Katey Sagal, star of the hit TV show Sons of Anarchy, is recovering in hospital after being struck by a car on Thursday. Sagal became a household name in the late 1980s for her role in the Fox series Married with Children, where she played the rebellious and brazen Peg Bundy. The show ran for ten years, and netted her an impressive three Golden Globe and two American Comedy Award nominations. Sagal is perhaps best known to modern audiences for her stint as Gemma Teller Morrow in Sons of Anarchy. Morrow was the mother of series protagonist Jackson ‘Jax’ Teller, and remained a strong presence within the Samcro motorcycle club throughout all seven seasons of the show. Sagal also performed at least one song every season as part of the show's soundtrack.
Sagal’s Morrow became particularly infamous during the final few seasons of Sons of Anarchy, becoming one of the main antagonists after murdering Jax’s wife Tara Knowles at the end of season 6. After Jax discovers this in the series’ penultimate episode “Red Rose”, he travels to Oregon where he finds Morrow and kills her. Sagal has since appeared briefly in the Sons of Anarchy spin off show Mayans MC, where she starred in a brief flashback scene. Prior to her incident, Sagal had been filming the movie Tattered Hearts, which follows a country music duo who stay in the mansion of their idol and end up being tormented by the horrors that lay within. Tattered Hearts is currently still in production, and is expected to release sometime in 2022.
Now, EW reports that Sagal was hit last Thursday by a car making a left turn while she attempted to cross the street. Law enforcement at present has said that no citations were issued and no arrests have been made, but that the incident is under investigation. EW has also spoken to someone with a close relationship to the actress, who has attempted to reassure fans that the actress “will be fine” and is expected to return home imminently. It is unknown at present who was at fault, and whether Sagal will pursue legal action if she is found of no wrongdoing.
A veteran TV actress, Sagal is beloved by many for her repeated portrayal of strong, bold women. Covering not just fictional characters like Sons of Anarchy’s Morrow, Sagal has also played characters drawn from the real world, such as during her stint in the TV show Rebel, which followed the life of the famous American legal clerk Erin Brockovich. Her versatility also stretches to animation, where she has played Futurama's ever popular character Turanga Leela since the show’s inception.
While the extent and exact nature Sagal's injuries are not known at present, the assurances of her close friend indicate that she'll be released from the hospital sooner than later. No official announcement has been made, but presumably filming on Tattered Hearts will be placed on hold while Sagal recovers. It is also likely we will learn more about the exact nature of what happened as the authorities continue their investigation. In the meantime, we hope Sagal has a speedy recovery and that she is able to return to work on Tattered Hearts and any other projects she's currently involved with very soon.
Source: Entertainment Weekly