Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth (“Wicked”) claims her hair extensions saved her life when she was involved in a 2012 accident on the set of the CBS show “The Good Wife.”
Chenoweth, 54, recalled the accident — and her regret that she opted not to pursue legal action against the network — during a Monday appearance with host Andy Cohen on “Watch What Happens Live.”
“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,” Chenoweth explained.
According to CBS at the time, the accident had been caused when “a gust of wind blew a lighting silk out of place.” The lighting fixture was what crashed into Chenoweth, causing her injuries. “All of us at the studio and the show are thinking about Kristin and wishing her a quick recovery,” the statement continued.
Chenoweth went on to add that it was one of the doctors who said her hair extensions had saved her. “My hair extensions, you know, made the hairline fracture go together,” she said. “My doctor said, ‘What are these metal things?’ And I said, ‘They’re hair extensions.’ And he said, ‘They saved your life.’ So, anyone who wants to get hair extensions should, for your health.”
The actress also told Cohen that her one regret was not suing CBS, noting that her injuries were still a factor in her life.
“I didn’t do it out of fear and anxiety, so don’t ever let fear rule your life. I have long-standing injuries from that. I wish I had listened to my dad, who said, ‘You’re gonna wanna do this,'” she added, noting that her family wasn’t really litigious by nature, but exceptions should be made for situations that could potentially have been deadly.
Chenoweth has previously mentioned the accident in a 2022 essay for her collection — titled “My Moment: 106 Women on Fighting for Themselves” — and she argued that CBS should have done more to “take responsibility” for the accident and her injuries.
“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,” she wrote.
Chenoweth ultimately left the show because of the injuries sustained in that accident.