This Is Ring Avulsion And Jimmy Fallon Almost Lost His Finger Because of It

Culture

The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon is back at his desk following a dangerous and very real finger injury known as "ring avulsion," a condition you absolutely should not Google image search under any circumstances. 

Fallon cancelled a June 26 taping of The Tonight Show after falling in his home and having to spend 10 days in intensive care in New York. The former Saturday Night Live star said he tripped over a braided rug in his kitchen and noticed his finger wound up "completely sideways" after his hands broke his fall. 

Mic/Hulu

At first, the late-night host thought he had simply broken his finger, so he wrapped his hand up to head over to his local hospital. However, doctors noticed his ring must have caught onto the countertop before he landed, because his finger had been completely ripped out of its socket.

Ring avulsion occurs when a rapid pull on a finger ring causes severe soft tissue injury, often pulling the finger wearing the ring off the hand entirely. In most cases, the finger is forever lost.

"The odds aren't great with this kind of thing, usually they just cut your finger off," Fallon said on his return to the show. After a six hour surgery that required Fallon's doctor to remove a vein from his foot and reattaching it to his finger under a microscope, the finger was saved.

He won't have any feeling in his hand for another eight weeks, but the host is back to his pranks and antics on The Tonight Show. How has Fallon spent his recovery so far? Just like anyone else would: reading books on life, watching old movies ... and binging on Real Housewives of New York, of course.

Mic/Hulu

Watch Fallon's full explanation below: