- Zac Efron recently revealed that he "almost died" in a 2013 accident that shattered his jaw.
- The "High School Musical" star also called rumors that he'd had plastic surgery "funny."
Zac Efron opened up about the 2013 accident that shattered his jaw, telling Entertainment Tonight that the incident was nearly fatal.
"It sucks. I almost died, but we're good," the "High School Musical" star said in a Tuesday interview at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Efron also addressed the online rumors that he'd undergone cosmetic surgery, calling them "funny."
He previously set the record straight about his accident in an interview with Men's Health published September 7.
As Insider's Gabby Landsverk reported, Efron revealed to the magazine that the accident occurred while he was running through his house wearing socks. He then slipped, colliding with a granite fountain that broke his jaw.
Efron explained that he worked with a physical therapy specialist to recover, but some of the muscles of his face and jaw had to work harder in response to the injury — specifically, the chewing muscles called masseters, which are located on the side of the face from the cheekbone to the lower jaw.
"The masseters just grew," the "Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile" actor said. "They just got really, really big."
According to Efron, he only learned of the chatter surrounding his altered face when his mom called to ask him outright if he'd had plastic surgery. He told Men's Health that since his "High School Musical" stardom at age 17, he's tried to avoid social media unless he's promoting a project.
Speculation among fans began in April 2021, after Efron appeared in an Earth Day special with scientist Bill Nye. In the special, many pointed out that Efron's jawline looked drastically different, prompting intense online discourse (dubbed "Jaw-Gate") in which people speculated about whether Efron had gotten Botox, fillers or implants, another cosmetic procedure, or even dental surgery.