Morgan Freeman appeared at the Oscars 2025 to pay tribute to his late friend Gene Hackman. However, many viewers noticed that he wore a single black glove. While some speculated about its significance, the reason actually dates back to a serious injury he suffered years ago.
A Car Accident Caused Permanent Nerve Damage
In 2008, Freeman was in a car accident on a Mississippi road. His vehicle flipped over, and emergency responders had to cut him free. As a result, his left arm suffered severe injuries.
At the time, a local newspaper editor described the incident, saying, “They had to use the jaws of life to extract him from the vehicle. He was lucid, conscious. He was talking, joking with some of the rescue workers at one point.”
Initially, doctors believed his hand would heal by 2011. However, despite treatment, his condition never improved. Later, Freeman admitted, “I suffered nerve damage, and it hasn’t gotten better. I can’t move it.”
The Glove Helps With Circulation
Due to his injury, Freeman wears a compression glove to improve blood flow and reduce swelling. He once explained, “If you don’t move your hand, it will swell up. Do you know you move your hand about a million times a day?”
Freeman’s Battle With Fibromyalgia
Over the years, Freeman has also struggled with fibromyalgia, which causes severe pain in his injured arm. In an interview with Esquire, he described the condition as “Excruciating. Up and down the arm. That’s where it gets so bad.”
Freeman’s Emotional Tribute to Gene Hackman
At the Oscars 2025, Freeman remembered Gene Hackman, who recently passed away along with his wife, Betsy Arakawa, and their dog. The two actors had shared the screen in Unforgiven (1992) and Under Suspicion (2000).
While expressing his grief, Freeman said, “This week our community lost a giant, and I lost a dear friend, Gene Hackman. He received two Oscars and, more importantly, he won the hearts of film lovers all over the world.”