Laura Benanti Reveals She Suffered a Miscarriage While Performing Live for 2,000 People

Laura Benanti revealed that she suffered a miscarriage while on stage in front of 2,000 people on April 3. In an Instagram posted two days later, on April 5, the Tony Award–winning actor wrote that she “knew it was happening” while she performed on the Broadway Cruise in New York. 

“It started slowly the night before,” she wrote. “If it had been our first loss, or even our second, I likely wouldn’t have been able to go on. But unfortunately, I am not a stranger to the pain and emptiness of losing a pregnancy.” 

“It is a path I have walked before, hand in hand with my husband,” she continued. “But this time we walked it alongside some of the kindest, most loving humans I will ever have the honor to share space with. Thank you to everyone in that audience for the grace your presence allowed. For lifting me out of my grief for that Holy hour. Thank you to my band for holding me, unconditionally, in your hearts, and to the crew for working so hard to make me as comfortable as possible. Thank you to my friends and fellow performers for rallying around me and so graciously accommodating my changing needs.”

Benanti, 43, shares two daughters with her husband, Patrick Brown. Ella, her oldest, even joined her on stage during her performance. In her caption, Benanti thanked her mother- and father-in-law for “shielding Ella from the reality of this experience and giving her the time of her life while ‘Mama’s back hurt.’”