Kristin Chenoweth's health struggles explored as the actress kicked off Game 7 of NBA finals with a national anthem performance

Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress and singer Kristin Chenoweth lit up the news after singing the National Anthem at Game 7 of the NBA Finals. As her Oklahoma City Thunder marked their first title win in franchise history, the response to Chenoweth’s performance of the American National Anthem was mixed and, in some cases, extremely critical.

According to The Sun, a few fans deemed her rendition as one of the worst and even made fun of Giuliana’s performance and voice. Nevertheless, some rushed to defend the Broadway legend, noting the scope of her long career and her past health issues that they said should be considered before jumping to conclusions.

Kristin Chenoweth was seriously injured in 2012 while on the set of The Good Wife when she was hit by a piece of lighting equipment during filming. The incident resulted in numerous severe injuries, including a fractured skull, cracked ribs, shattered nose and teeth, and nerve and tissue damage.

According to Today, Kristin Chenoweth was hospitalized for a long time and had to drop a recurring role on the show because of the severity of her injuries.

Though she posted brief updates throughout the incident, Chenoweth was more candid in her 2023 memoir, I’m No Philosopher, But I Got Thoughts, about the trauma. She said the blunt force of the equipment smashing into her head left a tear that could have been even more disastrous if not for her tightly plaited hair extensions, which doctors said contributed to keeping her scalp intact.

"The doctor told me, if not for the tightly woven hair extensions that held my scalp together. That’s right. 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 quipped in her memoir.

Kristin Chenoweth opens up about her mental health struggles due to the accidents

Aside from all the physical suffering that Kristin Chenoweth went through, she was also forced to deal with months of unaccountable mental anguish. In her book, she talked openly about suffering from depression, anxiety, and huge self-doubt in the months and years after the accident.

She wrote that at one point, she even felt extremely isolated and didn’t know if she could keep working in the entertainment industry.

"That moment changed everything. It changed me. I struggled through a long, dark valley of depression, but in the months and years that followed, something in my addled brain began to stir," She wrote.

She said she journaled some of her darkest thoughts and feared speaking out about the accident, worrying that it could damage her career. In the end, sharing the experience of the trauma through writing was therapeutic, and she said she would like to encourage others not to suffer in silence.

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"And I just want to say to anyone out there who ever struggles with anything like this, don’t let fear rule your life." She added.

Kristin Chenoweth, now 56, has made it her goal to spread mental health awareness. Though her performance at the NBA finals led to a lot of backlash, her presence and performance at the game marked a personal and professional milestone.

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