I Tore My Jaw On Stage. Now What?

Hi. I make a living opening my mouth – to speak, make people laugh, and sing at the top of my lungs.

This unique attribute of opening my mouth extra wide has become so prevalent in my presentations it is known as my Signature Move, and was even once the cover of my book (although that was a terrible choice and has mostly disappeared from the face of the earth, thank goodness).

If you find a copy just know it is a rare thing!

On December 2, 2025 I was asked to speak to a group of young folks by a very successful friend of mine.

I haven’t spoken to youth in a while, for many reasons, but mostly because the style of entertainment I do is so foreign to their TikTok attention spans it is tough to feel like it’s connecting.

Well, truth be told, they loved it more than I expected!

They were all in with me. I was singing, making them laugh, they were taking notes about The Promise and Signature Moves.

The whole time I was thinking wow, maybe I can connect with youth as a speaker still.

And then I did the Raptor, as Daddy Dinosaur.

I went all in, as per usual.

 

 

Opening my mouth as I always do, suddenly I felt a pop and sharp pain in my jaw that I haven’t felt since my youth when I was too ambitious after a dare among friends to see if I could fit an apple in my mouth…

(I did, by the way, LOL!)

In that moment, as a 47 year old man, I didn’t let the audience realize what had happened, as I clicked my jaw back into place, with my hand, they laughed and thought it was part of the bit.

I eventually wrapped the performance, took photos, signed books, it ended great, and then – ran to my car. I sat in both writhing agony from the pain, and in shock, asking myself what am I going to do now?

I have another show tomorrow night!

Looking in the rearview mirror in the darkness, lit only by a streetlight, I couldn’t open my mouth wide enough to even bite my own knuckle.

Driving home everything hurt: chewing gum, talking, even drinking water.

I told my wife and she asked what I was going to do. I had no answers.

The next morning I went to an oral surgeon who took X-rays and said, “Yep, you certainly tore your jaw. Do all you can to not open your mouth for a few months, and it will be at least 6 months until you will feel back to normal.” 

Dang.

 

 

 

Have you ever lost something you really needed?

I have friends who are speakers who have gone through far tougher challenges, be it now they are in a wheelchair, fighting cancer, or have lived to tell the tale of being paralyzed by brain surgery.

And everything changed.

This is not a comparison, as theirs is a far greater challenge.

But for me, not opening my mouth is the equivalent of Michael Jordan being told he can no longer dunk a basketball in the prime of his career.

The next night I did the show.

It hurt like nobody’s business.

I didn’t tell a soul.

Just did the gig, adjusted the ending where I usually talk about being a little kid with a big mouth, how my Mom influenced me, how the Dentist told me that was my gift.

Now my gift was broken.

I modified a certified home run routine that has garnered standing ovations for decades, and still somehow pulled it off. And yep, I did the Raptor, just different. Still hurt, though.

Here’s a video of this routine looked like before the accident:

 

 

On December 3, 2025, I came off stage and thought about writing a blog post to tell you about what I was going through, to let you know what I was experiencing and learning in real time.

Another great lesson on Keeping The Promise!

But I have now sat with this situation for 2.5 months.

I have been on 20 stages since then.

I now do a weekly livestream broadcast Show on YouTube “The Jason Hewlett Show, Thursdays at 3 PM Mountain Time!”

 

 

I have proven to myself that I can do what I do best even without my gift fully working anymore.

And yes, it still hurts to open my mouth. I can’t eat certain foods, nor chew with one side of my mouth, and even a musical impression or two have needed to change. Wacky.

When I think of this relatively small problem, I think of my inspiring friends who are having people lift them into the airplane seat from their wheelchair, while going worldwide to speak and inspire.

My story pales in comparison.

But they’d tell me it’s not a competition.

We all Keep The Promise when we keep going, make adjustments, shift what has always worked to make the next moment work.

Much appreciation goes out to the many clients who have had me speak in the last few months while I have gone through this challenge. They didn’t know about it, and no one noticed the change in my routine, although I sure did and I know what is different.

When it comes to adjusting, modifying, or shifting your performance, whether due to an accident, challenge, or just to change things up for yourself, how are you sharing your gifts despite the shifts that others may not notice but are potentially painful for you?

That is how you Keep The Promise.

 

~ Jason Hewlett

Inspiration Wrapped in Entertainment

• Husband, Father, Writer, Mentor, Hiker

• Speaker Hall of Fame Award-Winning Entertainer Emcee

• World’s Only Keynote Speaker utilizing entertainment, musical impressions, and comedy to teach The Promise

• Member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

• Author of #1 Spiritual Self-Help book “The Promise To The One”

• Messenger & President of Cardio Miracle

jasonhewlett.com