“I remember just not knowing if he was gonna wake up,” the “Stick Season” singer says of his dad’s accident.

Noah Kahan cries as he reflects on ‘brilliant’ dad’s traumatic brain injury in documentary: It ‘changed everything’

"I remember just not knowing if he was gonna wake up," the "Stick Season" singer says of his dad's accident.

By Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on MTV News, Teen Vogue, and NME.

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April 13, 2026 9:00 a.m. ET

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Noah Kahan. Credit:

Christopher Polk/Billboard via Getty

Noah Kahan couldn't help but get emotional while reflecting on his "brilliant" dad Josh's traumatic brain injury and how it changed their lives.

In the new Netflix documentary *Noah Kahan: Out of Body*, the "Stick Season" singer opens up about a biking accident that left his father temporarily comatose and without the ability to move his legs. Though the accident happened when Noah was in eighth grade, it continues to impact their relationship to this day.

"I remember just not knowing if he was gonna wake up," Noah says in the documentary.

Griffin Lotz/Rolling Stone via Getty

The 29-year-old musician explains that he was old enough at the time to know what "traumatic brain injuries" were. "It kinda changed everything," he says of the incident. "It was a 'before' and 'after' in our lives, where you can see, 'Oh, this is where it all started to unravel.'"

Noah begins to cry as he shares how the injury altered his father’s personality. "After the accident, this brilliant guy who was always a little weird and embarrassing— and maybe sometimes short-tempered — became slightly more weird, slightly more short-tempered," he says.

He also admits to feeling guilty for being "annoyed" by his dad at times — a feeling that's only made worse because he doesn't see him as often now that he's always on the road. "Every time I see him, I feel like I get frustrated," Noah says, "and I feel like a lot of it is because I can't figure out a way to let my dad be who he is."

Christopher Polk/Billboard via Getty

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In a later scene, Noah and his brother Simon look back at their dad's accident while on a road trip to Boston, with Noah describing it as "the hardest thing we've had to overcome as a family."

"I remember he was training for a triathlon when he got hurt," Noah says. "When he was in a rehab facility in Mount Ascutney, he was trying to sneak out to go for runs. Like, he was attached to a catheter and trying to like, f---in' walk out and go out and train for Lake Placid."

Simon explains that he was "really worried" that their dad wouldn't remember any of them afterward. "The way they described the brain… It was like, really bad," he added.

In a later voiceover, Noah acknowledges that he might "never have" the conversation that he'd like to with his father. "If I could fantasize and daydream about one conversation with my dad, it's where I can apologize for how selfish and short-tempered and judgmental I've been of him," he says.

He compares their connection to two magnets that repel one another because "you're both so similar," adding, "I think I've cast him in an unfair light. I'm way too hard on my dad."

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Noah and Josh spend time together throughout the documentary. At one point, the father-and-son duo share a special moment when they perform Cat Stevens' 1970 hit "Father and Son" together at Noah's house.

Afterward, Josh showers his Grammy-nominated son with praise. "Every parent wants to be a shameless, bragging parent, but I'm just so happy for what Noah's done. I'm..." Josh says, trailing off as he appears to get emotional. "I don't want to say anymore."

Noah, in response, simply replies, "I love you, dad, and I missed you a lot."

*Noah Kahan: Out of Body* is streaming now on Netflix.

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