Kimberly Williams-Paisley opened up about her “terrifying” struggle with vocal cord paralysis that left her without a voice for two years.
In a recent interview with People, the 53-year-old actor recalled feeling “invisible” during her years-long health battle that resulted in her getting surgery.
“I felt trapped in my own body,” she told the outlet.
The Father of the Bride star initially lost her voice in late 2022. At the time, she saw no cause or explanation for why she could no longer talk above a whisper.
Despite the enduring support of her husband, legendary country music artist Brad Paisley, and their two sons — Huck, 17 and Jasper, 15 — Paisley had a difficult time getting past the fact that people could hardly hear her.
“There was so much shame involved. I felt invisible,” she said. “I had to fight to be heard.”
It wasn’t until the According to Jim actor paid a visit to the Vanderbilt Voice Center in 2023 that she finally got clarity. At first, the doctors weren’t able to see what the issue was with her vocal cords because her neck muscles were so tight they were covering them.
The Vanderbilt Center diagnosed her with muscle tension dysphonia before they concluded the problem was actually “partial paralysis of her left vocal cord” a year later. By August 2024, she was finally able to get surgery.
Mayo Clinic defines vocal cord paralysis as “a condition that causes the loss of control of the muscles that control the voice” when the larynx is disrupted.
Causes of this form of paralysis include neck or chest injuries, strokes, infections, underlying neurological conditions, tumors, or vocal cord injuries as a result of another surgery.
Paisley reflected on the moment she first realized her voice had disappeared at the Dance Party to End ALZ, the annual fundraiser for Alzheimer’s she organized with her sister Ashley Williams, in November 2022.
She and Williams host the event every year to pay tribute to their mom, who died of dementia, but that year, she couldn’t speak.
“I put the mic to my mouth, and nothing came out,” Paisley remembered. “It was terrifying. 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.”
After months of massages, acupuncture, and lessons with a voice coach, her voice was no better than how it was at the start. And with a red carpet appearance coming up for the premiere of her Netflix movie Dog Gene, Paisley was getting really worried.
“I sounded weak, and it’s not how I felt,” Paisley said of the interviews from the January 2023 premiere. “I went into the bathroom and cried, and a couple of friends held my hand.”
