Evangeline Lilly reveals she has brain damage months after concussion, opens up about ongoing recovery

Evangeline Lilly

• Evangeline Lilly shares brain damage and cognitive decline from 2025 concussion
• She plans to work with doctors to address her traumatic brain injury
• Lilly thanks fans and fellow actors for their support during her recovery

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Hollywood actress Evangeline Lilly has shared a deeply personal and sobering health update as she enters 2026, revealing that she has sustained brain damage and is experiencing decreased cognitive function in nearly every part of her brain following a serious concussion last year. The former Lost and Ant‑Man star posted a video message on her Instagram on January 2, explaining the results of recent medical scans and the challenges that lie ahead.

Lilly, 46, first suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in May 2025 after fainting on a beach in Hawaii and falling face‑first onto a boulder. At the time, she shared images of her facial injuries and acknowledged the incident publicly, but had not yet revealed the full extent of her diagnosis. In her latest update, she disclosed that doctors now believe almost every area of her brain is functioning at a decreased capacity due to the TBI.

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“I’m entering into this new year, the Year of the Horse, with some bad news about my concussion,” the Marvel star said in the video. “A lot of you asked how I’m doing. A lot of you have inquired about the brain scans that you heard I got. And the results came back from the scans.” "So I do have brain damage from the TBI,” Lilly said, “and possibly other factors going on.”

After that, the star gazed ahead, discussing her plans now that she has acknowledged that she experienced “brain damage” due to the incident.

“But now my job is to get to the bottom of that with doctors and then embark on the hard work of fixing it, which I don’t look forward to because I feel like hard work is all I do,” Lilly said with a laugh. “But that’s okay. My cognitive decline since I smashed my face open has helped me to slow down and helped me to have a more restful finish to my 2025.”

Lilly also expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support from fans and fellow actors, including messages of encouragement from Michelle Pfeiffer and Alyssa Milano. She ended her update with a message of thankfulness for each day she has, acknowledging the uncertainty ahead but embracing the opportunity to continue her recovery journey.