Exclusive Interview
‘Finding Mr. Christmas’: Daxton Shares Health Update After His Sudden Exit (VIDEO)
[Warning: The following post contains MAJOR spoilers for Finding Mr. Christmas Episode 3.]
If you think the onscreen antics of Finding Mr. Christmas have been eye-opening so far (hello, shirtless guys with puppies!), Daxton Bloomquist can top it all.
“What hasn’t happened?” marvels the Kansas-raised, L.A.-based Broadway vet in an interview with Swooon. Sunny, relatable, and proudly out, the actor instantly clicked with fans and his fellow contestants on Hallmark+’s fantastically festive reality competition to find the next Hallmark hunk. So what gives with his sudden exit at the beginning of this week’s third episode?!
“My retina detached, just plain and simple,” he explains. “I was taking a nap and bam! My eye went blurry… I thought I could get through the day, thinking it was going to get better. And then I went to the emergency room and then I had to go home for an emergency surgery.”
Hallmark+
All of that transpired right after filming wrapped on the second episode, but eagle-eyed viewers (sorry!) may have noticed that Daxton was already seeing that something was up.
“It started at right during the photo shoot, and there’s some little Easter eggs in Episode 2. If you go back and watch, you can see me rubbing my eye or I’m like, closing my eyes a lot. I’m trying to see if it’s just like something’s in my eye.” Adding that “it’s kind of sad to be honest,” Dax admits that the injury—which is explained once the guys in the house wake up to his absence—was only part of the pain he’s endured since leaving Utah.
“The big holiday surprise for me was [the cost]! I am insured and I thought I was going to be covered, but actually none of my surgeries have been covered, and that’s probably been the hardest thing for me this whole time,” he admits. “My body’s resilient. I’m getting through it. I still have two more surgeries to go. I have an oil in my eye right now just to hold the retina in place and then I’ll have cataract surgery…hopefully, in 2025, my insurance is a little different. I’m reading the fine print now, which I just figured when you are covered, it would cover at least one surgery. None of my surgeries have been covered unfortunately.”
Still, he remains inspirationally upbeat about what he was able to gain from his short time on the show. “I’m getting through it. I have a huge support system,” the Welcome to Chippendales alum states of the brotherhood that formed on set of Finding Mr. Christmas. “I got really close with these boys, and they’ve been very, very supportive of my journey and making sure I’m okay. And all props to Jonathan Bennett and the show’s co-creator, Ben Roy, for really always checking out for me. Jonathan has probably checked in with me at least once a month, and Ben has called me at least once a month and the boys call me — a few of them call me three times a week!”
So even though he wasn’t found to be Mr. Christmas, it sounds like he definitely found some great elves. And who knows, should Hallmark+ red-and-greenlight a second season, Daxton could always get another shot. And if so, he’ll have both eyes on the prize. “I’m coming back with a vengeance, for sure!”
Finding Mr. Christmas, Thursdays, Hallmark+
