Why Is Daryl Mitchell in a Wheelchair? Despite a Life-Changing Accident, He Pursued His Dreams
Daryl is best known for his roles in 'Fear the Walking Dead' and 'Galaxy Quest.'
Published Jan. 15 2025, 1:51 p.m. ET
Actor and former rapper Daryl Mitchell is best known for his portrayal of Wendell in Fear the Walking Dead. The heightened dramatic tension of his character, confined to a wheelchair, navigating an apocalyptic world being rebuilt in a zombie outbreak resonated with viewers.
It also prompted interest in Daryl's acting career, and intrigue from fans who want to know why he's in a wheelchair. So why is Daryl Mitchell in a wheelchair? Here's what we know.
Why is Daryl Mitchell in a wheelchair?
According to a 2003 article published by The Herald Times that covered Mitchell's recurring role in the series Ed, Daryl uses a wheelchair because of a motorcycle accident.
During a trip to South Carolina in November of 2001, Mitchell was riding on a motorcycle at night when he unknowingly hit a patch of gravel.
Unfortunately, the bike spun out of control when coming into contact with the loose rocks, which launched Daryl from the vehicle. The bike "flipped over" and landed on top of the actor, which caused permanent damage to his spinal cord.
A witness who saw the accident immediately notified emergency services, who came to Daryl's aid. Upon regaining consciousness in the hospital, Daryl was unable to move and learned about the severity of his injuries.
In spite of his accident, the actor still persisted in pursuing his dreams and two years later ended up landing a shot at auditioning for a role in Ed. Daryl discussed his experience in meeting with producers, who were immediately affected by the humor he found in this next chapter of his life, which resulted in him relying on a wheelchair to get around.
In a 2021 discussion with IndieWire, Daryl said, "I sat down to meet with the producers; they were nervous to even meet with me because they were like, ‘What are we gonna say to him? I just started explaining some of the funny things that have happened to me since I was in a chair [and] it was like, ‘Man, you got the job.'"
Daryl Mitchell was most recently seen on 'Shifting Gears.'
Tim Allen's latest sitcom, Shifting Gears, also stars 2 Broke Girls and MCU recurring cast member Kat Dennings. Allen plays the owner of a classic car restoration shop. Daryl plays an employee of the shop, who works alongside Sean William Scott (Goon, the American Pie franchise).
The comedy series follows the drama that happens after Allen's character finds himself living with his separated daughter and her son. Roger-Ebert.com praised the drama, highlighting Allen and Dennings' as a believable estranged father/daughter duo with great chemistry.
Further accolades were given to Brenda Song as a "delightfully unhinged" vice principal in the review. As for Daryl's role, the reviewer remarked that he fulfills a classic sitcom staple: "Daryl Mitchell, as one of the other mechanics in Matt’s shop, drops wisdom and jokes like sitcoms of ages past."
This isn't the first time Daryl and Tim Allen have worked together. They appeared side-by-side in the classic 1999 movie Galaxy Quest. For the real fans out there, Shifting Gears is a mini Galaxy Quest reunion!