Kristin Chenoweth Regrets Not Suing CBS After Accident On 'Good Wife' Set

Actor Kristin Chenoweth said fear and anxiety stopped her from suing CBS after a serious accident on the set of The Good Wife in 2012. (Watch the video below.)

The regret has stayed with the stage, screen and TV star, she told host Andy Cohen on Mondays episode of Watch What Happens Live.

Chenoweth recounts the incident, in which falling lighting equipment led her to crack her skull, in a new book of musings titled Im No Philosopher, But I Got Thoughts . She agreed with Cohen that she should have pursued legal action.

I didnt do it out of fear and anxiety. So dont ever let fear rule your life, she said.

And you regret it, Cohen offered.

I have long-standing injuries from that, Chenoweth replied, adding that she should have taken her fathers advice to sue after she was practically killed.

Chenoweth, who won an Emmy for the series Pushing Daisies and a Tony for Broadways Youre a Good Man, Charlie Brown, had signed on with The Good Wife for the shows fourth season in 2012.

But the mishap on an outdoor shoot in New York derailed her stint. I heard, like, a flagpole sound. I literally heard, Were losing the light, and I heard, Action. And I woke up at Bellevue [Hospital], she told Cohen. It hit me in the face, and it threw me into a curb. Seven-inch skull fracture, hairline cracks, and teeth and ribs.

A TMZ account from the time said a gust of wind pushed over the lighting equipment, knocking Chenoweth down. She slammed her head against the concrete and appeared unconscious, according to a witness. After she was rushed to the hospital, CBS issued a public statement wishing her a speedy recovery. The actor later announced that she would not be returning to the series.

Chenoweth told Vanity Fair back in March that she stayed mostly quiet about what happened because she didnt want the entertainment industry to view her as weak and broken.

In her chat with Cohen, the actor also said her injuries could have been worse if not for the protection provided by her hair extensions.

My hair extensions, you know, made the hairline fracture go together, she told him. My doctor said, What are these metal things? I said, Theyre hair extensions. And he said, They saved your life, she added. So, anybody who wants to get hair extensions should, for your health.

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Kristin Chenoweth says she regrets not pursuing legal action against CBS for her injury on The Good Wife set: I didnt do it out of fear & anxiety, so dont ever let fear ruin your life. @KChenoweth #WWHL pic.twitter.com/efVTVVwUco

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Kristin Chenoweth says she regrets not pursuing legal action against CBS for her injury on The Good Wife set: I didnt do it out of fear & anxiety, so dont ever let fear ruin your life. @KChenoweth #WWHL pic.twitter.com/efVTVVwUco
WWHL (@BravoWWHL) January 17, 2023