Matthew Gray Gubler, beloved for his portrayal of Dr. Spencer Reid on Criminal Minds, won the hearts of millions with his quirky charm and emotionally complex character. But behind the scenes, Gubler was fighting a rare medical condition that made his time on set far more challenging than fans could ever imagine. In a shocking revelation, Gubler shared how a condition called achalasia nearly derailed his ability to perform—causing his throat to close up for days at a time and forcing him to take extreme measures just to survive.
Fans may have been unaware of it at the time, but during the early seasons of Criminal Minds, Gubler was dealing with the debilitating effects of achalasia—a rare disorder that affects the esophagus and makes it difficult to swallow. The actor opened up about his experience during a Late Late Show interview with Craig Ferguson, where he candidly explained the physical challenges he faced.
“I had a weird thing called achalasia,” Gubler revealed. “It’s a weird thing where your throat won’t open. For 26 days, I couldn’t swallow anything. I had to lick butter to sort of stay alive.” The gravity of this statement hits hard—26 days without being able to swallow properly is an unimaginable experience for anyone, let alone someone in the middle of filming a major TV show.
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