Mariska Hargitay has had quite the summer. Not long after wrapping on Season 22 of Law & Order: SVU the star ended up doing some serious damage to both of her legs in late May. Then, the star slipped in the rain outside of a Black Widow screening in early July, and actually broke her ankle. Just a few days later, Oscar nominee Melissa McCarthy showed some very public support for her friend, and now McCarthy's talking about why she went so far for Hargitay after her injury.
If this story managed to pass you by when it went around in the middle of July, then know that when I say "very public support" I really mean the most public support that someone could show a friend who's hurt themselves. Melissa McCarthy didn't just post online about Mariska Hargitay's broken ankle. Oh, no, friends. The famed funny lady truly went above and beyond by standing outside of a Wienerschnitzel fast food joint with a sign that said, “Honk if you’re PRAYING for Mariska Hargitay’s recovery!!!” Then, she posted video of that online.
Recently, McCarthy stopped by The Tonight Show, and when host Jimmy Fallon asked her to explain her extremely public championing for Hargitay's recovery, she said:
Well, yeah, she, like, rolled her ankle and it was a really severe break. And she's a really good texter, and I'm terrible...She sent me a really funny text of like, 'Oh, don't worry. I'm just here in a lot of pain, recovering. I guess you're too busy to respond to my texts.' And so I was like, 'OK, game on.' So, now I have to make it seem like this is why I didn't get back to you, 'cause I was petitioning for prayers.
Melissa McCarthy then said that she made her next move quite quickly, and jumped into the car, got herself to the Wienerschnitzel in Burbank, California (which I can only assume is pretty close to her home), and began holding up her sign as she jumped around on the sidewalk in front of the location. Not only was this an awesome show of dedication and friendship from McCarthy to Mariska Hargitay, but she did the whole thing in what appears to be a very comfy jumpsuit.
I can't tell for sure, but McCarthy's outfit might have been pajamas, and if so, that calls for several extra kudos as far as I'm concerned. Never wear real clothes unless you have to, kids.
As Fallon noted during the interview, most people wouldn't have dreamed of going this far in asking for kind words for an injured friend, but Melissa McCarthy said that a large part of her being a "terrible" texter is due to her lack of interest in her phone, in general. Apparently, she's been known to "put my phone in my purse for three days" and completely ignore a number of messages, which is why Mariska Hargitay was unable to reach her, and why this large gesture felt necessary.
Luckily, Mariska Hargitay is on the mend (and had plenty of mental energy to troll fans after her original injury), and returned to the Law & Order: SVU set earlier this month. But, while Melissa McCarthy's efforts probably did wonders for her mood, she's not totally out of the woods where her injury is concerned just yet.
Audiences won't see Olivia Benson on crutches when Season 23 begins, but the show is planning to work her current state into the show somehow, in the season premiere. While this might throw the timeline out of wack a bit (and possibly lead to not having SVU lined up with Law & Order: Organized Crime anymore), I'm sure the teams behind both shows have already figured out exactly how to make this work.
Law & Order: SVU will be back for Season 23 with a two-hour premiere on September 23, with Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 2 debuting right after. For more to watch. check out our 2021 fall TV schedule!
