Jesse Eisenberg says he’ll donate one of his kidneys
The star of ‘A Real Pain’ and ‘The Social Network’ is also a prolific blood donor and has been trying to give his kidney to a stranger for a decade
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Jesse Eisenberg’s latest movie will premiere on November 14, but that isn’t the biggest event of the season for the Oscar nominee. A few weeks later, he’ll be donating one of his kidneys.
The star of “The Social Network” and “A Real Pain” discussed the donation last week while promoting the film “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t” on the “Today” show on NBC. The procedure will take place in December.
Eisenberg, 42, will be making an altruistic kidney donation, which means the recipient won’t be a friend or relative. He said on the “Today” show that his being a frequent blood donor inspired the decision.
“I don’t know why. I got bitten by the blood donation bug,” he said. “I’m so excited to do it.”
In a subsequent interview, he told NBC that, because donors can ensure their family members are prioritized in the donor registry should they ever need a kidney, the procedure did not put his loved ones at greater risk.
“It’s essentially risk-free and so needed,” Eisenberg said. “I think people will realize that it’s a no-brainer, if you have the time and the inclination.”
He added, “The way it works now is you can put a list of whoever you would like to be the first to be at the top of the list.”
According to the US Department of Health & Human Services, there are more than 89,000 people in the country who need a kidney transplant as of September 2024. Some 27,000 kidney transplants took place in the US in 2023.
Eisenberg said he first thought of donating a kidney 10 years ago, but did not receive a response when he reached out to an unnamed organization about the procedure. Recently, he told NBC, a friend who is a doctor told him to approach New York City’s NYU Langone Health about making a donation.
“I was in the hospital the next day and went through a battery of tests, and I’m now scheduled in mid-December,” he said.
The Times of Israel Community.