Overview
- Adkins recounted the episode on Theo Von’s podcast, which was posted Tuesday, July 28, 2026, prompting renewed media coverage.
- He says his then‑wife Julie Curtis shot him during a 1994 argument, the bullet entered under his left arm, passed through his heart and both lungs, and exited under his right arm.
- Adiks was airlifted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for emergency open‑heart surgery and later underwent a follow‑up procedure to repair his heart’s septum.
- Adkins says doctors told him the shot likely spared his life because it was fired at point‑blank muzzle velocity so the bullet did not 'mushroom,' and he chose not to press criminal charges.
- He has forgiven Curtis, remains active in public life, continues regular heart checkups, and the July podcast is a renewed first‑person retelling that follows his 2007 memoir and past interviews rather than new legal or medical developments.