Debby Ryan Details 'Life-Altering' Brain Injury and Recovery

Former Disney Channel star Debby Ryan has disclosed she experienced a "life-altering brain injury" that left her unable to function for six months.

In a recent appearance on Mythical Kitchen's Last Meals, the 33-year-old actress shared that she is a "migraine warrior" and that the severity of her symptoms increased significantly after sustaining her fifth concussion. She described the incident leading to her concussions as "an incident," while the fifth involved "sustained shaking over a minute of time."

"I had a pretty crazy life-altering brain injury a few years ago, and I was out of commission for six months, and I went to this neurological rehab for six months," Ryan stated. She underwent a "fringe science treatment" that aided her recovery, though she noted that "some things just did not come back."

The experience was so profound that Ryan now distinguishes her life as either "pre-incident Debby and post-incident Debby."

To manage her condition and improve clarity, she sometimes closes her eyes to minimize visual stimulation. Ryan credited her support system, including her husband, 21 Pilots drummer Josh Dun, and their nearly one-year-old daughter, Felix, with assisting in her recovery.

Ryan gained initial fame as Bailey Pickett on Disney Channel's The Suite Life on Deck. She later starred as Jessie Prescott in the series Jessie from 2011 to 2015 and appeared in films like 16 Wishes and Radio Rebel. More recently, she played Patty Bladell in Netflix's 2018 comedy Insatiable.

In March, Ryan reunited with several of her Jessie co-stars, including Karan Brar, Kevin Chamberlin, and Peyton List. She shared photos of the reunions on Instagram, reflecting on how much time had passed since they filmed the show. Brar and Chamberlin expressed their affection for Ryan in comments on the post.