‘I am going to die today’: Romesh Ranganathan recalls his near-death experience
Romesh Ranganathan has recalled the horrifying moment he nearly choked to death on chilli oil in the middle of the night.
Romesh Ranganathan nearly choked to death on chilli oil.
The 47-year-old comedian revealed the alarming moment during a candid interview on the Dish from Waitrose podcast, admitting he genuinely believed he was about to die after a late-night snack went wrong.
Speaking about his obsession with Lao Gan Ma Crispy Chilli Oil, Romesh explained: “Have you guys like that chilli oil? It’s like crunchy. It’s got, like, I think soybeans and onions fried in it and stuff like that. It’s wicked.
“I’d started getting into it and it started to become a bit of a problem. So I was eating it all the time and then it got to the point where I would happily eat it on its own.”
Romesh said that after one of his early preview performances for a play, he decided to reward himself in an unusual way.
He said: “As a little treat for myself, I’d have a tablespoon of the chilli oil … ‘Well done, Romesh. You did well in the play today. Have some chilli oil.’”
However, the light-hearted ritual quickly turned frightening.
He recalled: “I shovel it into my mouth … and then as I do that, it just, a little tiny bit of it goes the wrong way.
“I start really choking and I start panicking. And then, honestly, I think, ‘I’m going to die.’ I thought, ‘I’m going to die now.’”
Describing the chaos that followed, he said: “I started doing circuits of the kitchen … I genuinely thought, ‘I am gonna die today.’”
His thoughts quickly turned to his wife, Lisa.
He said: “I just thought, ‘What is Lisa gonna walk into?’ The next morning, my body on the floor, the jar with the spoon there… What a horrible way for your husband to die.”
As well as his kitchen nightmare, Romesh opened up about his decision to quit drinking, explaining that he recognised addictive tendencies in himself.
Reflecting on his late father, he said: “My dad ran a pub, he was a massive drinker… he was what I would describe as a charming liability.
“I feel like I’ve got that gene in me … I’m eating chilli oil. On my own. I’ve got that addictive personality.”
Discussing a past experience filming Rob and Romesh Vs with Queens of the Stone Age, he admitted: “I got obliterated, on camera, like, completely obliterated.
“I woke up the next morning … I got the fear. The horror.”
Romesh revealed he immediately messaged the production team to apologise.
He added: “It was half an hour before anybody responded. That was the worst half hour of my life.”
Now sober, the comedian has said he values the clarity it brings.
He said: “Being sober gives me just the right level of inhibition. And I don’t want to lose that.”
Dish from Waitrose is available on all podcast providers.
