Kimberly Williams-Paisley Shares She Couldn’t Speak for 2 Years

Kimberly added that as time went on, the issue also began to affect her mental health, especially as she began to worry something she’d done had caused the issue.

“Days when I didn’t want to do anything,” she remembered. “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.”

But it was months of experimenting with various treatments—including acupuncture and massage—in an attempt to determine what was happening before a visit to the Vanderbilt Voice Center in early 2023 began to finally provide some answers.

Doctors diagnosed Kimberly with muscle tension dysphonia after realizing her neck muscles were so tight, her vocal cords were almost invisible. From there began a litany of medical appointments and experiments with holistic treatments—including antidepressants, braces, a vegan diet, hypnosis and working with a psychic—but to no avail.

And despite the support of her kids and husband—of Brad, Kimberly called his ability to keep her laughing a “gift”—she began to retreat socially, struggling with her inability to properly communicate.

“I love dinner parties and being around people, but I didn’t want to go out,” she said. "I couldn’t be a part of the conversation. There were days when I grieved and sobbed. I wondered, 'Who am I without my voice?’”

But after almost a year of diligent work relaxing her body and muscles, a return visit to Vanderbilt allowed doctors to see the root cause of her disappearing voice: her left vocal cord wasn’t meeting the right.

“Once I got that diagnosis, my body could relax in a whole new way,” she said. “The shame and blame dissipated. It was largely a technical issue, not something I did wrong.”

And after undergoing surgery in August, her voice came back almost immediately.

“I couldn't believe it was true," the According to Jim alum added. “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 sexy. And I've learned that when you talk quieter, people lean in, which is not bad either."

Now, looking back at the ordeal, Kimberly can acknowledge the ways in which reconnecting with her physical voice helped her metaphorical voice, too.

“I had to fight to be heard," she explained. "Now, no matter what my physical voice is, my voice underneath is stronger. I feel more confident. I know myself better.”

She added, “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.”