Tragic Details About Hallmark's Kimberly Williams-Paisley

As a regular star of the Hallmark Channel's feel-good movies, and wife of country singer Brad Paisley, Kimberly Williams-Paisley's life seems charmed, but the actor has gone through many pitfalls during her life. Fans were first introduced to the actor when she starred as Annie Banks in the heartwarming 1991 rom-com "Father of the Bride" alongside Steve Martin and Diane Keaton. The film was Williams-Paisley's first big break, which shot her to fame, but at the time, she was only 19 years old and struggled with finding her footing in Hollywood.

After Williams-Paisley got cast in "Father of the Bride," she made the move to Los Angeles, which she described as "terrifying," per E! News. "I mean, they took good care of me, but I didn't know anybody there. I didn't have any friends there. I remember they took me to a beauty salon and I had to spend hours getting my eyebrows plucked and my legs waxed — all those things I'd never done before," she recalled. The mom of two added, "It was really nerve-wracking. It was also really exciting." Playing a young bride gave Williams-Paisley her dream career, but it also came with a lot of pressure, and doubting her acting chops was just one of the many sad moments she's faced over the years.

"Father of the Bride" is a lighthearted movie with lots of hilarious scenes, but one particular moment called for Kimberly Williams-Paisley to cry on demand. As she described to ABC News, her character Annie Banks receives a blender from her fiancé, which causes her to have an emotional breakdown — except Williams-Paisley could not. "I hadn't had much training on how to access emotion yet, and the more I worried over being expected to weep, the less likely it became," she shared. As they did take after take, she doubted her acting abilities even more and thought to herself, "I'm not cut out for this. I don't belong here. I am failing." However, her doubts proved useful as she started sobbing for real, and the director was able to catch the moment on film.

Ultimately, Williams-Paisley nailed her role and was cast again in "Father of the Bride Part II" and "Father of the Bride Part 3 (ish)," which she shared with her two sons. "They loved the movies, so then once they knew those characters — the movies really held up beautifully — they were so excited to come and watch me work," she gushed to ET.

Kimberly Williams-Paisley's career depends on her ability to speak, which is why her August 2024 health reveal was so tragic. "Almost two years ago I lost my voice on stage at my Alzheimer's event in Nashville. It was embarrassing & scary & it never quite came back. It's been a challenging couple of years, but we finally got to the bottom of it. I have damage to my laryngeal nerve," she shared on Instagram. After trying various ways to fix the issue, Williams-Paisley finally had surgery, which left her with a long scar on her neck. "I haven't wanted to share about this much until now because it felt too vulnerable. 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. Instead, I've been the quietest in the room. I've felt meek," she admitted.

Two days later, Williams-Paisley thanked her fans for their support and wrote, "You reminded me of the power of authenticity, vulnerability, and hope. I'm feeling validated and seen and ever more grateful ... Recovery is on track and I'm feeling really good."

In 2013, Kimberly Williams-Paisley revealed to ABC News that she had fallen victim to an internet hoax. A person claiming to be named Carrie reached out to the "According to Jim" star over email and shared that her daughter had a fatal form of pediatric cancer. "She said that her daughter had begged her to get in touch with me. So it sounded very sort of real. But she wasn't dying to get a hold of me. You know, that was kind of the beginning of the manipulation," Kimberly revealed. For over a week, the two kept speaking and Kimberly's husband Brad Paisley even sang "Amazing Grace" over the phone to whom he believed to be the dying child. When "Carrie" claimed that her daughter had died, Kimberly offered to send flowers but received a terse message that stated, "I don't need you to pray for me. Doesn't seem like god hears much of anything these days." After doing some investigating, the couple discovered that the pictures of the supposed daughter had been grabbed online.

As reported by ABC News, the scammer was revealed to be a woman named Hope Lyn Jackson, who was subsequently arrested. Kimberly and Brad weren't her only victims, and Jackson had been using the dying daughter hoax for years. Strangely, the scam didn't seem to be about money. "I think that's sicker. I would have welcomed the thought that this was something as simple as a woman scheming," Brad stated.

Kimberly Williams-Paisley kept her mom's dementia diagnosis a secret for over 10 years, but she finally opened up about the family's struggles in her book "Where The Light Gets In." She told Today, "After so many years of feeling like I had to be private and secret, it was just so empowering to be able to take the reins of the story." Kimberly saw signs something was amiss with her mom Linda Williams as far back as 2003 but it wasn't until two years later that she was diagnosed with dementia.

Since then, Kimberly watched as Linda's symptoms got worse and she became destructive. "Almost every time we had dinner together, a glass broke or a plate of food wound up on the floor. She ate spaghetti with her fingers. She had accidents and falls that landed her in the ER," the "Nashville" star shared with Redbook.

Sadly, Linda died on November 16, 2016. Kimberly shared a smiling picture of her mom on Instagram and wrote, "I will remember you this way, Mom. Rest in love and peace." Brad Paisley shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, "We are so touched by the outpouring of sympathy for Kim's mom. Thank you all. After her long battle with this terrible disease, she is free."

Kimberly Williams-Paisley isn't just the mom of two boys, but also her fur baby Hoot. "Four years ago tomorrow this dog trotted into our house like he belonged there, and suddenly he did. Thx @ashleywilliamsandcompany for begging us never to buy a dog again when there are so many amazing pups out there needing homes," she shared on Facebook in February 2019. Williams-Paisley added, "He is one of the greatest loves of our life. And he is the only creature I will let lick my face (besides occasionally his furry sister, Annie, also a rescue, and also amazing)."

Unfortunately, Hoot had a medical emergency in 2023 that led him to the hospital. "We've been through an ordeal with our sweet Hoot in the last week. When he threw up in the middle of the night and couldn't settle down, we thought maybe he'd swallowed something he found in the garbage and had an obstruction. Further X-rays and an ultrasound showed he actually had an abscess in his liver," Williams-Paisley told fans on Instagram. Hoot ended up having surgery and had to be monitored for a few days, but was soon well enough to take home. After thanking the vet and staff, Williams-Paisley wrote, "We sure do love dogs and the people who care for them."