Kimberly Williams-Paisley Shares Health Update 5 Months After Vocal Cord Surgery

The 53-year-old actress was unable to speak for two years due to a vocal cord injury.
Kimberly Williams-Paisley Shares Health Update 5 Months After Vocal Cord Surgery
Kimberly Williams-Paisley attends as the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation presents the 47th annual Gracie Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., on May 24, 2022. Araya Doheny/Getty Images for The Alliance for Women in Media Foundation
Audrey Enjoli
Updated:
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Actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley is facing yet another health setback just five months after undergoing surgery to repair a vocal cord injury.

On Friday, the “Father of the Bride” star posted an update on Instagram to explain her absence from social media this month.

“Haven’t posted in the feed in a while,” Williams-Paisley, 53, wrote alongside a selfie.

“I fell and broke my foot last Saturday. But look I’m walking around! So it’s not too bad. No sympathy please! How’s everyone else doing today? Sending love to you.”

Her fans and followers offered their well wishes in the comment section.

“Sorry you broke your foot. Sending love right back to you,” one user wrote.

“Hope you heal up quick!!” added another.

“You’re so beautiful,” wrote television host Ricki Lake.

“Have a great weekend, and a speedy recovery!” commented “Hemingway’s Girl” author Erika Robuck.

Williams-Paisley, who serves as a spokesperson for the Alzheimer’s Association, has been open about her past health struggles, including battling a vocal cord injury that left her unable to speak for almost two years.

In November 2022, the actress lost her voice while on stage hosting an event for the nonprofit organization.

“It was embarrassing & scary & it never quite came back,” she later recounted on Instagram. “It’s been a challenging couple of years, but we finally got to the bottom of it.”

Williams-Paisley sought advice from experts at the Vanderbilt Voice Center in Nashville, Tennessee, in January 2023, per People.

Doctors ultimately diagnosed her with muscle tension dysphonia after discovering she had damage to her left laryngeal nerve, which controls the movement of the left vocal cord.

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, muscle tension dysphonia is a voice disorder that arises when the muscles around the voice box become overly tense.
Kimberly Williams-Paisley and singer Brad Paisley attend the premiere of Disney's "Planes: Fire & Rescue" at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, Calif., on July 15, 2014 (Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
Kimberly Williams-Paisley and singer Brad Paisley attend the premiere of Disney's "Planes: Fire & Rescue" at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, Calif., on July 15, 2014 Jason Kempin/Getty Images

The actress went on to undergo a three-hour laryngoplasty in August 2024 to repair her paralyzed vocal cord.

“I was finally able to have surgery this week at @vanderbilthealth with expert surgeons, & it is sounding so much better!!” she wrote on Aug. 17.

“I haven’t wanted to share about this much until now because it felt too vulnerable,” she continued.

“I took for granted my ability to ‘use my voice’ before—for my career, for a good cause, for a timely joke, for SELF-EXPRESSION, for a loud dinner party.”

Williams-Paisley said her condition left her feeling trapped in her own body, but noted that her experience had a silver lining.

“In the last two years, I’ve found power in using my voice in new ways,” she shared.

“I’ve healed old emotional wounds. I’ve learned the strength & beauty of silence. I’ve become a serious meditator. I’m deadlifting over a hundred pounds. I’m taking better care of my body. I’m managing stress. I’m dissolving shame. I’m feeling more whole, empowered & joyful.”

She added in part: “If you’re going through hell, don’t come out empty-handed. Was losing my voice worth it? Mm, not exactly. Was it worthless? Not for a second.”

Williams-Paisley garnered her breakout role in the 1991 comedy film “Father of the Bride,” starring alongside Steve Martin, Diane Keaton, and Martin Short.

Subsequent film credits include “Father of the Bride Part II” (1995), “Safe House” (1998), “We Are Marshall” (2006), “Father of the Bride Part 3 (ish)” (2020), and “Jesus Revolution” (2023).

She is also known for her leading roles in the ABC sitcom “According to Jim” and the television series “Nashville.”

The actress married country singer Brad Paisley in March 2003. The couple share two sons: William, 17, and Jasper, 15.