“The Brady Bunch” is remembered by millions as a wholesome slice of American television, blending charm, comedy, and the trials of a large blended family.
But behind the scenes of this seemingly cheerful show, things weren’t always as perfect as they appeared—at least not for Susan Olsen, who played the lovable youngest daughter, Cindy Brady.
Now 63, Olsen recently opened up about a shocking and nearly fatal accident that occurred on her very first day filming the iconic sitcom.
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Appearing on “The Real Brady Bros” podcast, which she co-hosted with former co-stars Christopher Knight (Peter Brady) and Barry Williams (Greg Brady), Olsen recounted the traumatic experience that left a lasting mark on her—and even appeared on screen.
“I got injured. I almost died,” Olsen said bluntly.
@love_cenas Susan Olsen, forever Cindy Brady from “The Brady Bunch” through the years. #susanolsen #thebradybunch #evolutionchallenge #Nostalgia #paravoce ♬ Forever Young – Alphaville
The incident took place on the Culver Studios lot while she was getting body makeup applied to her legs.
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Standing on a makeup chair, a piece of equipment from the catwalk high above—where lighting and rigging are stored—suddenly fell.
“It hit the makeup man first, [bounced] off the body makeup woman, and hit me in the face,” she explained.
The damage was severe enough that the effects were visible during one of the most iconic scenes in the show’s first season: the wedding between Carol (Florence Henderson) and Mike Brady (Robert Reed).
According to Olsen, “You can tell, if you look at the ceremony and you see the three girls on one side, if you were to zoom in really tight, you can see my face is quite swollen.”
That early injury was dismissed by most people on set, but Florence Henderson stood out as the one adult who truly cared.
“In fact, I don’t just wanna cry,” Olsen said, recalling the overwhelming pain. “I want to sob. I’m just gonna let go and forget all my pride and just sob because this hurts.”
Despite the injury, Olsen returned to work the next day, bolstered by Henderson’s support. “Florence was the first one to see me. She’s like, ‘You make sure everybody sees her.’
And my mom was like, ‘Oh, yes, I will.’ Because everybody was trying to say, ‘It didn’t really hit her. She’s fine,’” Olsen shared.
Though she joked that she should’ve sued Paramount—saying, “I would have made more off of that than the show”—she found a silver lining in the unusual look her injuries gave her.
“My eyes were black. I mean, I had two black eyes. My nose was swollen. My face was swollen,” she said, adding, “I remember loving it, because I looked like I was in a horror film.”
To help her continue filming, Hal King, Lucille Ball’s personal makeup artist from “I Love Lucy,” was brought in to conceal the bruises. That, for Olsen, was a childhood dream come true.
“I loved Lucy. She was my idol. And I was so thrilled to have him. And every day, my bruises would be a different color, and I’d say, ‘My bruises are purple today, Hal,’” she fondly remembered.
“The Brady Bunch” aired from 1969 to 1974 and became a cultural mainstay, spawning several spin-offs, a 1995 parody movie, and attempts at reboots—one of which Olsen says was derailed because of her political views.
In a separate appearance on the “Walk Away Campaign” podcast, Olsen alleged that a planned reboot of the series was canceled due to her support for former President Donald Trump and her outspoken views on controversial topics such as COVID-19 vaccines and LGBTQ+ rights.
Olsen said she pitched a version of Cindy Brady as a right-wing, libertarian podcaster—mirroring her own life—and even offered to take a class in political correctness.
But she claimed CBS Studios refused to compromise.
“I am what I was going to portray, so what kind of show would this be if I can’t say anything controversial?” she asked. She recalled a disheartening phone call with her former castmates and agent.
“Everybody was saying, ‘we’re sorry, but they just won’t budge. They just will not have you in this.’ I was like wow, I’ve been canceled. A role that I’ve played for over 50 years, I can’t play it now because I’m too dangerous.”
According to Olsen, her vision for the reboot included a politically diverse Brady family: Greg as “a Reagan Republican,” Jan as a liberal, and Cindy as a quirky, libertarian animal rescuer.
“She does some animal rescue, like me,” Olsen added.
“I was so hoping to be the first woman on television since my first female hero, Donna Douglas from ‘The Beverly Hillbillies,’ to wear an opossum on my shoulder.”
From near-death experiences on the soundstage to modern-day cancel culture controversies, Susan Olsen’s journey as Cindy Brady has certainly been anything but conventional.
And while the squeaky-voiced little girl from America’s most beloved TV family may be a thing of the past, Olsen’s outspoken spirit proves she’s still far from fading into the background.
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