What happened to Buddy Valastro? 2020 injury explained as Cake Boss star undergoes last surgery

According to reports published by USA Today, celebrity baker Buddy Valastro was recuperating at home after what was described as a “terrible accident.” The Cake Boss star posted a somber photograph on Instagram that showed him in a hospital bed, his right hand wrapped thickly in bandages.

“What do you think of my new accessory?” he wrote, keeping the caption light despite the situation.

A spokesperson for Carlo’s Bakery, Michael Ciullo, told USA Today that Valastro’s hand had been impaled by a metal rod during a malfunction with the bowling-pinsetter at his New Jersey residence.

“After trying to release the bowling pin from the cage mechanism, his right hand became lodged and compressed inside the unit, unable to remove his hand, he can see a 1½ (inch) metal rod slowly and repeatedly impale his hand three times between his ring finger and middle finger,” Ciullo explained.

Ciullo added that Valastro was trapped for nearly five minutes before his teenage sons, Buddy Jr. and Marco, used a reciprocating saw to cut through the rod and free their father. More recently, People magazine reported that Valastro had undergone what he called his last surgery connected to the 2020 bowling-alley accident.

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Five years after his bowling accident, Buddy Valastro returns to the kitchen stronger

Five years after the freak accident that nearly changed his life, Buddy Valastro has gone under the knife for what he called his final hand surgery, and true to form, he faced it with humor. In a video he posted to Instagram on Oct. 16, the Cake Boss star spoke candidly about preparing for the operation.

“Today is my last day of work before I get my fifth and final hand surgery,” he said, referring to the lingering effects of the 2020 incident when a metal rod pierced his right hand while he was repairing a bowling pinsetter. The baker sounded optimistic. “I got a lot of my strength back. I feel good. I can decorate, I can do anything,” he told fans, before showing how his fingers now separated naturally when raised.

According to Valastro, the tendon had healed on the wrong side of the knuckle, which made his fingers tilt to the right. He joked,

“I’m kinda like [Spock] and I don’t wanna be, the only problem out of my whole surgery is — it’s hard for me to give the middle finger. No more on this side,” he shared.

Buddy Valastro also took a moment in his caption to express gratitude toward his medical team, writing a “big thanks” for helping him “finish strong.” The following day, Buddy Valastro was already back at work. Filmed by his daughter Sofia, he proudly held up a freshly bandaged hand as he decorated a cake , a sweet surprise for his wife Lisa to celebrate their 24th wedding anniversary.

“I wanted mom to know that even though I had hand surgery on our anniversary, I still did something for her,” he shared.

In the post’s caption, Buddy Valastro thanked fans for their kind messages, adding with his signature charm,

“If I haven’t responded please forgive me, I only got one hand! … A surgery slowing me down??? Fuggetaboutit!!”

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After five surgeries, Buddy Valastro says he’s lucky just to be baking again

The accident that crushed Buddy Valastro’s right hand at his home bowling alley had nearly ended his career. The Cake Boss star underwent five reconstructive surgeries to regain use of the hand that had built his success, with the last one performed just weeks before cameras rolled for season three of his Food Network competition, Buddy vs. Duff, alongside Duff Goldman.

“You can't even imagine how bad it was, I feel very lucky that I'm able to do what I can do, especially it's my dominant hand. So knock on wood, I feel like we're in a good spot,” Valastro told PEOPLE in 2023.

In a conversation the year before, he described how limited he had once been.

“Before [the surgery], I really couldn't do nothing, I couldn't do cakes. I really couldn't squeeze a bag. My fingers were so stiff, I couldn't even bend them,” he shared

That painful chapter, he said, reminded him of what mattered most.

“It was one of those things where it shows you how important family is, we take for granted the little things like you opening the door or just doing something with your hand. It makes you appreciate the little things so much,” Buddy Valastro reflected.

For Valastro, the ordeal reshaped everything: his work, his outlook, and even the way he values the smallest gestures. What began as a terrifying accident ended as a testament to endurance, gratitude, and family. The “Cake Boss” might have the scars to prove what he went through, but they now serve as proof of how far he’s come.