Kristin Chenoweth’s hair extensions helped save her life after she suffered a debilitating injury on the set of The Good Wife in 2012.
While filming the CBS drama, Chenoweth was struck in the face by a piece of lighting equipment, which then knocked her against a curb. Chenoweth suffered multiple injuries, including cracked ribs, a broken nose, some broken teeth, and, as she explained on Watch What Happens Live, a seven-inch skull fracture.
“My hair extensions, you know, saved my [life],” Chenoweth noted. “It made the hairline fracture go together. My doctor said, ‘What are these metal things?’ I said, ‘They’re hair extensions.’ And he said, ‘They’ve saved your life.’”
Chenoweth then added with a grin, “So, anybody who wants to get hair extensions should — for your health!”
Over the past year, Chenoweth has started speaking up more about the accident and her injuries, as well as her initial decision not to say much about them at all. She wrote about her experience in an essay for the 2022 collection, My Moment: 106 Women on Fighting for Themselves, while she also delved into it further in her new book, I’m No Philosopher, But I Got Thoughts.
As Chenoweth explained, she didn’t publicly discuss the extent of her injuries — nor did she take any legal action against CBS at the time — because she was afraid of the potential repercussions of taking on a major TV network. During her interview with Andy Cohen, Chenoweth said, “I didn’t do it out of fear and anxiety. So don’t ever let fear rule your life.”
She added: “I have long-standing injuries from that, so I wish I had listened to my dad, who said, ‘You’re gonna want to do this.’ And we’re not the suing family, but when you’re practically killed…”
