“I was practically killed”: Kristin Chenoweth says hair extensions saved her life after 2012 ‘Good Wife’ injury
Written by ABC AUDIO ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on January 18, 2023
On an installment of Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live this week, stage and screen star Kristen Chenoweth expressed regret about an on-set accident in 2012 that she says almost killed her.
As detailed in her new book, I’m No Philosopher, but I Got Thoughts, a piece of lighting equipment on the set of CBS’ The Good Wife fell on the actress, leaving her with “long-standing injuries.”
Chenoweth recalled, “I heard, like, a flagpole sound. I literally heard, ‘We’re losing the light.’ I heard, ‘Action.’ And I woke up at Bellevue [Hospital]. It hit me in the face and it threw me into a curb. Seven-inch skull fracture, hairline [fracture], and teeth and ribs,” she explained.
The actress left the show due to her injuries.
WWHL host Andy Cohen expressed he was “amazed” Chenoweth didn’t sue CBS after the incident.
She regretted not doing so. “I didn’t do it out of fear & anxiety, so don’t ever let fear ruin your life,” she told the audience. ” She continued, “I wished I had listened to my dad…We’re not the suing family, but when you’re practically killed…” she said before trailing off.
Chenoweth explained, “I’m telling my story…and I really don’t care if CBS never hires me again. They knew I was hurt really badly, but they exploited the power they held over a person like me.”
Incidentally, the Tony winner said a bit of fashion became her savior. “My hair extensions, you know, made the hairline fracture go together,” she explained. “My doctor said, ‘What are these metal things?’ And I said, ‘They’re hair extensions.’ And he said, ‘They saved your life,'” she recalled, joking to the audience, “So, anyone who wants to get hair extensions should, for your health.”
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