Reba alum Christopher Rich candidly discussed his road to recovery after being diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury following a massive stroke.
Rich rose to stardom playing Alexander “Sandy” Cory on Another World in the early ’80s. From there, Rich continued to make memorable appearances on shows such as The Nanny, ER and Murphy Brown before scoring his gig on Reba as Brock.
Reba made Rich a household name after he played Reba McEntire‘s ex-husband Brock from 2001 to 2007. He went on to appear on Boston Legal, Desperate Housewives and Melissa & Joey before slowing down following a health scare.
“After my stroke and having a brain injury, it is like I got hit with an atomic bomb. So it all gets traumatized, and it is a hard reset,” he exclusively told Us Weekly in February 2025 before his guest spot on NBC’s Happy’s Place. “After I finally got out of the hospital, I was moving around again. Then I threw a bunch of blood clots and ended up in the hospital with lung embolisms and debris on my heart. After surviving all of that crap, I’m feeling really, really good.”
Reba McEntire proved she is more than just a country superstar when she led her own TV show — appropriately called Reba. The sitcom ran for six seasons from October 2001 to February 2007. McEntire starred as a single mother raising her three children — played by JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Scarlett Pomers and Mitch Holleman […]
He continued: “I lost 50 pounds since the last time I was a regular on television. I just don’t have much of an appetite anymore. But I’m not disappointed by losing weight.”
Rich was hopeful about his return to Hollywood, adding, “It’s great to be able to be a disabled person and play a disabled person. I’m hoping that when some of this gets out there, that people that I’ve worked with in the past are going to say, ‘OK, let’s bring him back. We can work with him.’”
Despite having his life changed by the traumatic brain injury, Rich has remained positive about his ongoing recovery — and is making his return to acting. Keep scrolling for everything Rich said about his health scare, life after having a stroke and how he has prioritized his recovery:
The Initial Health Issue
Christopher Rich, Melissa Peterman and Reba McEntire in ‘Reba.’ Everett Collection
“I almost didn’t make it to the Easter service at church because I was busy having a massive stroke,” Rich recalled in a 2022 video for a Texas regenerative medicine clinic. “It has been a major struggle but a part of my treatment is coming here to get a stem cell treatment to heal the right side of my brain where the blood clot happened.”
Rich broke down how the stroke damaged the ride side of his brain, which impaired his ability to walk, talk and use the left side of his body.
“It destroyed some of my brain so what I have been doing is I’ve been trying to redevelop neural pathways,” he continued at the time. “My left side was completely frozen. I couldn’t walk or use my left arm.”
Developing a New Lease on Life
Melissa Peterman, Christopher Rich, Reba McEntire and Scarlett Pomers in ‘Reba.’ Greg Schwartz/Fox Television/Courtesy Everett Collection
After suffering a stroke in 2018, Rich reflected on his health in a promotional video for a medical center, saying, “I actually had some stem cells injected into my shoulder a few days ago, and the pain is down 80 percent. I have more mobility. I’m walking better. I’m still talking like an idiot, but I don’t think that’s ever going to change.”
Rich admitted he has since looked at his life differently. “When you face a major medical issue, it changes your perspective on life,” he noted. “When you come through it, you begin to enjoy each day a little bit more even with the pain.”
The actor said his health became a priority, which meant it was “that serious a deal” for him to travel from Los Angeles to Texas to “get the highest quality of treatment.”
Facing Ups and Downs
Rich discussed his mental health in a 2019 video for the Centre for Neuro Skills.
“After [you] suffer a brain injury, it is like everything has changed in a moment and now you’re in this other place. But there’s hope because this is where — for me — the sun shines,” he explained. “Treat your significant other nicely because you’re gonna be relying on them, and don’t forget to ask other people for help because you can use all the help you can get right now. … You’re at the right place and I’m so sorry that you’re having to do this, but I’m glad you found this place. They will take good care of you. They saved my life.”
Rich was previously married to the late Nancy Frangione from 1982 to 1996, with whom he shared one adopted daughter. He found love again with Eva Halina Rich and the couple, who share two daughters, got married in 2003. Eva joined Christopher in a video for the medical center where he recalled the aftermath of his “massive stroke.”
“My wife and I are still working hard to reestablish our relationship because it’s like she’s living with a different person,” he admitted. “I get frustrated with the fact that she doesn’t recognize me as the same guy that is still in here. But she’s like, ‘This is an adjustment.’ I don’t think I’ll ever be exactly what I was before and I hope not because this has been such a learning experience for me.”
The Initial Year
“I went to sleep the night before Easter and when I woke up, I couldn’t walk or really talk coherently. I had a stroke in the middle of the night and then I had complete left side paralysis. There was basically no use of my left arm at all. I couldn’t walk on my own. I was in a wheelchair,” he detailed in 2019. “My voice sounded abnormal to me, and I had a lot of saliva running out of the left side of my mouth.”
Christopher pointed out that memory was a major issue as well, adding, “I have these dreams at night where I wake up the next morning and I’m completely healed. As much as I want that, some mornings I wake up and I’m trying to stretch out to get moving again, and I realize that I’m doing more than I did yesterday morning.”
He continued: “I have a terrific life thanks to [the medical center]. Bad stuff happens and you can do the, ‘Why me?’ But it’s there for you to grow. This doesn’t stop you and it isn’t the end of the road. It is the beginning of a different road. I would say that CNS saved my life. It really reintegrated me into that life that’s out there.”
Stepping Back From Acting to Focus on His Health
Reba McEntire and Chris Rich in ‘Reba.’ Danny Feld/Fox Television/Courtesy Everett Collection
“If you’re an actor, you can’t just suddenly show up again [after suffering a TBI] and say, ‘I can do this.’ Fortunately, I did find something [new]. I miss acting a little bit but not like I thought I would,” he said in the 2019 video for the Centre for Neuro Skills. “It’s been my main drive through my life but the other thing that I’ve done a lot of is philanthropic work and I really miss that more than I do being an actor.”
Christopher continued: “I was able to do something that I got involved with a long time ago. It is a green energy program of non-polluting generators, particularly for islands and remote places.”
Happy’s Place has enjoyed keeping it in the TV family by casting numerous stars from Reba McEntire‘s past sitcom Reba. Reba, which aired from 2001 to 2007, starred McEntire, Melissa Peterman, Christopher Rich, JoAnna Garcia Swisher and Steve Howey. Nearly two decades later, McEntire and Peterman reunited with former Reba executive producer Kevin Abbott on […]
Returning to His ‘Reba’ Roots
Reba McEntire, Chris Rich and Rex Linn. Courtesy of Chris Rich/Instagram
After taking a break from acting, Christopher made a guest appearance on NBC’s Happy’s Place. The role reunited Rich with McEntire and Melissa Peterman, who were his costars on Reba. Christopher played a local tattoo artist on Happy’s Place named Maverick who liked to tease new clients about which hand he would use to tattoo them after suffering a stroke that affected his left side.
“The crew made it feel like the old Reba set because we were having a blast. They had as much fun as I did and that was really heartwarming for me. It felt like I was back home in a safe place,” he told Us. “I was really well taken care of. It was a blessing. I want to go back so badly.”
