Owen Wilson, star of “The Wedding Crashers” as well as every Ben Stiller movie ever created and bona fide member of what some have dubbed “The Frat Pack,” was rushed to the hospital via ambulance on Sunday. The Star and the National Enquirer, which were the first to report the story, said Wilson had cut both wrists and taken an “indeterminate amount of pills.”
A Boston Globe report also mentioned that the actor was single, and proceeded to tell a story about ex-girlfriend Kate Hudson being in Boston but somehow avoiding an approaching reporter.
So welcome back to the game of celebrity hospitalization and “journalistic” speculation. Do we trust the accounts of the Star and the Enquirer, known in the past for stories of alien births and celebrity weight gains/infidelities? Are they reporting the seamy side of truth, or edging toward fiction? Was this a suicide attempt, or a grossly misinterpreted accident?
In case we don’t trust the two aforementioned sources (and to be clear, I don’t), we can go to more reliable outlets: The AP adds a descriptive element, saying Wilson was found “bloodied and dazed after a blow-up with a close friend.”

I have no idea how much of this report is accurate. None of us know except Owen Wilson and his family. And I can’t imagine the pain that causes someone to take an action like this. So until we hear it from Wilson himself, I’m tempted to believe that it’s all a misunderstanding. Beyond that, I find myself thinking about how this is yet another illustration of a simple fact of celebrity culture: A person is not always who they are on-screen–that even if someone seems relatable on screen, or seems raucously hilarious and fun loving, there is likely another side you can’t see, and might not want to see.
And according to FOX News, Wilson released a statement through his publicist: “I respectfully ask that the media allow me to receive care and heal in private during this difficult time,” he said.
At least this member of the media thinks that’s an excellent idea. On behalf of Idol Chatter, I wish Owen a full and speedy recovery.