HEALTHKimberly Williams-Paisley Felt 'Trapped in Her Own Body' After Actress' Voice Strangely Disappeared for 2 Years: 'It Was Terrifying'
Kimberly Williams-Paisley was unable to speak for two years.
As an actress and public speaker, Kimberly Williams-Paisley's world came to a sudden halt when her voice abruptly disappeared in the fall of 2022.
While a surgery in August finally discovered the issue — a partial paralysis of her left vocal cord — the Father of the Bride star spent two whole years unable to speak louder than a whisper.
The famous actress suddenly lost her voice in fall 2022.
"I felt trapped in my own body," Williams-Paisley, 53, emotionally admitted during an interview with a news outlet published Wednesday, December 18. "There was so much shame involved. I felt invisible."
The According to Jim actress — who shares sons Huck, 17, and Jasper, 15, with her husband, singer Brad Paisley, 52 — first realized something was wrong in November 2022, when she stepped out on stage with her sister, actress Ashley Williams, to welcome guests at their annual fundraiser for Alzheimer’s, the Dance Party to End ALZ.
At the event — which honors their late mother, who died of dementia in 2016 — Williams-Paisley said: "I put the mic to my mouth, and nothing came out. It was terrifying."
Williams-Paisley's first assumptions were that she strained her voice and just needed some time off, however, as days and weeks passed, she still couldn't utter more than a faint whisper.
Kimberly Williams-Paisley underwent a successful surgery in August that allowed her voice to return.
"I thought, 'I need hot tea and vocal rest.' I went to self-blame —'I’m not breathing properly, I’m not relying on my vocal training.' I was beating myself up," the mom-of-two remembered.
Williams-Paisley tried receiving help from a voice coach and attempted acupuncture and massages, though all were unsuccessful.
In January 2023, she attempted to continue working, as she arrived on the red carpet at the premiere of her Netflix film Dog Gone and started to panic due to the loud noises making it nearly impossible to participate in any interviews.
"I sounded weak, and it’s not how I felt," she stated. "I went into the bathroom and cried, and a couple of friends held my hand."
Williams-Paisley's frustrating health woes started to take a toll on her mentally, as she noted there were "days when I didn’t want to do anything. Days when I was extra tired. Cycling anxiety thoughts in the middle of the night. I wouldn’t say I had clinical depression, but I was sad."
Shortly after her red carpet disaster, Williams-Paisley sought help at the Vanderbilt Voice Center — which has treated A-list patients like Johnny Cash and Wynonna Judd.
Kimberly Williams-Paisley's husband, Brad Paisley, supported her every step of the way.
- Celine Dion Refuses to Let Stiff-Person Syndrome 'Define' Her as She Learns 'How to Live' With Diagnosis in New Documentary
- Celine Dion 'Can Barely Move' as Stiff-Person Syndrome Worsens, Source Claims: 'Her Disease Is Incurable'
- Celine Dion Is 'Feeling Better' But 'Knows Her Limitations' Amid Stiff-Person Syndrome Battle: Singer Has 'Good and Bad Days'
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
There, doctors informed the Sister Swap: A Hometown Holiday actress that her neck muscles were so tight, her vocal cords could hardly be seen. This lead to a diagnosis of muscle tension dysphonia.
"The muscles in my neck were tensing up to help my vocal cords hit each other," she explained.
Despite efforts to get her "body to unlock" — including physical therapy, the use of a nighttime mouthpiece, antidepressants, Invisalign braces, a vegan diet, hypnosis, a psychic and even an astrologer — Williams-Paisley's voice would not return.
"There were days when I grieved and sobbed," she revealed. "I wondered, 'Who am I without my voice?'"
Fortunately, the Darrow & Darrow star's husband and their two kids never stopped supporting her along the way.
"I’d give her advice: ‘Do this vocal warm-up with me,'" her husband shared. "I stepped in it so much!"
Kimberly Williams-Paisley feels 'much better' now, but her voice still isn't perfect.
"He’s so good at keeping me laughing. That’s a gift," Williams-Paisley noted, adding how her sons "saw me at my most vulnerable."
She mentioned: "They were great cheerleaders for me. To see them embracing me made me feel less alone."
In January 2024, Williams-Paisley returned to the voice center, where they could finally view her vocal cords and found a possible virus causing her left cord to not meet the right.
"Once I got that diagnosis, my body could relax in a whole new way. The shame and blame dissipated. It was largely a technical issue, not something I did wrong," she confessed.
Fast-forward to August, Williams-Paisley underwent a successful surgery called medialization laryngoplasty — and miraculously, her voice returned.
While her voice is "much better" now, it still isn't the perfect.
"I still can’t yell down the road. And at the end of a long day of talking, I'll sound a little more raspy than I used to, but I think that's s---. And I've learned that when you talk quieter, people lean in, which is not bad either," Williams-Paisley reflected. "I feel empowered now. I don’t want to leave things unsaid. I never want to take my voice for granted — and I want to be brave in using it."
People interviewed Williams-Paisley.
