Singer Taylor Momsen bit by a bat while performing on stage
By Alli Rosenbloom, CNN
(CNN) — Just call her #batgirl.
Musician and former “Gossip Girl” star Taylor Momsen is seemingly taking everything in stride after being bit by a bat while on stage in Spain last week.
Momsen and her band The Pretty Reckless were in the middle of performing a song when a bat latched onto Momsen’s thigh, according to multiple videos posted to her Instagram page over the weekend.
One of the videos showed the exact moment that Momsen asked crew members for help after realizing a bat is on her leg. In the video, a number of people run on to the stage to help, and the bat is seen flying away seconds later. The video also showed footage of Momsen at what appears to be a hospital getting shots in her leg.
“I must really be a witch,” she joked to the audience, referencing the song “Witches Burn,” which she was performing when the incident happened.
Momsen wrote in the caption that she had “no idea” the bat had clung to her leg “until the incredible crowd kept screaming and pointing.”
“He was cute, but yes he bit me,” she added.
Momsen wrote that she will undergo rabies shots for the next two weeks. She also thanked the staff at the hospital “who dubbed me #batgirl after seeing it on the local news that morning.”
CNN has reached out to Momsen’s representative for an update on the singer’s condition.
Another video that Momsen posted shows the “Gossip Girl” actor walking backstage after the show reacting to the incident, saying the bat “held on for dear life” and that it “scared” her in the moment.
The rabies virus is transmitted through direct contact with an infected animal, including through the saliva or brain and nervous system tissue, according to the CDC. The rabies virus attacks the central nervous system, causing a brain disease that can lead to death without treatment.
The CDC recommends seeing a doctor for post-exposure treatment soon after contact with an animal. Post-exposure treatment for people who haven’t received the rabies vaccine includes a one-time dose of immune globulins and four doses of the vaccine over the course of two weeks.
Momsen and The Pretty Reckless are serving as the opening act for AC/DC’s Power Up tour this summer. Poking fun at the otherwise scary incident, Momsen also posted a photo of herself posing next to a “no bats” sign taped onto some of AC/DC’s stage equipment.
“Ok… so @acdc has the best crew ever,” Momsen wrote in the caption. “Love you guys!!!”
Momsen is the lead singer for the rock band The Pretty Reckless, which she formed in 2009. She is also known for her role as Jenny Humphrey on the CW show “Gossip Girl,” which she appeared in as a series regular from 2007 to 2010.
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