Overview
- Rittenhouse, 23, shared photos on X from a hospital bed Wednesday, saying a brown recluse spider bit his leg.
- He did not say when or where it happened, and news outlets have not verified details beyond his posts.
- He used combative language in the captions, joked about Spider-Man, and later said the spider was killed.
- The updates drew mixed reactions online, with Sen. Rand Paul offering support as critics mocked the claims.
- Experts say confirmed brown recluse bites are uncommon and rarely fatal in adults, though the venom can destroy tissue and reports are often misdiagnosed.