Laura Benanti Suffers Miscarriage On Stage While Performing in Front of 2,000 People

Tony-winning actress Laura Benanti opened up about suffering a tragic personal loss while performing in front of thousands of people earlier this week. On Wednesday night, Bernanti shared to her Instagram a picture of her performing on The Broadway Cruise sailing from New York to Bermuda. In the camption, she revealed that she was having a miscarriage even as she was performing. "On Monday, April 3rd, I performed on stage for 2,000 people while having a miscarriage," Benanti wrote. "I knew it was happening." She went on to explain that the miscarriage had actually begun the previous night. She also said that had it been the first or second she had suffered, she "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," she wrote. "It is a path I have walked before, hand in hand with my husband." She thanked all of those in her life who supported her through this, and then thanked her unborn child, adding, "Thank you to that little soul for choosing me as your home, even for a short time." Benanti and her husband Patrick Brown share two children, Ella, 6, and Louisa, 9 months, born via surrogate. She commented that she opened up with this experience in part to continue normalizing miscarriages. "I share all of this not to garner sympathy or attention but to remind the many people and families who have and will suffer in this way that there is no shame in this kind of loss," she wrote. "That you are not alone. And to remind myself as well." This is also not the first time Benanti has opened up about her own personal experience with a miscarriage. In 2015, she penned an article for HuffPost about an earlier one, again echoing the sentiment that she was speaking out in part to help others feel less alone. "Sometimes it can be helpful to know that someone out there has felt the same pain as you and that they are holding you in their heart," she wrote in that article. She wrote then that she kept hearing from people that miscarriages were "SO common," but that only left her wondering, "if this is so common, then why do we only speak about it in whispers, if we speak about it at all? If this is so common, why does it feel like the Voldemort of women's issues?" As part of her efforts to normalize the conversation about miscarriages, she also urged women to give themselves permission to process this loss in whatever way it comes. Benanti's post was met with appreciation and love. "I’m so proud of you!" wrote Jewel in the comments. "This moved me immeasurably - your Grace, heart, vulnerability and courage all together - heroically divinely feminine ????" Brenda Strong penned a lengthy comment where she said she was "moved beyond words" by Benanti's "courage," "strength," "honesty" and "resilience." "Sending love and Light to you and your family ????," commented Yvette Nicole Brown, adding, "Your transparency in sharing this helps so many. Love you!" "Laura. I’m so sorry," added Kristin Chenoweth. "Everyone who knows you loves you. You’re an angel on this earth. You are the toughest person i know. Sending Gods love to your fam. ❤️"