2026 certainly got off to a less-than-stellar start for funnyman Merrick Watts.
The former radio host, 52, took to Instagram on New Year's Day to reveal a shocking running injury.
Merrick was hosting the Rando Run in Maroubra in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs when things went terribly wrong.
He took to Instagram to document the nightmare ordeal which saw him rushed to hospital.
Merrick began his revealing and graphic clip with a trigger warning.
'I just got back from the Rando Run which did not go according to plan,' he began.
2026 certainly got off to a less-than-stellar start for funnyman Merrick Watts. The former radio host took to Instagram on New Year's Day to reveal a shocking running injury
'In fact I ended up in emergency and I've had to have some quick surgery. If you don't like gore, don't watch the rest of this.'
The video then cut to a very motivated Merrick leading a pack of fitness enthusiasts on the run with the caption: 'Seconds from disaster.'
The run then came to a grinding halt after Merrick took a nasty tumble while filming the running pack.
'That was a good start. What happened here fellas? Someone was filming themselves and tripped on that step,' he said.
Merrick then panned the camera down to his knee, revealing a deep, bloody gash.
'Warning that is a f*ing deep cut,' he said through the pain.
'Oooh, that's going to require some stitches. So boys, I reckon you go for a run and I'll see you at the hospital, where you guys will bring me flowers and chocolates.'
Merrick's wife, Georgie, then picked him up to take him to the hospital, declaring the accident as the 'most Merrick Watts thing ever.'
The run then came to a grinding halt after Merrick took a nasty tumble while filming the running pack. 'That was a good start. What happened here fellas? Someone was filming themselves and tripped on that step,' he said
Merrick then panned the camera down to his knee, revealing a deep, bloody gash. 'Warning that is a f*ing deep cut,' he said through the pain
He then showed another confronting scene of him lying on a hospital bed with his wound exposed.
A nurse asked Merrick to bend his knee and he declared: 'I reckon that's more than a Band-Aid.'
After being stitched up, Merrick appeared unfazed by the incident, even offering staff at Maroubra Urgent Care a tip.
'I feel like I could go on another run,' he declared. 'Should I go on another run?' to which the nurse replied: 'Please don't do that.'
He then asked: 'What about ketamine? Can I have some ketamine?' with his request being flatly refused.
Merrick recently recalled the shocking moment he and his former Nova co-host Tim Ross lost the Nova network $1million.
The 51-year-old revealed on the Friendlyjordies Podcast that he and Rosso had been asked to promote McDonald's El Maco range live on air early in their career, but things didn't go to plan.
After introducing the range, the radio duo joked it 'was the blandest food you would ever have' and their bosses weren't impressed.
He then showed another confronting scene of him lying on a hospital bed with his wound exposed. A nurse asked Merrick to bend his knee and he declared: 'I reckon that's more than a Band-Aid'
After being stitched up, Merrick appeared unfazed by the incident even offering staff at Maroubra Urgent Care a tip. 'I feel like I could go on another run,' he declared. 'Should I go on another run?' to which the nurse replied: 'Please don't do that'
'That's what we refer to as the El Maco incident and no one ever brings that up, but Rosso and I know about it,' Merrick explained.
'We really upset the guys. Part of the quote was about "the geniuses at McDonald's have done it again...the blandest food you've ever had" and I was so dumb and I was laughing so much.
'And must have doubled down and said something about the shaker fries. We got off air and it was a big deal; I think we lost them $1million.'
Merrick and Rosso were best known for their radio shows on Triple J, Nova, and Triple M, but the comedy duo shocked their listeners when they parted ways in 2009 after over a decade together.