Venomous Spider Bite Hospitalizes AC/DC Opener Taylor Momsen During Tour

Taylor Momsen is pretty unlucky when it comes to opening for AC/DC. The Pretty Reckless frontwoman was hospitalized this week in Mexico City after suffering complications from a venomous spider bite.

Momsen shared photos from her hospital bed on social media Wednesday, showing the impact site and a massive rash spreading upward from the bottom of her leg. The former Gossip Girl star chronicled her trip to Mexico City on Instagram, beginning last week with the first of three show dates with AC/DC.

On Wednesday, April 8, the day after the band's first show, the "Make Me Wanna Die" singer posted her first spider-related video. She is seen sitting in a chair with a doctor putting a small bandage over her right ankle. "When do my superpowers kick in," she jokes to the camera, "that's what I want to know."

The caption was a bit more serious. "A massive spider decided to take a chunk out of me and its venom did a number on my system," she wrote, "had to have the wonderful doctors in Mexico come and deliver quite the shot before the show last night."

Unfortunately this was only the beginning of the arachnid drama for Momsen, who continued to post through the pain. It appears this time that the bite did not occur on stage at Estadio GNP Seguros, but rather in between shows.

A few days after the initial bandaging, in a video promoting her latest single "When I Wake Up," she and a friend seemingly poke fun at the recent incident. "When I wake up... with spiders in my bed," they say together. "When I wake up with spiders all over my body." Momsen reassures fans at the end of the video, saying, "I'm doing fine," another nod to lyrics from her new song.

But things got worse before they got better. After The Pretty Reckless's second show with AC/DC on April 11, Momsen posted again with the now-spreading rash. "Hospital today, show tomorrow, poisonous spiders are NO BUENO," she says, "but the show must go on."

The photo shows the same impact site on the ankle with a blotchy red rash surrounding the bite and spreading all the way up to her knee.

It's unclear what kind of spider bit the How The Grinch Stole Christmas star, as she has not yet shared any further details. Both the Brown Recluse and Black Widow species are present in Mexico City and can cause a rapidly spreading rash as well as other symptoms such as painful headaches.

Momsen ended up being hospitalized overnight due to the severity of the bite. Ahead of The Pretty Reckless's third and final Mexico City show with AC/DC, she shared another video of her leg -- this time with a blue marker boarder drawn around the rash for doctors to observe if it continues to spread. She also posted a photo of herself holding an ice pack up to her forehead.

"After spending the night in the ER, the great doctors of Mexico made it so I could see all you amazing people tonight," Momsen said alongside a video of herself performing with her band, "I’ll update you on my health another day."

Taylor Momsen's Critter Problems

The Pretty Reckless x AC/DC relationship is a long and tumultuous one. Two years ago, in 2024, Momsen and her band were opening for AC/DC in Seville when a bat landed on the singer and bit her during her performance of "Witches Burn."

The bite, also on the leg, caused Momsen to undergo a series of painful rabies shots, which she also detailed on social media.

The bite ended up turning into an iconic moment for the rock band, with fans dubbing Momsen "Batgirl." Like her most recent shows, Momsen played through her Seville shows and only sought treatment afterwards.