SHOW MUST GO ON

James Carville, 81, Reveals He’s Undergone Surgery in Podcast Recorded From Bed

The 81-year-old has continued recording while recovering.

Democratic strategist James Carville has revealed that he has undergone surgery.

Carville, 81, spoke about the operation in an episode of his Politics War Room podcast released on Sunday and recorded from this bed, saying that he had had “minor abdominal surgery yesterday.”

In a separate, shorter podcast released later Sunday, Carville revealed it was for a hernia.

Around 1 million Americans have hernia surgery each year, according to the Cleveland Clinic, which says most can return to a non-physically demanding job within a few days.

It’s unclear when Carville had the surgery; however, the Democrat was pictured in the same T-shirt, hat and glasses in bed, propped up on a pillow, in a truncated 16-minute version of the latest podcast, which was released last Thursday.

In the second, shorter podcast released Sunday, Carville, who is dressed differently, tells viewers he had the surgery “some days ago” and they “want me to stay off my feet as much as I can.”

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He added, “I feel fine. Uh, but I did want to, like Sunday afternoon, whenever, weigh in on two stories I saw.” Those two stories saw Carville agreeing with a report in the New York Times on how “dysfunctional” and cash-strapped the DNC is, and suggesting gun control activist David Hogg take over as leader.

He also commented on a story published in the Washington Post about a “scary” lack of enthusiasm among core Republican voters ahead of November’s midterm elections. Carville summed it up as Republicans “doing all this research” to discover that, “Well, people can’t stand their a--.”

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In the earlier, full hour-long episode, Carville weighed in again on his surgery during a conversation with his co-host Al Hunt on the divisive Democratic primaries in Michigan and Wisconsin next month.

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“Sometimes you gotta rule with an iron fist, and this is ridiculous we’re having this primary when the United States is on the cusp of disaster,” Carville said from bed. “Somebody’s gotta exhibit some strength and leadership here.”

After Carville’s rant, Hunt interjected, “We’re gonna start a Carville election positivity scale here. We went down a little bit today, but if not next week, by two weeks we’ll be back.”

At that point, Carville said his anger may have stemmed from the fact he had “minor abdominal surgery yesterday, so I probably... maybe that came...”

Hunt said, “That’ll do it.”

Carville added, “I feel much better.”

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Last week, Carville distanced himself from discussion about the status of MIA Republican Mitch McConnell’s health.

It has now been over 40 days since McConnell was hospitalized, with mystery surrounding if and when he will return to his job.

“I don’t want anybody to get sick, OK? I just don’t,” he said. “Not Lindsey Graham, not Mitch McConnell, not even Donald Trump, OK?”

While confessing he likes “hardball politics,” Carville added, “fascination and glee in other people’s health issues is just something I don’t want to be part of. I just don’t want to be part of it.”

The Democrat spoke about his morning exercise routine in the 2024 documentary Carville: Winning Is Everything, Stupid, where is he shown walking the halls of the Peninsula Hotel.

“I think I’m running,” he said. “People think I walk.”

The Daily Beast has contacted Carville for comment.

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