Carrot Top’s manager received a single-word text — “Done” — moments after the comedian hinted at ending his life during a phone call on Sept. 18, according to a police report.
The message came shortly after Scott Thompson, 61, who performs under the stage name Carrot Top, spoke with his manager about an impending article accusing him of sexual misconduct, the report states. During that call, Thompson told his manager his Las Vegas residency would be over and expressed hope that an unnamed woman and her daughter would be fine without him before hanging up.
When the manager could not reach Thompson after the “Done” text, he called police to check on the performer. Officers arrived at Thompson’s Las Vegas home at 4:21 p.m. Local time and found him unconscious by his pool. He was transported to the hospital in critical condition.
Thompson had allegedly overdosed on prescription pills, reports said.
His representative said on Sunday that the comedian is “now awake” and “breathing on his own,” though he remains hospitalized.
The suicide attempt was confirmed in a court filing Sunday by Thompson’s lawyer, who requested “immediate protective relief” against Brian Evans, Thompson’s former opening act. The attorney alleged Evans was attempting to extort Thompson over a sex tape, threatening to release it publicly unless paid $500,000.
“Evans demands immediate payment of significant sums and states that, absent immediate payment, a sexually explicit recording of Thompson will be filed in the public court file so that it may be obtained and disseminated by the press and other parties,” the lawyer wrote in the filing.
Evans denied the extortion claims in a statement.
“I never threatened — ever — to post any video anywhere in exchange for a settlement,” he said.
Evans added that he had deleted the video “a long time ago.”
“I am sorry that Scott apparently did something to hurt himself,” Evans continued. “He’s a great talent but these are issues he needs to deal with and move past.”
The legal battle between Thompson and Evans predates the Sept. 18 incident. Evans, a musician, had previously opened for Thompson’s Las Vegas shows before the relationship soured. The court filing indicates the dispute centers on Evans’s possession of intimate material and his alleged demands for payment to keep it private.
Thompson has been a fixture on the Las Vegas strip for years, building a career on prop-heavy comedy that made him one of the most recognizable performers in the city. His residency at the Luxor Hotel and Casino has now been suspended as he continues his recovery.
All upcoming shows at the Luxor have been canceled, the report confirms.