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Bono got hooked on Chef’s Table, along with Fleabag and other reality shows, following his 2016 near-death experience
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He had been hesitant to speak about the health scare for years, but is “so grateful” for having undergone the procedure
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The U2 frontman’s film Bono: Stories of Surrender is available to stream May 30 on AppleTV+
Bono is just like us — streaming popular television shows by the season.
In the summer cover story for Esquire, the U2 frontman opened up about the television shows he got hooked on following his near-death experience almost 10 years ago, along with one unexpected program.
Bono, 65, recalled that someone in his office recommended the docuseries Chef’s Table. “I said, Come on, you cannot be serious,” Bono said. “I’ve got to watch Chef’s Table?” Spoiler alert: he loved the show and rattled off some memorable episodes.
The “With or Without You” singer mentioned the Francis Mallmann episode from season one, whom he had met on tour, along with Buddhist nun Jeong Kwan, who cooked for those who visited her temple, along with Evan Funke in Bologna.
Anton Corbijn/Esquire
Bono for Esquire
As for other shows the legendary performer indulged in, his oldest daughter Jordan Hewson got him into the Emmy-winning series Fleabag. Actress and second daughter Eve Hewson, meanwhile, introduced him to the reality show The Kardashians.
Love Island was also in his viewing rotation, because why not?
Bono, whose documentary Bono: Stories of Surrender debuts on AppleTV+ on May 30, underwent open-heart surgery in 2016 to fix an aortic aneurysm, which was caused by an irregularly shaped valve.
Despite years of having the condition, the chances of it becoming fatal increased over time, hence the eventual procedure at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.
Anton Corbijn/Esquire
Bono for Esquire
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In the past, the singer had been hesitant to get into details about his health scare, referring to it as a “brush with mortality” and “an extinction event.”
“I was on the receiving end of a shock to the system,” Bono said in the liner notes to his 2017 album Songs of Experience. “A shock that left me clinging on to my own life. It was an arresting experience. I won’t dwell in it or on it. I don’t want to name it.”
Bono told Esquire that he was “so grateful” to have undergone the procedure. He also found that his lung capacity got better following the operation. “The singing improved,” Bono said. “I started to realize I had just been shouting for a living.”
The health scare also made Bono realize he needed to “think more about regular life,” such as devoting hours to watching television.
Anton Corbijn/Esquire
Bono for Esquire
Bono had a previous health scare in 2000 when he was checked for throat cancer, which turned out to be negative.
He also suffered a cycling accident in 2014 in Central Park, leaving him with a facial fracture in his left eye socket, three fractures of his left shoulder blade and a shattered left humerus. Per Rolling Stone, he underwent five hours of surgery three days after the incident.
Read the original article on People
