Tom Welling Deletes Nude Photo After New York Comic Con Post

A hotel-room photo shared by Tom Welling during his visit to New York City for New York Comic Con unintentionally exposed the actor's nudity through a window reflection. The 49-year-old Smallville star posted the image to Instagram Stories on Friday, October 9, 2026, before removing it after the reflection drew attention online.

According to reports from Yahoo and Us Weekly, the photograph initially showed the city skyline, buildings and streets from what appeared to be Welling's hotel room. However, the glass also captured an unintended reflection revealing that he was not wearing clothes when he took the picture.

Welling accompanied the original post with the greeting "Hello NYCC" in the version described by Yahoo. Us Weekly reported the caption as "Hello, NYCC," in its account of the now-deleted Instagram Stories post. The incident subsequently drew widespread online attention, with Welling's name trending on X and Google Trends, according to Yahoo.

Neither outlet reported a public statement from Welling addressing the incident. Yahoo said TV Insider had contacted his representative for comment but had not received an immediate response. Us Weekly also reported reaching out to the actor's representative.

The incident coincided with Welling's appearance at New York Comic Con, where he reunited with former Smallville castmates Michael Rosenbaum, Kristin Kreuk and Erica Durance on October 10, 2026. The panel, titled "The Road to Superman: 25 Years of Smallville," celebrated the television series that established Welling as an actor known for portraying Clark Kent.

Rosenbaum shared a video from the convention featuring the cast smiling as fans stood in the background. He accompanied the Instagram post with the caption "Wow. What a treat," followed by "@newyorkcomiccon with my pals. @durance.erica @mskristinlkreuk @tomwelling #smallville."

During a recent episode of the Inside of You podcast, Welling also discussed his experience playing Clark Kent, including the character's relationship with Lois Lane, portrayed by Durance. He described how the romance gave the character room for a lighter personality compared with earlier storylines.

"I think for Clark, he got to relax and have a little sarcasm and a little bit of fun," Welling said.

He added, "Before, it was the weight of the world, you know, emotionally, you didn't get to see that side. That's what I saw come out in Clark through the Lois relationship."

Welling also identified "Transference," an episode in which Clark and Lionel Luthor exchange bodies, as a particularly memorable installment. John Glover played Lionel, a villain whose character became central to the storyline during the show's fourth season.

"It's 'Transference' when Clark and Lionel switch bodies," Welling recalled.

Explaining his reaction to the role reversal, he said, "I don't know if it's a perfect episode, but I just remember being like, 'I got to put my big boy shoes on for this one, like, this is John Glover's character.'" The episode required Welling to approach scenes as Lionel rather than relying solely on his established portrayal of Clark.

Welling recounted how director James Marshall summoned him to the set earlier than expected while Glover was working on a prison scene. He remembered the early-morning call and the request for assistance with the performance.

"I wasn't supposed to come in until the afternoon at the prison and James Marshall called me. He goes, 'I need you to come to set.' It's, like, 8:30 in the morning," Welling said.

He continued, "I'm like, 'Of course.' … And he goes, 'John Glover needs your help.'" Welling said Glover was trying to capture Clark's distinctive stillness while portraying the character during the body-swap storyline.

Welling recalled approaching Glover and asking, "John, what's going on?" He said Glover responded by asking, "Tom, how do you do it?"

Welling then recalled asking, "What?" before Glover clarified, "How do you do nothing? You just stand there."

Describing his respect for the veteran actor, Welling said, "Obviously, I look up to him as one of the greatest actors I'll ever be around in my life, and we had a brief conversation. I don't know if it's what I said but maybe how I said it that [about] my vibe, and he sort of settled into something. I just remember that being like, 'This is this is amazing what we're trying to do here.'" Smallville originally aired for 10 seasons, from 2001 to 2011, first on The WB and later on The CW. Its cast also included Allison Mack, Annette O'Toole and John Schneider.

Beyond Smallville, Welling has appeared in films including Cheaper by the Dozen, The Fog, Draft Day and The Choice, as well as television series such as Lucifer, Professionals and The Winchesters.