Carrot Top is awake and breathing on his own following an alleged suicide attempt.
The comedianâs (real name Scott Thompson) representative, Jami Schlicher, told Page Six, âScott remains hospitalized and under close medical care. He is now awake, breathing on his own and continuing to improve, surrounded by his family and those closest to him.
âHumor has always been such an important part of who Scott is and how he connects with people, and that remains true today as he shares moments of humor with the medical staff caring for him,â she continued.
âMany messages from fans have been shared with Scott, including stories from people about how his comedy helped them through difficult periods in their own lives. Hearing those stories and feeling that support has meant a great deal to him during his recovery,â Schlicher noted.
âScott and his family remain deeply grateful for the extraordinary kindness and continue to ask that his privacy be respected.â
Carrot Top, 61, attempted suicide Friday in the Las Vegas area before being rushed to a local hospital, sources told TMZ.
Schlicher confirmed the comedianâs hospitalization to Page Six at the time, but did not address the circumstances that led to it.
Thompson was being extorted over a sex tape prior to the reported suicide attempt Friday, according to court documents obtained by Page Six.
Ronnie Bitman, the comedianâs attorney, claimed in a Sept. 3 filing in Broward County, Florida, that musician Brian Evans â a previous opening performer for Thompsonâs long-running show at Las Vegasâ Luxor Hotel and Casino â threatened to leak an X-rated video of his client if he wasnât paid.
âEvans demands immediate payment of significant sums and states that, absent immediate payment, a sexually explicit recording of Thompson will be filed in the public court file so that it may be obtained and disseminated by the press and other parties,â Bitman wrote, in part.
The court filing included an email from Evans to Bitman in which he requested $500,000 âin immediately available funds, in exchange for resolution of all claims againstâ Thompson or else heâd release the video, which was on a USB drive, in a public docket.
In the email, Evans writes, âIt is not a threat. I am not offering to create coverage, stop coverage, or trade silence for money. I cannot control what outlets write after a public motion is filed. The only thing that stops coverage is if we both stop filing anything.â
âI am telling you ⊠that I would rather resolve the claims against your client [Thompson] than continue this motion practice,â Evans added.
Evansâ email ended with a note that, should Bitman not meet his deadline, âit is not an offer your client will ever see again â not even remotely close.â
In a statement to Page Six, Evans said the aforementioned email was âintended to be confidentialâ and said he ânever threatened â ever â to post any video anywhere in exchange for a settlement.â
Evans claimed the video âwas deleted a long time agoâ in accordance with a prior settlement and also told Page Six that he was sorry Thompson felt compelled to harm himself.
In a statement to Page Six, Thompsonâs representative Schlicher noted that Evans has been declared a âvexatious litigant,â with a judge describing his court filings as âserialâ and âspurious.â
Thompsonâs weekend prop-comedy shows at the Luxor were canceled, seemingly leaving the residency â which has been running since 2005 â up in the air.
Reps for the Luxor Hotel and Casino did not immediately respond to Page Sixâs request for comment.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or text Crisis Text Line at 741741.
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