ABC
Tony-winning Broadway actress Kristin Chenoweth is about to take the stage for the 10th annual CMA Country Christmas celebration special Tuesday (Dec. 3) on ABC. If you’re curious to find out a little bit more about this pint-sized powerhouse, read on for information about her age and height.
Chenoweth was born July 24, 1968, in Broken Arrow, Okla., making her 51 years old in 2019. She was adopted by parents Junie and Jerry Chenoweth when she was just five days old. Her suburban Tulsa hometown is two hours east of where country superstar Garth Brooks grew up and just one hour north of Carrie Underwood’s hometown, making it quite the little pocket of homegrown talent.
Standing just 4’11”, Chenoweth embraced her short stature at a young age, singing the song “Four Feet Eleven” for a Southern Baptist Convention national conference at the age of 12, according to an NPR interview where she graced the interviewer with a little excerpt of her long-ago performance.
In the same interview, Chenoweth is also very vocal about her faith — she is a proud Christian but is very inclusive in living her Christian life.
“I very proudly am a Christian, and I am a God person. And I say that because for me – yes, church, and being around people like how I believe is important,” says Chenoweth. “But it’s also important to me to show others that don’t have any faith, or don’t believe like me, that I accept them and don’t judge them. … It’s not my job to decide whether someone is a sinner for doing something or being something or saying something. You know, my grandma said, oh, Kris, I read the Bible like I eat fish. I take the meat that serves me well, but I don’t choke on a bone. I loved that, and I’ve never forgotten it.”
In another interview where the topic veered to her height, Chenoweth joked that she can’t see over the countertop at the bank or that sometimes she goes to a party and no one knows she’s there. But in all seriousness, she told Meredith Vieira, “When you’re little, people always say how cute you are and it’s better than saying you’re not very cute, right? … there are worse things to be than short.”
Being short certainly hasn’t slowed Chenoweth’s stardom down at all. Over the course of her career, Chenoweth has appeared on the silver screen, the small screen and all over the stage. She most famously originated the role of Galinda in Wicked, which earned her a Tony nomination; she also won a Tony for her performance in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown in 1999. She also earned three Emmy nominations between Pushing Daisies and Glee, winning the 2009 Emmy for Daisies.
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