Writer Aaron Sorkin revealed Wednesday that he suffered a powerful stroke in November 2022.
Sorkin revealed the medical diagnosis in a series of interviews with The New York Times to promote his reimagining of “Camelot” on Broadway. Two months prior to the scheduled rehearsals, Sorkin woke in the middle of the night in his kitchen. He was crashing into walls and corners, but thought nothing of it until the following morning.
As Sorkin carried a glass of orange juice to his office, he kept spilling it, so he called his doctor, he told the outlet. “You’re supposed to be dead,” his doctor informed him after learning how high Sorkin’s blood pressure had risen.
“Camelot” is back on Broadway, now with a new book by Aaron Sorkin. He talked with me about his approach to revising the classic musical, and about serious challenges he faced along the way. https://t.co/65aNLBEtQE
— Michael Paulson (@MichaelPaulson) March 22, 2023
Sorkin slurred his words, had difficulty typing and was told not to fly for a few weeks after the stroke. He only realized he was struggling to sign his name when “Camelot” autograph seekers started requesting them. A majority of the side effects have subsided, he told The New York Times, but he still can’t really taste food.
“Mostly it was a loud wake-up call,” he told the outlet. “I thought I was one of those people who could eat whatever he wanted, smoke as much as he wanted, and it’s not going to affect me. Boy, was I wrong.” Sorkin smoked two packs of Merits a day, a huge part of his writing process since high school.
“It was just part of it, the way a pen was part of it,” he continued. “I don’t want to talk about it too much, because I’ll start to salivate.” Sorkin quit cold turkey following the stroke and now works out twice a day, while also taking medicine, according to The New York Times. (RELATED: REPORT: Dick Van Dyke Injured In Car Crash)
Sorkin is best known for his political drama “The West Wing” and his heavily politicized media drama “The Newsroom.” Despite his success and outspoken nature on social, cultural, and political movements, he has claimed in the past that he has no political agenda. That didn’t stop him from scolding Congressional Democrats for “acting like young people” back in 2019.