American playwright, filmmaker, actor, and now literal lifesaver Jesse Eisenberg is taking his holiday giving to a whole new level. The Now You See Me star revealed on the TODAY show that he’s donating one of his kidneys to a total stranger.
The man isn’t conjuring a disappearing organ act. He’s actually doing it.
Eisenberg, ever the soft-spoken overachiever, dropped the announcement casually on live TV:
“I’m actually donating my kidney in six weeks… I really am.”
And no, this isn’t a promo stunt for Now You See Me: Now You Don’t.
Asked what inspired the decision, the Social Network star replied with peak Eisenberg energy:
“I don’t know why. I got bitten by the blood donation bug. I’m doing an altruistic donation mid-December. I’m so excited to do it.”
In the U.S., roughly 27,759 kidney transplants were performed in 2024, about a quarter of them from living donors. Eisenberg is now joining that rare and generous club. His kidney, like one of his Now You See Me tricks, will vanish from one person and reappear in another, saving a life in the process.
For anyone unfamiliar with the term, an “altruistic donor” gives a kidney to someone they’ve never met. No family ties, no personal connection—just pure, organ-level kindness. As RWJ Barnabas Health puts it, these are “non-directed” donors who step up for strangers with advanced kidney disease.
Eisenberg explained it in his own words:
“It’s essentially risk-free and so needed. I think people will realize that it’s a no-brainer if you have the time and the inclination.”
While “risk-free” might be a touch of magician’s optimism, experts say the odds are overwhelmingly in donors’ favor: over 95% recover fully and go on to live everyday, healthy lives with just one kidney. The surgery itself carries about the same risk as any routine laparoscopic procedure—more “disappearing appendix” than death-defying illusion.
He also broke down how the kidney exchange process works, in a way that sounds suspiciously like a jewelry heist diagram:
“Let’s say person X needs a kidney in Kansas City, and their child was going to donate, but isn’t a match—but somehow I am. That person gets my kidney, and their child still donates to someone else. It’s a chain reaction—but it only works if there’s an altruistic donor to start it.”
Apparently, Eisenberg first considered donating a decade ago, but the organization he contacted never responded. Could you imagine ghosting Zack Snyder’s Lex Luthor of all people?
This time, a doctor friend pointed him toward NYU Langone Health in New York City. After a few tests, the magician-slash-humanitarian was cleared for surgery in mid-December.
He also wanted to clarify a common concern: what if a family member needs a kidney later?
According to Eisenberg, that’s covered thanks to the National Kidney Registry’s family voucher program:
“The way it works now is you can put a list of whoever you’d like to be first at the top of the list. So it’s risk-free for my family as well.”
You can view the interview clip here:
- YouTubeTODAY
Eisenberg credited his wife, Anna Strout, a teacher and longtime charity worker, for inspiring his sense of activism. Her late mother ran a domestic violence shelter, which the couple continues to support.
Of course, Eisenberg, being Eisenberg, couldn’t resist adding a self-deprecating quip about his ongoing blood donations:
“I just have so much blood in me, and I feel like I should spill it. I really like doing it, and I don’t know why.”
Between blood drives, altruistic kidney surgery, and fatherhood, Eisenberg’s pulling off the ultimate vanishing act—ego, gone; empathy, revealed.
And naturally, the internet pulled a rabbit out of that hat, transforming Eisenberg’s generosity into a viral act of modern magic.
The Oscar-nominated actor isn’t slowing down anytime soon. Fresh off his nod for A Real Pain, Eisenberg is back to bending reality in Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, the third installment of the hit magician-heist franchise, opening Nov. 14.
Off-screen, he’s a husband and father. He and his wife, Anna Strout, welcomed their son Banner in 2017, and he even made a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo in A Real Pain.
Meanwhile, the long-awaited Social Network sequel, The Social Reckoning, is moving forward without him. Aaron Sorkin is returning as both writer and director, with Jeremy Strong taking over the role of Mark Zuckerberg.
Still, between his screenplays, stage work, and upcoming kidney vanishing act, Eisenberg seems to be starring in his most impressive performance yet: making humanity look cool again.
You can view the trailer for Now You See Me: Now You Don’t below—because yes, the magic’s still real:
- YouTubeLionsgate Movies
And if Eisenberg’s act of generosity has you feeling inspired, you can learn more about becoming a living kidney donor through organizations like the National Kidney Registry or NYU Langone Health’s Living Donor Program.
Turns out, the greatest trick of all might be saving someone’s life.
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