Taylor Momsen Hospitalized After Spider Bite During Mexico City Tour
The Pretty Reckless frontwoman performed within 24 hours of an emergency hospital stay
Taylor Momsen, lead vocalist of The Pretty Reckless, was bitten by a venomous spider while on the road in Mexico City as the opening act for AC/DC’s Power Up Tour. The bite occurred on April 8, with a spreading skin reaction that worsened over several days and eventually required an overnight emergency room admission.
“It wouldn’t be an AC/DC tour if I didn’t get bit… this time a massive spider decided to take a chunk out of me and its venom did a number on my system.”
— Taylor Momsen, Instagram, April 9, 2026Momsen shared updates directly with her followers on Instagram, posting images and a hospital gurney video showing the leg marked with ink by doctors — a commonly used clinical method for tracking venom spread. Despite the hospitalization, she returned to the stage at Estadio GNP Seguros within 24 hours to complete the final Mexico City set. It was the second time she had been bitten by an animal while opening for AC/DC, following a bat bite in Spain in 2024. Health challenges faced by touring rock artists have been documented in several recent instances.
What Happened
From Bite to Backstage — A Step-by-Step Timeline
Tap each event to expand the details
April 8, 2026
The Bite
April 14, 2026
Reaction Worsens — ER Admission
Night of April 14–15, 2026
Overnight Hospital Stay
April 15, 2026
Back on Stage — Final Mexico City Show
April 17, 2026
New Single “Love Me” Released
By The Numbers
How Serious Was It?
Key facts from Momsen’s documented updates
Medical Context
Mexico’s Venomous Spiders — What Touring Artists Face
Tap a card to learn more. Exact species in Momsen’s case has not been officially confirmed.
Loxosceles tenochtitlan
Valley of Mexico violin spider
Tap to learn more ↺Native to the Valley of Mexico. Known to hide in dark, undisturbed indoor spaces. Bite causes spreading redness and, in some cases, systemic effects. No species was officially confirmed in Momsen’s case.
The Pen Marking Technique
What doctors did to Momsen’s leg
Tap to learn more ↺Doctors outline the edge of the redness with ink. If the rash grows beyond the line, it signals a progressing infection or deeper venom activity — helping staff decide whether to escalate treatment.
Loxoscelism
The venom’s documented effects
Tap to learn more ↺The Loxosceles genus produces enzymes that can cause skin necrosis and systemic reactions — including fever, chills, and the kind of “number on the system” Momsen described in her April 9 post.
What To Do If Bitten
Standard first-response guidance
Tap to learn more ↺For a suspected venomous spider bite: clean the wound, apply a cold compress to manage swelling, and seek medical care immediately if redness begins spreading beyond the bite site. Do not delay if a rash or “bullseye” pattern appears.
Behind the Treatment
What the Doctors in Mexico Did
Breaking down the clinical steps documented in Momsen’s posts
A Pattern on Tour
“Spider Woman? Batgirl? WTF.” — Two Incidents, Two AC/DC Tours
Both animal encounters occurred while Momsen was touring with AC/DC
| Detail | 🦇 2024 — The Bat | 🕷️ 2026 — The Spider |
|---|---|---|
| Date | May 2024 | April 2026 |
| Location | Sevilla, Spain | Mexico City, Mexico |
| How it happened | Bat flew onstage during “Witches Burn” performance, landed on leg | Woke up to find a spider in her bed; bite discovered on April 8 |
| Immediate reaction | Continued performing, later confirmed bite | Received injection before show; condition worsened |
| Medical treatment | Rabies shots over a two-week course | ER admission, injections, overnight hospitalisation |
| Nickname earned | #Batgirl (Instagram highlight) | “Spider Woman” (self-described) |
| Tour context | AC/DC Power Up Tour (Europe leg) | AC/DC Power Up Tour (Mexico leg) |
The Physical Reality of Mega-Tours
Global stadium tours increasingly expose artists to environmental hazards — from tropical insects to extreme heat exposure — in locations they are in for 24–48 hours at a time. Momsen’s back-to-back animal incidents during the same tour circuit spotlight a largely undiscussed occupational aspect of touring at scale. As global tour footprints expand, the range of environmental conditions artists face grows accordingly.
As of April 17, 2026
Where Things Stand Now
The latest from Momsen and The Pretty Reckless
New single “Love Me” out today
The Pretty Reckless released “Love Me” on April 17, 2026, via Fearless Records. It is the third single from their upcoming fifth studio album Dear God, due June 26, 2026. The album’s second single “When I Wake Up” featured a music video that reunited Momsen with former Gossip Girl co-stars Connor Paolo and Jessica Szohr.
Tour continues — Europe next, then North America
After Mexico City, the Power Up Tour moves to Europe, with The Pretty Reckless next playing in Nuremberg, Germany on June 5. The North American stadium leg kicks off July 11, with The Pretty Reckless confirmed as opening act at MetLife Stadium on September 25, 2026.
Fan response on Instagram
Following her return-to-stage video, fans sent well-wishes across Momsen’s multiple posts. Her post-show message — “tonight was for all of you” — drew a wave of responses, with one fan describing it as “absolute legend behaviour.”
Summary
The Incident, the Treatment, and the Return
Taylor Momsen’s hospitalization in Mexico City was covered here: the venomous spider bite, the spreading skin reaction documented on her Instagram, the overnight stay at an emergency room, and the medical procedures carried out by doctors in Mexico. The sequence of events — from initial bite on April 8 to her return to the stage on April 15 — was outlined based on Momsen’s direct social media statements and The Pretty Reckless official channels.
The incident was also placed alongside Momsen’s 2024 bat bite in Sevilla, Spain, during the same AC/DC Power Up Tour circuit. Medical context around the treatment methods used — including skin border marking and overnight monitoring — was drawn from her documented posts. The article also noted the release of her new single “Love Me” on April 17 and the upcoming fifth studio album Dear God due June 26, 2026. For broader context on rock artist health, see KarmActive’s coverage of Brad Arnold’s diagnosis.
