Noah Wyle Says His Nurse Mom Would Critique His ER Performance: 'Never Touch Your Face with Bloody Gloves!'

The actor’s mom, an orthopedic nurse, would call him at 11:01 when each episode ended to offer her review

Noah Wyle as Dr. John Carter
Noah Wylie as Dr. John Carter on the hit show 'ER'. Photo:

Jeff Katz/NBCU Photo Bank

Noah Wyle shares that his mom used to watch his acting abilities ER with a critical eye.

The star, who played Dr. John Carter on the hit emergency room drama from 1994 to 2006, told host Steve Kmeto on his Still Here, Hollywood podcast that his mom Marjorie, a nurse, would call him as soon as the episode ended to review how medically accurate it was. 

And Wyle, now 53, shared that his mother, who worked for ten years in the operating room and ten years in orthopedics, didn’t mince words.

“She would call 11:01,” which is when the show ended, Wyle shared, “And say, ’You never touch your face with bloody gloves! What? Do you wanna get AIDS?’ “

“ ‘I've gotta go to the hospital tomorrow and answer for that.’ “ He further recalled of their conversations. “And I said, “Okay. Okay.’ “

Noah Wyle attends the "At The Gates" LA Special Screening - Picturehouse Will Open The Film On 11/3 In LA And On 11/10 In NY at AMC The Grove 14 on November 02, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.
Noah Wylie, here in 2023, says his nurse mother used to criticize his performance on 'ER'.

Tommaso Boddi/Getty

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

Wyle joked that it was a “fine line” between advice and criticism.

"At least she had an interest,” Kmetko offered, prompting Wyle to respond, “A vested interest.”

He also shared that he’d told his mother what was going to happen during each episode. 

“She would know what was coming up on the storyline, so she was very in the know,” explained Wylie, who recently costarred with his daughter Auden on the Amazon Prime series, Leverage: Redemption.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

But while he may have messed up with the bloody gloves, Wyle shared that his time spent in the Hollywood version of an emergency room did come in handy — albeit rarely.

“You learn enough to know how little you know and how much you could do wrong and how you could really make a huge mistake,” Wyle said.

However, “I've been the first on scene in a car accident twice,” Wyle added. “I knew enough to be helpful and supportive — didn't do anything that caused any harm.”

“But it was very funny when the paramedics showed up,” he continued, sharing that when he told the paramedics what happened, they were taken aback once they recognized him: “Whoa — oh, yeah. We got a fake!”

Related Articles