{"id":249013,"date":"2024-07-08T17:17:57","date_gmt":"2024-07-08T21:17:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.escapistmagazine.com\/?p=249013"},"modified":"2024-07-08T17:18:01","modified_gmt":"2024-07-08T21:18:01","slug":"critical-role-sam-riegel-reveals-why-hes-been-absent-from-the-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistmagazine.com\/critical-role-sam-riegel-reveals-why-hes-been-absent-from-the-show\/","title":{"rendered":"Critical Role&#8217;s Sam Riegel Reveals Why He&#8217;s Been Absent From the Show"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Ahead of <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.escapistmagazine.com\/tag\/critical-role\/\">Critical Role: Downfall<\/a><\/em>, Sam Riegel, the role player and voice actor behind Exandria\u2019s smileist Aeormaton, gave Critters an intimate update on his recent absence from the actual play series. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a video entitled \u201cIt\u2019s Been Awhile,\u201d Riegel opened up about the harrowing tonsil cancer diagnosis and treatment that has kept him away from the <em>Critical Role<\/em> table. You can watch the video below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"mnmd-responsive-video\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"It&#039;s Been A While\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/caRT9xzddxY?start=1&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>From Ashley Johnson\u2019s work on <em>Blindspot<\/em> to Bells Hells\u2019 party split, a combination of internal and external factors have contributed to absent stretches from core <em>Critical Role<\/em> cast members throughout the show&#8217;s tenure. While the prolonged period between the death of Riegel\u2019s beloved <a href=\"https:\/\/www.escapistmagazine.com\/critical-role-cast-brought-to-tears-by-fresh-cut-grass-shocking-moment\/\">Fresh Cut Grass<\/a> and his show-stopping entrance as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.escapistmagazine.com\/critical-roles-sam-riegel-returns-to-bells-hells-with-a-new-character\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Braius Doomseed<\/a> certainly caused some rumblings in the Critter community, Riegel\u2019s absence was ultimately no one\u2019s business but his own. However, Riegel chose to lift the curtain as a means to raise awareness of the preventative measures that can be taken against oropharyngeal carcinoma and to thank those who helped him during his battle and ongoing recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Riegel disclosed that he underwent surgery to remove his tonsil and a portion of his tongue and soft pallet, which meant he had to relearn how to speak and swallow. The role player did not solely disclose these details to explain the slight slurring in his speech noticed by fans after <em>Critical Role<\/em>\u2019s recent live episode, but more so to emphasize the importance of seeking out a Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. \u201cWhen I was younger there was no such thing as an HPV vaccine,\u201d Riegel spoke on the widespread virus that can develop into oropharyngeal carcinoma, \u201cSo, the big takeaway is, go ask your doctor about that vaccine please.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After surgery, Riegel endured six weeks of radiation treatment. Though the actor candidly disclosed that both the surgery and radiation treatment &#8220;sucked&#8221;, he expressed the utmost gratitude and reverence for Dr. Jill Mazza, Dr. Uttam Sinha, Dr. Adam Garsa, Dr. Tamashiro, Dr. Jan, and all the medical professionals who helped with his diagnosis and recovery. Friends and family likewise played a crucial role in aiding Riegel throughout this ordeal, though the <em>Critical Role<\/em> cast member explained that he still has &#8220;many more months before I will be 100%&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>July&#8217;s<em> <a href=\"https:\/\/critrole.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Critical Role: Downfall<\/a> <\/em>will continue to grant Riegel a break to focus on his health and recovery, with Critters sending along copious well wishes to the actor and his family in the wake of Monday&#8217;s announcement.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1193,"featured_media":249033,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"article_type":"","gamurs_wordpress_blocks_hide_tags":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[7798],"tags":[50125,13133],"internal-label":[53129],"invoiceable_action":[52813],"article_type":[52794],"coauthors":[{"id":1193,"display_name":"Tara McCauley","user_login":"tara.mccauley","user_nicename":"tara-mccauley"}],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.2 (Yoast SEO v22.7) - 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