Hulu’s Paradise, which is also up for Outstanding Drama Series.

Brown didn’t address his injury during the ceremony, but he explained his situation on Tuesday, September 9, just five days before the Emmys. “Hopefully this will condense the number of times that I’ll have to share some unfortunate news — not horrible news, but unfortunate,” he said on Instagram. “Your boy just tore his Achilles tendon.”

 

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He was engaging in an athletic activity when he felt like someone had stomped on the back of his heel. “I was like, who stepped on me?” he said. “And they’re like, ‘Nobody stepped on the back of your foot, bro. And that’s when I knew. I was like, ‘Aw, biscuits.’ Biscuits, ‘cause as folks know, the injuries when nobody touches you are usually probably the most serious ones, right?”

Though people may choose to heal from Achilles tears naturally, most with active lifestyles opt for surgery to recover from the injury completely, according to the Hospital for Special Surgery. The 49-year-old actor revealed in his video that he was going the second route — but not quite yet.

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“Gonna do it after the Emmys so I can motivate myself and go and try to celebrate with my cast and the producers of Paradise because we got recognized and it would be nice to be out there and chilling,” the actor elaborated.

Brown explained that the injury has changed his life’s pace. “Most people who know me, if I’m not going to an event, I’m usually wearing some sort of athleisure wear, what have you, so if a game breaks out, Brown is ready, just to be able to do it. So now, I’m in bed.”

The actor is finding ways to stay positive, beyond attending the Emmys with his castmates. “I’m watching football. I’m doing some reading,” he said. “Doing anything to keep my spirits up because it’s a journey and you gotta keep positivity coming your way and generating positivity for yourself.”

Post Emmys, Brown is planning on “laying low for a bit” while he heals. “For the folks that know sports, they know that recovery can take a little bit of time,” he said in the video, adding, “I want to get through this as quickly as possible. I don’t want to rush it, I don’t want to skip any steps, but I also have to take a deep breath and remind myself, sometimes you got to slow down.”