Evangeline Lilly opened up about a terrifying accident that has left her with ‘brain damage.’
The reclusive Lost star, who stepped back from Hollywood after her Marvel Ant-Man success, took to Instagram on New Year’s Day to share the shocking news with fans.
‘It’s late on January 1, the first day of 2026, and I’m entering into this new year – the year of the horse – with some bad news about my concussion,’ Lilly, 46, said in an Instagram video.
‘The results came back from the scans, and I missed every area, and my brain is functioning at a decreased capacity.’
She added, ‘So, I do have brain damage from the TBI, and possibly other factors going on.’
The revelation comes nearly seven months after she shared shocking photos of her facial injuries following a horrific fall at the beach.
Evangeline Lilly opened up about a terrifying accident that has left her with ‘brain damage’
The reclusive Lost star, who stepped back from Hollywood after her Marvel Ant-Man success, took to Instagram on New Year’s Day to share the shocking news with fans
In the New Year’s Day caption, she wrote, ‘Verdict’s in…I do have brain damage from my tbi. Comforting to know my cognitive decline isn’t just peri-menopause, discomforting to know what an uphill battle it will be to try to reverse the deficiencies.
‘Thank you all for always asking, for always caring, and for your continued prayers.’
In the video clip, she added, ‘Now, my job is to get to the bottom of that with the doctors, and then embark on the hard work of fixing it.
‘I don’t look forward to it because I feel, like, hard work is all I do.
‘That’s OK, my cognitive decline since I smashed my face open has helped me to slow down and helped me to have a more restful finished 2025.’
Lilly described the end-of-year period as ‘the most restful’ holiday season she’s ever experienced.
‘That’s a good thing,’ she added. ‘[I’m] feeling extraordinarily grateful and blessed to be able to play one more day, one more year on this beautiful living planet.
‘That is my concussion update. Thank you all for caring.’
‘The results came back from the scans, and I missed every area, and my brain is functioning at a decreased capacity’ (pictured in Lost 2007)
In May, Lilly took to her Instagram and posted a series of snaps looking bloodied and bruised.
The star revealed that she had fainted at the beach and ended up falling face first into a boulder, which led to her being rushed to hospital.
She penned: ‘At the hospital, the nurses and doctor went straight into action, more determined to find the cause of my blackout than to stitch up the hole punctured into my face by the rock. I smiled wryly at them.
‘”You won’t find anything.” I said with a woozy voice…’
It comes after Evangeline, who shot to fame as Kate Austen in the ABC drama series Lost, announced she is retiring from acting after 20 years on screen.
Last June, the Hollywood veteran remarked on Instagram about her departure from showbusiness.
‘I am so filled with joy and contentment today as I live out my vision,’ wrote Evangeline.
‘Praise God, I feel so grateful for my blessings. Stepping away from what seems like the obvious choice (wealth and fame) can feel scary at times, but stepping into your dharma replaces the fear with fulfillment.’
It comes after Evangeline announced she is retiring from acting after 20 years on screen (pictured on Instagram earlier this year)
The star shot to fame in the ABC series Lost in 2004 with (From Top Left), Terry O’Quinn, Jorge Garcia, Ian Somerhalder, Maggie Grace, Naveen Andrews, Emilie De Ravin, Josh Holloway, Matthew Fox and Monaghan
Her most recent film role was in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, where she reprised her role as Hope van Dyne/The Wasp in February 2023 (pictured with Kathryn Newton left)
Dharma is regarded in Hinduism as a cosmic law underlying right behavior and social order.
She then added she may come back to acting, but not at the moment: ‘I might return to Hollywood one day, but, for now, this is where I belong. A new season has arrived, and I AM READY…and I AM HAPPY.’
Prior to this, Evangeline said she wanted a standalone Marvel movie.
The star was reprising her role as Hope van Dyne/ Wasp in the Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbuster Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania when she said she plans to make it clear that she wants the character to be the subject of her own picture.
Speaking to Variety at the world premiere of the film in Los Angeles in February 2023, Evangeline said: ‘Well, I’m going to make a pitch that I think it might be time for Hope spin-off… for a Wasp standalone film.
‘Do we agree? Anybody? Going once… going twice.’
The actress has been in the MCU since the 2015 movie Ant-Man and feels established as a member of the superhero franchise.
Evangeline said: ‘When we first came into the universe, it was so established with Black Widow, Iron Man, Captain America, and all the original gangsters. And we were just like these new kids on the block who were trying to earn our stripes.
‘And now all of a sudden we’re in the centre at the launching point of Phase 5, and it feels really cool.’
The actress previously revealed how she had plenty of input into the movie’s script.
She said: ‘I have a lot of opinions and I’d love to share them and I’d love to give you my thoughts on all of this.
‘And to do it with confidence and to do it with clarity, instead of, before I even speak, already… brushing my own ideas under the carpet, which is an old habit of mine. Like, ‘Yeah, this probably isn’t a very good idea, but…’ or, ‘You don’t have to use this, I’m just going to tell you what it is.”
