Who Is Carrot Top? 5 Things to Know About the Comedian After Suicide Attempt

Comedian Carrot Top built a decades-long career in comedy before recently drawing renewed attention following a reported suicide attempt.

The 61-year-old, whose real name is Scott Thompson, is out of the hospital and recovering at home after being hospitalized on September 18. Authorities responded to his Las Vegas home that afternoon following an attempt to kill himself, after which he was taken to a medical facility in critical condition.

His hospitalization came amid claims by his legal team that he was being extorted, as well as separate sexual misconduct allegations against him.

Here's everything to know about the stand-up comedian, including his comedy career, recent hospitalization and ongoing legal disputes.

Thompson was born in Rockledge, Fla., on February 25, 1965. He grew up in Cocoa Beach and graduated from Cocoa High School in 1983. He got his now-famous stage name in high school, when his swimming coach nicknamed him "Carrot Top."

After high school, Thompson enrolled at Florida Atlantic University, where he booked his first stand-up comedy gig as a freshman.

As his profile grew in the years thereafter, he landed one of his first major opportunities in 1992 when he stepped in for comedian Sam Kinison, who died in a head-on car accident at the age of 38.

Thompson worked as a continuity announcer for Cartoon Network from 1995 to 1999 while also starring in several films and television shows, including Chairman of the Board and Space Ghost Coast to Coast. His appearances continued over the years with credits on Scrubs, George Lopez, Family Guy, Gene Simmons Family Jewel, The Girls Next Door, The Neighbors, Robot Chicken, Hitting the Breaks, Sharknado: The 4th Awakens and Hacks, among others.

According to The U.S. Sun, Thompson has been dating his longtime girlfriend, Amanda Hogan, since 2014.

She is a business owner who founded Any Thyme Catering, a catering and event-planning company. She also runs an Etsy shop where she sells handmade pottery and tableware.

In a statement on September 18, a representative for Thompson revealed the comedian was "recovering in the hospital" and "receiving the care and support he needs."

"His family and those closest to him are deeply grateful for the concern, prayers and respectfully ask for privacy," the representative added.

The statement did not disclose why Thompson was hospitalized, but a police incident report later revealed he had attempted suicide on the afternoon of September 18 at his home. He was found near the pool in his backyard after reportedly calling a member of his team in a distressed state. He had spoken with his manager about concerns over an upcoming article about him before sending a brief, alarming text and suddenly going silent.

Thompson's manager alerted authorities, who responded to the property and found him in need of emergency medical attention.

As OK! reported, Thompson was released from the hospital roughly a week after the suicide attempt. His scheduled Las Vegas shows were canceled while he continues to recover from the frightening incident and deal with the reported extortion threats.

Thompson's hospitalization came amid an increasingly contentious civil dispute involving the star.

In court filings, his attorneys accused singer and entertainer Brian Evans of attempting to extort their client by allegedly seeking substantial payments while threatening to publicize embarrassing information, as well as "false allegations" and other "salacious materials."

"This is not settlement communication," Thompson's attorney Ronnie Bitman wrote in his September 3 filing. "On its face it is a malicious threat to expose Thompson to disgrace and to expose a secret affecting him, with intent thereby to extort money under the guise of litigation — conduct prohibited by Florida and federal law."

Evans filed the lawsuit in Broward County on August 6, alleging that Thompson sent him an unsolicited sexually explicit video several years earlier. Although the two parties entered into a 2024 settlement agreement, Evans is seeking to have the settlement voided, arguing he was suffering from PTSD and depression due to the 2023 Maui wildfires and was not in a condition to fully understand the document when he signed it.

The Broward County case followed an earlier federal lawsuit Evans filed against Thompson in July, which was voluntarily dismissed without prejudice.

The case widened when Zachary Defazio filed a declaration on September 14 in support of Evans' case against Thompson.

"I am coming forward in Evans' cases because what he has told this Court about Thompson's pattern, as it concerns me, is true, and because I support him," the filing read.

In the declaration, Defazio alleged that Thompson contacted him through Grindr in 2021 and later provided him with alcohol before engaging in sexual conduct with him that October. He claimed he was too intoxicated at the time to consent.

Court documents indicated Defazio said he contacted Evans after learning that the Evans-Thompson legal war had become part of the public record.

"I want this court to treat me as a victim who is standing with Evans, not as a sealed name the defense can wave away … so this court would stop being told there is only one man in this fight," Defazio continued in his court filing.