Chyler Leigh is no stranger to the big screen, having worked as an actress for over twenty years. She played Lexi Grey on "Grey's Anatomy" for over 100 episodes and also starred in the "Supergirl" series. As well as acting on the small screen, she has been outspoken in promoting mental health initiatives, and has even taken up singing with her rocker husband. Leigh's newest role in the Hallmark series "The Way Home" allows her to show off both her acting and singing talents.
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"The Way Home" is Hallmark's newest TV series, which tells the story of Kat, her teenage daughter, Alice (Sadie Laflamme-Snow), and her mother, Del (Andie MacDowell). Years prior, Kat moved herself and her daughter away from the family farm where she grew up and away from her mother. The series finds her needing to move back to the farm, but the reunion is far from perfect. Kat's good friend Elliot helps all three women navigate their prior tragedies in the hope of healing and bringing the women close together again.
Aside from Leigh's acting, she's had a chance to share her singing talents in the show. During a karaoke scene in the show, Leigh belted out Alanis Morisette's "You Learn." Leigh opened up about her singing experience, saying, "It was really a vulnerable moment for Kat, but also for me because you never know. You're hearing [your recording] played for the first time on the loudspeakers. But it was a lot of fun and hopefully it tracks with people. And hopefully I make Alanis proud and am invited to sing again on the show."
"The Way Home," officially back for Season 2, isn't Leigh's first time on the Hallmark Channel. She previously starred opposite Paul Campbell in the 2013 Hallmark Christmas movie, "Window Wonderland." Here's everything we know about Chyler Leigh, from important moments in her career to her family life.
Her "coming out" role hit close to home
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Chyler Leigh is no stranger to playing interesting female leads, but one role hit extra close to home. She played the role of Alex on the CW's hit series, "Supergirl," and was able to portray her character coming out on screen. In Season 2, her character came out as a lesbian after falling in love with Detective Maggie Sawyer. Everyone from the fans to cast and crew shared it was one of the "Most realistic coming out scene they'd ever witnessed." Leigh felt that her portrayal could be so realistic because, as she put it, "Some truth to what she said about me."
Even though Leigh is proud to support the LGBT+ community, not everyone in her life was supportive of her role at the time. She had her fair share of negative comments from some of her friends and those closest to her. In an interview with US Weekly she said, "Soon after, they began to distance themselves and eventually my family and I were outcast, marking the loss of many folks we loved. However, after the initial sting, I don't hold a grudge towards the negative response, because as I said, we all have had a hard time in one way or another with acceptance (whatever the subject may be) whether towards ourselves or others."
Though Leigh herself does not put a label on herself, she felt that portraying the role of Alex helped her understand her own dialogue around her sexuality. She has been married to her husband since 2002 and said, "It's been a long and lonely road for both my husband and myself but I can wholeheartedly say that after all these years, he and I are still discovering the depths of ourselves and each other, but throughout our journey."
Chyler Leigh's Personal Life
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Back in 2019, Leigh first publicly spoke out about her bipolar diagnosis. She had been diagnosed ten years prior but didn't feel comfortable publicly sharing her struggles until recently. She's now in a great place with her condition, but definitely went through struggles to get to this point. Leigh's mother was diagnosed with manic depression, and she grew up witnessing the extremes of the disorder. When Leigh was diagnosed in her late twenties, she became fearful that she would be stuck in the same cycle as her mother. After her initial diagnosis, she recalled thinking, "'Oh my gosh, if that was me, how on Earth am I going to deal with this?' Am I in the same place? Am I equipped? Do I have what it takes to actually really genuinely take care of myself?'"
Leigh really felt the struggle while juggling her three children, her marriage, and her successful career. She was experiencing symptoms but didn't understand entirely what was going on. She recalled feeling like she was "drowning" before finally seeking help. At one point, she was placed on six different medications, unfortunately resulting in a hospital stay for a manic episode. After her release from the hospital in 2011, she decided to take charge and find a medication that worked for her. She did find one that she continues to use that helps her stay level and helps her "function like a human being."
Leigh's diagnosis and struggles have only strengthened her marriage, as she relied on her husband for support in her trying times. She said, "We both still very much have to work on listening. But he's done an amazing job with listening and also communicating where he's at as well...We really barely survived a lot of times — just our marriage ... We've both seen the best and worst of each other and we've been able to dig through and really support one another."
She finally was able to open up about her diagnosis when she began her partnership with Be Vocal: Speak Up for Mental Health. She not only wanted to raise awareness but also empower others who may have been stigmatized for mental health conditions. She advocates for others to speak up when they are not ok and share their struggles to be able to find a community. Be Vocal is an online platform that helps those struggling with mental health issues find resources and community.
Chyler Leigh's FamilyLife
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Chyler Leigh relies on her family to support her through the ups and downs of life. Leigh has been married to fellow actor Nathan West since 2002. The pair first met on the set of the show "7th Heaven" in the early 2000s, right before Leigh turned 17. They were married a short time later and went on to have three kids before Leigh turned 27. They share two girls, Taelyn (16) and Anniston (13), and a son, Noah (19).
All three of her kids experience some form of mental health issues, including ADHD, Asperger syndrome, and high-functioning autism. She tries to teach her kids to view their diagnosis as their "superpower," instead of something that is shameful or a hindrance to their life. When it comes to talking to her kids about their various conditions, Leigh shares, "There's lots of conversation in our house, and it's at varying degrees of how they understand it."
West and Leigh have acted alongside one another several times, including on the hit series "Grey's Anatomy." West has now pivoted into a music career, creating new music under the name East of Eli. He's even gotten his wife to join him for some duets, including the songs "Love Lit the Sky" and "Nowhere." Regarding their transition into music, Leigh said, "We thought this would be a great opportunity for us to not be working together playing somebody else, but working together being ourselves."
