Kyle Rittenhouse, Gun Rights Activist Who Shot 2 People to Death, Hospitalised Over Venomous Spider Bite

Kyle Rittenhouse, the gun rights activist who shot and killed two men during a 2020 protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, has been hospitalised after a venomous spider bite, according to social media posts.

From the hospital, Rittenhouse shared images of himself attached to monitoring equipment alongside photos marking the area on his leg where he said he was bitten. He wrote, 'The communists couldn't take me out and I'll be damned if I let a brown recluse take me out.'

In another message, he added, 'The spider, like the commies, also thought it was a good idea to come after me while I was armed. He did not survive.'

His popularity links back to the events in 2020 in Kenosha, Wisconsin, during protests that followed the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Rittenhouse was 17 at the time and travelled to the city while demonstrations were taking place. He said he went there as part of a group aiming to protect businesses, while prosecutors argued he had brought a rifle into a tense situation and helped escalate the risk on the ground.

Those events led to a major criminal trial and years of public disagreement over whether his actions should be seen as self-defence or as reckless involvement in a violent protest environment.

Social Media Reaction To Kyle Rittenhouse Hospitalisation

The reaction to his hospital posts was sharply divided. Some supporters repeated his tough, defiant way of describing the situation, while critics focused on the tone and timing, saying it felt inappropriate given the context.

A few public figures who often support gun rights also offered encouragement, including Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, who wrote 'you got this', to which Rittenhouse replied, 'Thank you, Senator!'

Still, most of the public reaction had little to do with the spider bite itself. Instead, it once again brought attention to Rittenhouse's past and the events of 2020 in Kenosha, Wisconsin, during protests after the police shooting of Jacob Blake. He shot and killed Joseph Rosenbaum, Anthony Huber, and injured Gaige Grosskreutz during the unrest.

He was charged with several offences, including homicide, but said he acted in self-defence. In 2021, a jury found him not guilty on all major charges. The verdict remains deeply controversial. Supporters view it as a justified outcome in a dangerous situation, while critics, including Huber's family, call it deeply harmful and say it undermines accountability.

In a statement after the trial, they said they were 'heartbroken and angry', and warned that it sent a troubling message about armed civilians and violence in public spaces.

That divide has never really gone away. Every new public moment involving Rittenhouse tends to reopen the same arguments about guns, responsibility, and justice. His latest hospitalisation, while unrelated to the 2020 events, has once again pulled those long-running tensions back into focus.

The Spider That Bit Rittenhouse

The spider Rittenhouse said bit him is commonly known as the brown recluse, a small venomous spider found mainly in the southern and central United States. It is not an aggressive species and usually bites only when it is trapped against the skin, such as in clothing, shoes, or bedding. Because of that, most encounters with humans are accidental.

A bite is often not felt immediately. Many people describe it as a mild sting or nothing at all at first, which can make it easy to miss the source. Hours later, symptoms may begin to appear. These can include redness, itching, pain, and in some cases a developing sore at the bite site. The severity varies widely from person to person. The bites can seem minor at first or even go unnoticed, but later may cause pain, fever, or skin irritation.

In most cases, medical guidance suggests symptoms improve with basic care and time. However, in rarer situations, the venom can cause more serious tissue damage or systemic reactions, leading to fever, nausea, or complications that require hospital treatment.

Despite its reputation, doctors note that confirmed severe cases are uncommon, and many suspected bites turn out to be caused by other insects or skin conditions. Still, the brown recluse remains one of the more medically notable spiders in North America because of the potential, however limited, for serious reactions.