Rittenhouse Hospitalized After Brown Recluse Bite

Kyle Rittenhouse was hospitalized earlier this week after a bite from a brown recluse spider, prompting a flurry of social media responses that revisited the circumstances of his 2020 acquittal in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Rittenhouse, now 22, shared photos from his hospital bed on X, showing himself connected to monitoring equipment and a mark on his leg from the bite. In one post, he wrote, "The communists couldn’t take me out and I’ll be damned if I let a brown recluse take me out." In another, he added, "The spider, like the commies, also thought it was a good idea to come after me while I was armed. He did not survive." He indicated he was recovering.

The brown recluse, common in the southern and central United States, typically bites only when pressed against skin, such as in clothing or bedding. Initial symptoms may be mild or unnoticed, progressing to pain, redness and, in rare cases, tissue damage or fever requiring medical care. Most bites resolve with basic treatment, though hospitalization occurs in severe instances.

The incident drew widespread attention online, with reactions split along familiar lines from Rittenhouse's past. Supporters echoed his defiant tone, while...