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"I'm actually donating my kidney in six weeks," said the actor, while detailing how the risk-free donation process works, calling it a "no brainer" for those who "have the time and the inclination."
No, this isn’t some magic trick or organ disappearing act: Jesse Eisenberg just revealed that he is scheduled to donate one of his kidneys to a complete stranger. The Oscar-nominated star shared the news during an appearance on NBC’s Today show while promoting his new film, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t.
The surprising revelation occurred when host Craig Melvin commended Eisenberg for his past participation in a Today show blood drive. The actor quickly transitioned the conversation from blood to a much more significant act of generosity.
"I'm actually donating my kidney in six weeks," the 42-year-old stated, clarifying to a stunned panel of hosts, "I really am."
Eisenberg explained that his motivation was simply an evolution of his longtime love for blood donation. He humorously noted he “got, like, bitten by the blood donation bug," and described the decision to make an "altruistic donation" — where an organ is given to a recipient the donor does not know — as a "no-brainer," citing the safety and urgent need for organs, while adding, "I’m so excited to do it."
"It's essentially risk-free and so needed," Eisenberg told TODAY.com in a separate interview, expressing his hope that others would be inclined to follow his lead once they realize the low risk involved. “I think people will realize that it’s a no-brainer, if you have the time and the inclination.”
The Social Network star then went into more detail about the whole process works.
"Let's say person X needs a kidney in Kansas City, (and) their child or whoever was going to donate to them is, for whatever set of reasons, not a match, but somehow I am," he shared. "That person can still get my kidney and hopefully that child of that person still donates their kidney, right? But it goes to a bank where that person can find a match recipient, but it only works if there is basically an altruistic donor."
Eisenberg also addressed a common concern for living donors: the security of their own family's future health. He pointed out that by participating in the process, his family would be prioritized should a loved one ever require a living kidney donation, referencing the National Kidney Registry’s family voucher program. "The way it works now is you can put a list of whoever you would like to be the first to be at the top of the list," he explained. "So it's risk-free for my family, as well.”
Eisenberg is scheduled for the surgery in mid-December. His selfless decision comes at a critical time, as only a small fraction of living kidney donations in the U.S. are non-directed to strangers, despite nearly 90,000 people currently waiting for a kidney transplant, as of September 2024, according to the Health Resources and Services Administration.
