Dear White People‘s DeRon Horton is focused on his recovery after he was recently involved in a shooting.
“First off. I wanna give an honor to God for covering me and protecting me to make it out this situation and countless other ones,” Horton, 32, wrote via Instagram on Thursday, January 16. “Everybody that checked on me n holla’d at me specially my family n friends I love yall, Thank you.”
Horton uploaded several photos of his injury — including an X-ray that showed the bullet in his arm.
“Gettin shot a few days before Xmas def wasn’t on my wish list 😂🎅🏽,” he continued. “But it happened mf shot thru the car at me bullet broke my arm shattered it all type o s—. But I’m Blessed dawg to not be in a casket or paralyzed.”
Horton noted that he was not focused on “healing,” adding, “I got a plate n screws in my mf arm, so I can’t workout for a minute which I’m mad about BUT it coulda been worse! And I don’t need no sympathy I’m finna bounce right back I feel amazing 💯💯.”
He concluded: “I just wanted to remind yall and myself to Keep God first! Stay Alert n Grateful for Everything. the devil can’t stop sh*t when you walk w God🙏🏽.”
The actor received an outpouring of support in the comments section from his former costars, including Ashley Blaine Featherson-Jenkins, who appeared on Dear White People. “Thank GOD for your life. I’m so so SO happy you’re ok,” she wrote.
Logan Browning, another fellow star from the Netflix series, left an emotional message, which read, “Dear God, thank you for protecting my special Deron ❤️🩹.”
Samuel L. Jackson, who worked with Horton on The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, reached out to him as well. “Glad you’re still with us, Tuff Stuff!!! Good thing you’re covered by the All mighty🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿,” he replied. “Hoping you heal quickly & painlessly as possible👊🏾👊🏾. Stay Blessed🫵🏾‼️.”
Before playing Lionel on Dear White People, which aired from 2017 to 2021, Horton booked roles in Roman J. Israel, Esq., American Vandal, American Horror Story, Bad Hair, Endless and Bliss. Horton previously reflected on how his career journey allowed him to share the screen with Denzel Washington in Roman J. Israel, Esq.
“I feel like he’s somewhat changed my life, saved my life,” he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2018. “I will say that him and other people that I look up to very much and to see this person in the flesh and just know in my high school brain, I was like, ‘I just hope to be like him one day,’ and I’m sitting here looking at him.”
Horton considered it an honor to spend time with Washington on set.
“I want to stargaze, I want to ask him 2,000 questions, but I also want to be as good as him right now and try and create this scene,” he shared. “So it was really tough, but we got to talk about a lot of stuff. We talked about Shakespeare, we talked about God, we talked about love, making mistakes and stuff like that, but it was a really, really humbling experience for me.”
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