Q&A Link Copied 01.22.25

Kristin Chenoweth Is Working On Saying No

“When left to my own devices, I will come over to your house and sing for your next door neighbor's cousin’s little sister's birthday party." ByCasey Gueren

Photo Credit: John Ruso

When you stop to consider her incredible career—spanning several decades and creative mediums—it’s hard to imagine Kristin Chenoweth ever sitting down, let alone resting. And she’s the first to admit that it’s something she’s struggled with over the years. 

“I'm an adrenaline junkie,” Chenoweth tells Wondermind, in the calm and grounded tone of someone who has clearly done some self-reflection on the matter. “I do best under pressure—that’s where I really shine. That's probably why I like a live audience and performing live best.” 

Whether you know Chenoweth from her iconic stage performances, countless film and TV roles, singing, writing, or hilarious cooking videos on social media, there’s a very strong chance you’ve been inspired by her work at least once (and probably much more than that). As the original Glinda in Wicked, Chenoweth is Broadway royalty, and she’s gearing up for a return to the stage this year in the new musical Queen of Versailles. 

But despite her seemingly nonstop career, Chenoweth says she’s been prioritizing self-care more and more lately. It’s a habit that’s become even more crucial after what she describes as “crashing and burning” two years ago, thanks to her packed schedule. 

Here, Chenoweth shares how her outlook on mental health and rest changed over the course of her career, how she prepared emotionally and physically to revisit Wicked more than 20 years later, and the advice she wishes she could give her younger self.  

WM: How are you today, really? 

Kristin Chenoweth: Well, today we're watching California burn. I was a resident of California for 24 years, and some of my friends have lost their homes. So how I'm feeling today is grateful. I'm in a prayerful mood because that's what I tend to do when things like this happen. 

WM: You’re someone who has been so outspoken about mental health—in interviews, a Super Bowl commercial, and your last book. Were you always this comfortable talking about mental health? 

KC: I never felt really safe talking about depression. Because, remember, my era was: Suck it up, buttercup. Pull up your big girl panties. Leave the tears on the pillow when you're by yourself. And I grew up very much doing that. I think that fed into a problem with perfectionism and an eating disorder and depression. Just the perfect little storm of your average nightmare is me. 

There's a misconception about me that everything's perfect and rainbows and pink. And you know what? I am overall happy, but I do battle—just like millions of people in the world—with depression. And nobody wants to hear my problems because I have a good life, right? A lot of people don't understand what's going on behind the scenes. 

The truth is, this generation is allowing me to say: You don't have to suck it up, buttercup. You don't have to save your tears for when you're by yourself. It’s OK to be sad. A lot of people go through it. You're not alone. All of these things have really helped me the past several years since our world has been in upheaval. And so I'm grateful for what I'm learning from the younger generation. 

WM: Has your perspective on rest also changed over the course of your career?

KC: Being from the South, there was often a feeling of: You rest when you deserve it. You have downtime once you've done your work. If you don't get your work done, there is no downtime. Rest has almost been equated with laziness. What I've come to really understand is, it's just like they say on the plane: You’ve got to put your own oxygen mask on first. And for years, I put everybody else's oxygen mask on. 

I've been working so hard for so long because I don't just do one thing—I'm blessed enough to be able to sing and act and be a host and make records and do Broadway and write. And I love this. But because I don't just do one thing, I have a lot to get done and a lot of people to pay, and I take that responsibility very seriously. And then who suffers is me. 

What happened is I crashed and burned, had two seizures, and ended up in the hospital—literally from my schedule. There were a couple of other problems, but really the schedule was the big thing. When left to my own devices, I will come over to your house and sing for your next door neighbor's cousin’s little sister's birthday party, because I love people. But what happens is when you start giving so much of yourself out, you've got nothing left. And this is, I'm sure, a very common theme that comes up here. 

I'm still retraining my brain to know that I deserve to sit on my couch today with no makeup and hair and a T-shirt with no pants, and watch the news and take a beat and feel what I need to feel. I'm very empathic—like a lot of artists are—and as I’m watching the fires lately, I'm just devastated. So I'm going to do that, and it's OK. Rest is OK. Getting a massage isn't just a reward after you’ve done amazing things—the massage should be along the way because I have a bad neck and a bad knee. 

These are things you’ve got to do to take care of yourself, Kristin. If you don't, you will give yourself seizures and end up in a place where you have to take three months off where nobody gets paid and you're just resting and dealing with your own crap. So I'd like to not get there again. And since that time, I've been working very diligently with some tools that have helped me figure that out.

WM: Speaking of lessons learned over the last few decades, what was it like revisiting Wicked after all this time in a completely new way? How did you prepare emotionally and physically to be involved in this production and press tour? 

KC: It was amazing. I'm a part of something in my career that lasts, and not a lot of artists can say that. I'm grateful to have something attached to my name forever. And my girl [Ariana Grande] is playing the part I created, and I wanted that. And my other girl [Cynthia Erivo] is playing the other most amazing part. And then me and Idina [Menzel] are watching this go on and we're holding each other's hands. 

That all being said, it's very layered for me. I’m so happy with how it is. But the very real, honest truth is: Oh my gosh, I hope they remember us. That's a very vulnerable thing to say. Because I'm human. But at the same time, I'm evolved enough to know that part of the fun of having been here a minute is getting to watch somebody who admires and loves you want to make you proud. Just like I did in the past with people I've looked up to—Carol Burnett, Sandi Patty, Julie Andrews, Dolly Parton.

When you're putting a new Broadway show together, not everything's fun. It's a lot of pressure. It's very creative. It can be wonky. You’re trying things out in front of the audience that's not buying it, and then you’ve got to change it and try something else. It was stressful. But because of the work that we all did, now they have this movie, and I'm so very proud of it. 

Some people asked, “Does it feel weird to you that you're not the part [of Glinda]?” And I said, “I couldn't go back, I couldn't play that part again, so it doesn't make me sad that I'm not playing it.” Very frankly, I thought it was a lovely gesture that they reached out to Idina and I and had us in it.  

WM: What are some tools that you lean on to help you during a particularly busy season like the one you just had? 

KC: This fall was a warning sign to me. I was getting back into some old habits that I want to avoid so I don't have to stop for three months. One of the things I learned is that, while I’m a big prayer person, meditation is a different skill. So I do my prayer and I also do meditation, which really helps me. That's actually a really big one. 

Obviously I'm a person that does therapy—I'm a big believer in that. As a Christian woman, you grow up hearing the only therapist you need is God. And the way I view it now is: God made these people interested in people like me to help me with my feelings, thoughts, emotions, and getting through life with the way it is. And so, yeah, He is my best friend, but therapy helps. 

I have a core group of people that are my people that understand and love me no matter what, and I rely on them. I have a very real relationship with my mom and dad. We don't mince words. We talk for real. And that's helpful. 

And I always go back to the music. I tell people all the time who suffer with depression or bipolar or personality stuff or just all of it: Go back to the thing that you love—whether you get paid a lot of money to do it or zero money to do it. For me, that's music.

WM: If you could wave a wand and speak with your younger self, what advice would you give her? 

KC: Oh, there's so many. But the main one that sticks out is that, in my job, I've been injured pretty severely a couple times, and rushing back to work has caused me more pain. 

[I wish I could go back and tell myself]: “A set piece nearly killed you, don't worry about going into work with your face rearranged. You have cracked ribs, you have broken teeth, you have a skull fracture.” 

I didn't want anyone to see fear and I didn't want anyone to think that I wasn't going to be on top of my game. And that's happened a couple times throughout my career with Broadway, dancing, being on set. I've had some injury and it has caused me a lot of pain. I wish I could have just said: “I'm not ready to go back yet. I'm going to heal properly first.” 

WM: What advice would you give to people who are struggling to slow down and take time for themselves? 

KC: Something I'm working on now and is a constant work in progress is this: Be OK with saying no. That can mean saying no to a visit to your friend's house at five o'clock because you don't want to do the traffic and you're tired, you've had a long day. It can be: I don't want to take this movie because I need to be with my parents who are elderly and I need to help them move. Don't be afraid to say no. 

I would also say find your higher power. It doesn't have to be God. That's just what works for me. Find your higher power and lean into it, because the only thing we can take with us is our spirit. That's what we came on this Earth with: our spirit. 

Take care of yourself first. It's not selfish, because then you can be the best version of you for all the people that you know and love that you want to be there for. Easier said than done, though.

And I will leave you with this one thing: For me, rescuing an animal has been the best thing. I'm looking at her now. I'm a very scared flyer and I have to fly two or three times a week. My dog knows I'm scared and knows I can have seizures sometimes and is with me. My dog can look at me and be like, I got you. When I had my first seizure at home, she would not leave my side. I would encourage, if people are in a place where they can adopt a pet, it could be—if they are prepared—one of the best decisions they've ever made.   

This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.