In 2012, actor and singer Kristin Chenoweth joined the cast of CBS’s The Good Wife, where she was set to appear as the recurring character Peggy Byrne. Unfortunately, while shooting a scene for the show in Brooklyn, the star was hit by a piece of lighting equipment and sustained near-fatal injuries that impacted her ability to appear in the series. A decade after the accident, Chenoweth spoke about her injuries for the first time. She recounted the details in the 2022 essay collection, My Moment: 106 Women on Fighting for Themselves. Most recently, while appearing on Watch What Happens Live! (via Buzzfeed News), the actor told Andy Cohen that she regrets not taking legal action against CBS.
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In the essay collection, Chenoweth wrote, “My ribs were cracked. My nose and some of my teeth were broken, and I had a skull fracture. And those were just the injuries that actually showed up on X-rays; never mind the nerve, tissue, and muscle damage I’d have to face in the weeks, months, and years that followed.”
She continued, “I was told that I’d never work again if I sued a major network. And that scared me. I let fear take over and did what so many people do — especially women — in the face of going up against someone or something more powerful than they are. I shrunk.”
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Kristin Chenoweth Said She Doesn’t ‘Care if CBS Never Hires Me Again’
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The singer went on to say, “I’m telling my story about what happened, 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. I’m a working actor — keyword working.” She added, “Unfortunately, the powers that be at CBS at the time did not take responsibility for what happened to me, but there’s a new regime at the network and they’re just lovely to work with. Leadership matters. Full stop.”
Then during her recent appearance on Watch What Happens Live, Chenoweth reaffirmed her regrets about not taking legal action against CBS. When asked by Cohen if anyone from CBS had reached out to her, the star slowly shook her head no. Chenoweth then admitted the reason she didn’t sue the network. She said, “I didn’t do it out of fear and anxiety. So don’t ever let fear rule your life.” Chenoweth said, “I have long-standing injuries from that” before noting that the accident “practically killed her.” She stated, “I wished I had listened to my dad, who said, ‘You’re gonna wanna do this.”
The star then went into further details about the accident and even recalled the moment when it happened. “I heard, like, a flagpole sound. I literally heard, ‘We’re losing the light.’ And I heard, ‘Action.’ And I woke up at Bellevue [Hospital].” She continued, “It hit me in the face and it threw me into a curb. Seven-inch skull fracture, hairline cracked — and teeth and ribs.”
The star also credited her metal hair extensions for saving her. She said, “My hair extensions, you know, made the hairline fracture go together. My doctor said, ‘What are these metal things?’ And I said, ‘They’re hair extensions.’ And he said, ‘They saved your life.’”
