Kristin Chenoweth Opens Up About Near-Death Experience in New Book ‘I’m No Philosopher But I Got Thoughts’

In 2012, Kristin Chenoweth was involved in a near-death experience when lighting equipment hit her ‘full frontal’ on the set of The Good Wife, slamming her into the pavement and leaving her with multiple serious injuries – including a cracked rib, fractured skull, broken bones, nerve damage, and much more.

Chenoweth left her recurring role as political reporter on the show after just two episodes due to the injuries she sustained in the incident. She faced a grueling recovery process that sent her down a dark road mentally, emotionally, and spiritually – a harrowing journey she has opened up about in the past. 

On January 17th, Chenoweth celebrated the release of her newest book, I’m No Philosopher, But I Got Thoughts – a book that details her experience in 2012 and how it impacted her life in the 10 years since. The book also contains a flurry of inspirational quotes, prayers, engaging prompts, and mini-meditations.

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In a recent appearance on TODAY with Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie, Kristin Chenoweth opened up about how ‘scary’ it was for her writing the book at first. At the same time, she described it as ‘freeing’ since it’s an experience she never wrote about previously. Now that she has, she feels it has solidified.

“It was suggested to me that I should never take action because I might not work again in the business. And out of fear, out of fear and anxiety, I didn’t,” she explained, before taking a moment to share a message with anyone going through something similar: “Don’t let your fear rule your life,” she added. 

In the book, she reveals how the incident left her with a 7-inch gash, but her tightly-woven hair extensions helped hold her scalp together. “I owed what was left of my concussed brain to a well-placed line of hair extensions. Never — never — underestimate the power of a good weave,” she wrote in her new book.

She hopes that, by sharing her story and showing her vulnerable side, she’ll inspire others to not live in fear of their own story. And while her accident on set sent her down a dark path, she eventually worked her way out of it – something her book can help others achieve in the wake of despair or anguish. 

Kristin Chenoweth Shares an Emotional Diary Entry in Book

While her physical injuries often took precedence at the time, it was the mental and emotional impact of the traumatic event that overstayed its welcome – ultimately resulting in Kristin Chenoweth experiencing depression, anxiety, self-doubt, and more. She shares as much in a diary entry published in her book. 

“‘I hate everyone. Mostly me. I am my only friend. Everyone is paid or scattered. This business is killing me, yet I’ve given up everything for it. I don’t even know how to do anything else. If I could, and be happy, I would. God, hear me. Please. I might be done. Where. Do. I. Go,'” wrote Chenoweth in her journal. 

She writes about how that was the moment everything changed for her. While she was heavily depressed at the time, she started to notice something stirring in her ‘addled brain’ in the following months and years. It was at that point she started to feel like her normal self again – a better version of herself, in fact. 

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Kristin Chenoweth continues to dazzle audiences and entertain fans. In 2021, she was featured as an advisor to Team Ariana on The Voice – she has previously described Ariana Grande as a daughter-like figure to her. She was also featured on Let’s Make a Deal in 2021 and seen in the 2022 comedy Bros.