Stephen Merchant recently shared a harrowing tale of a close brush with danger during what was intended to be a leisurely boat trip on a lake near Los Angeles. The 49-year-old comedian and actor recounted a frightening incident when he disregarded explicit warnings and took a dip in the water, which almost led to a catastrophic outcome.
Merchant candidly admitted that he felt as though he was on the brink of death after impulsively diving into the lake despite posted signs advising against swimming. His decision left him struggling to re-board the boat, causing alarm among his family as he perilously drifted towards the boat’s propeller.
In a conversation on the “Films To Be Buried With” podcast, Merchant, who stands at an impressive 6 feet 7 inches, painted a vivid picture of the precarious situation. “Big Bear Lake is a resort north of Los Angeles,” he recounted, “and I went there once with my family, including my mum, dad, sister, and her kids, my niece and nephew.” The family had decided to enjoy a day out on the lake by renting a small raft boat, which came with a cautionary sign that read, “do not jump into the lake.”
Despite the clear warning, Merchant, then 45, found himself drawn to the inviting waters. “I thought, ‘Oh, I’ll probably jump in because it looks really nice,'” he confessed. However, he soon discovered the reason behind the prohibition. The absence of a ladder and the boat’s curved underside made it nearly impossible to climb back aboard, turning a harmless venture into a nerve-wracking ordeal.
‘And you can take out these kind of little raft boats on to the lake. And a sign says “do not jump into the lake”.
Stephen Merchant has revealed he faced a near ‘death experience’ after ignoring important instructions while enjoying a boat trip on a lake near Los Angeles a few years ago
The comedian and actor, 49, admitted he thought he ‘was going to die’ after jumping into Big Bear Lake (pictured) even though signs warned not to go swimming
‘I’m a 45-year-old man and I’m thinking “Oh, no I’ll probably jump in the lake because it looks really nice” and so I jumped in the lake. And then I realised the reason they have that sign is you can’t get back into the boat – there’s no ladder, the underside’s kind of curved.
‘So I’m scrabbling to try and get back on the boat and my family and my niece and nephew are all oblivious to my panic and I don’t want to worry the kids, but I’m starting to think “I think this is how I die – I think I’m going to drown in Big Bear Lake with all of my family around me”, which I guess is how I wanted to go.
‘I’m tall and my legs are getting dragged towards the propeller of the engine under the boat.’
Stephen revealed his brother-in-law came to his rescue and ‘hauled’ him back into the boat leaving him with a few ‘cuts on his legs’.
He continued: ‘In the end I managed to notify my brother-in-law who kind of hauled me aboard and I cut up my legs on the side of the boat.
‘I look back on it and think “What was I thinking – they said don’t jump in the lake”. I survived but it felt like touch and go.’
Agreeing he doesn’t tend to listen to what he’s told to do, Stephen added: ‘I think that’s what I mean by just doing something dumb without really thinking it through, like jumping in a lake when you are told not to.
‘I’m not an adventurous man – I’m not a parachute guy, I’m not doing bungee jumps.’
He recalled how he couldn’t get back onto the boat and left his family ‘panicked’ as he was ‘dragged towards the propeller of the boat engine’ (pictured with girlfriend Mircea Monroe)
He said: ‘I jumped in the lake and I realised the reason they have that sign is you can’t get back into the boat – there’s no ladder, the underside’s kind of curved. So I’m scrabbling to try and get back on the boat and I’m starting to think “I think this is how I die”‘
Stephen has been dating girlfriend Mircea Monroe since 2018 after meeting at an awards ceremony in 2017.
Their romance came after Stephen previously revealed that he had trouble finding a girlfriend because of his 6ft 7″ height.
He once told Alan Carr: ‘If they’re down there and I’m up here, it’s a bit tricky.
But by 2019, Stephen admitted it was great to not have to worry about ‘filling’ such a void in life after he had met the St Louis native.
He said: ‘Aside from the fact that she’s great… there’s something very pleasing about not having the endless concern about filling that part of your life.
‘That’s a very lonely life, the life of a single person’.
The couple live together in a £2.4million mansion once owned by former US talk show host Ellen DeGeneres.
It comes after Stephen was confirmed to be the UK’s richest comedian in September 2023, edging out the likes of other popular stars such as Peter Kay and Ricky Gervais.
The actor initially rose to fame after co-writing the British version of The Office with friend Ricky which was released in July 2001 and later Extras, which was released four years later.
Stephen has a reported net worth of £26.6million and has also enjoyed huge financial success from TV shows such as The Outlaws and Life’s Too Short.
