Gretchen Carlson suffered from a cooking calamity over the weekend.
On Sunday, the former FOX broadcaster and women’s rights activist posted a photo
of her finger bandaged up, saying she nearly cut it off in the kitchen.
“And this is why I don’t cook,” Carlson, 57, wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter). “Almost cut off my finger chopping an onion b/c I thought I’d make a healthy meal for myself instead of getting take out … again.”
“Now that’s one middle finger!” she added of her wound, which was wrapped in gauze in the masked-up image of herself posted from the hospital.
When some followers addressed the incident in the comments, with one asking how an “intelligent and skillful” woman could have this happen to her in the kitchen, she shot back by further poking fun at herself. “Smart doesn’t equate to cooking,” she quipped.
Gretchen Carlson.
Gretchen Carlson/X
The journalist, who appears to be okay after the mishap, is most known for speaking out against heavier topics, including sexual harassment, as one of the more prominent voices who helped pioneer the #MeToo movement.
The PEOPLE (The TV Show!) contributor was even portrayed by Nicole Kidman in 2019’s Bombshell, and in Showtime’s limited series The Loudest Voice, with Naomi Watts playing her. Carlson, however, wasn’t allowed to consult on either project due to an NDA at the time.
Carlson has also fought against body-shaming, as the former Miss America winner was once scrutinized as heavy for her less-than-100-lbs. figure when crowned in 1989.
Having inspired women from all over the world to speak up against these topics, she was named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2017.
The New York Times best-selling author, who is now on Miss America’s Board of Trustees even helped the famed pageant change course to be recognized as a competition, even eliminating a swimsuit competition.
“We are no longer a pageant. We are a competition,” Carlson said in 2018 on Good Morning America. “We will no longer judge our candidates on their outward physical appearance. That’s huge. And that means we will no longer have a swimsuit competition.”
Gretchen Carlson at ‘The Morning Show’ premiere at David Geffen Hall in New York City on Oct. 28, 2019.
Roy Rochlin/WireImage
She added that they were also “revamping” the evening gown portion, instead asking contestants to use their clothes to express their personal style.
Carlson said they wanted their more inclusive competition to inspire more women.
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“We’ve heard from a lot of young women who say, ‘We’d love to be a part of your program but we don’t want to be out there in high heels and a swimsuit,’ so guess what, you don’t have to do that anymore,” she said.
She continued, “Who doesn’t want to be empowered, learn leadership skills and pay for college and be able to show the world who you are as a person from the inside of your soul? That’s what we’re judging them on.”
In an interview with PEOPLE in 2020, Carlson discussed her role as a pioneer and advocate, commenting on how many women are now comfortable coming forward to her with their stories and she wants to continue encouraging people “to speak up and stand up and have a voice.”