Melissa McCarthy is promoting her new movie The Boss, which opens April 8. As I have mentioned, I am a big fan of Melissa since falling in love with her on Gilmore Girls. Of her movies, however, Spy is just about the only one I enjoyed. I am cautiously optimistic about The Boss though. If the trailers are to be believed, her character, Michelle Darnell, is a competent businessperson and the joke has nothing to do with weight. Her character Sookie’s weight on Gilmore Girls was never a joke; it wasn’t until she went mainstream Hollywood that her weight was brought front and center. Now that Melissa has lost 50 pounds (brava to her) her weight is an even bigger focus and everyone wants to know her secret. According to Melissa, the secret isn’t that sexy:
Actress Melissa McCarthy channels a foul-mouthed, over-the-top Martha Stewart caricature in her new movie “The Boss,” but it is her personal transformation that has everyone talking.
The 45-year-old actress looked incredible at a press junket for the film. She lost a reported 50 pounds, and revealed there is no big secret to her weight loss. She told “Extra’s” Charissa Thompson it is actually her lifestyle that contributed to the change. “No trick, nothing to tell, just super boring life. You bring it real down, you don’t do anything fun and you go to bed at 7:30 — that’s the trick.”
She went on to say her husband, Ben Falcone, will ask, “Is it five and are you in jammies?” to which she responds, “I’m gonna call them loungewear.”
Melissa is accepting compliments graciously but shies away from any real weight-loss discussion. I can appreciate her position as she has often emphasized that weight doesn’t really matter to her. She told Rolling Stone, in 2014, “I could eat healthier, I could drink less. I should be learning another language and working out more, but I’m just always saying, ‘Ah, I could get hit by a bus tomorrow.” I get the sense that she does not want to be another celebrity who loses weight and all of a sudden the only thing that matters is weight loss.
Melissa is wearing her Seven7 clothing line during this press junket. I really liked a few pieces from her Holiday Line, but I think she does bottoms better than tops. The line is doing well, however, and Melissa continues to put emphasis on it being an all-inclusive line, joining the voices wishing to dismiss “plus-size” as a descriptor.
Photo Credit: Fame/Flynet Photos and Getty Images
She is very pretty, softer than her cousin Jenny. Good for her! She’s a joy, a talent!
She looks great and I like that she isn’t shilling for Weight Watchers or some meal plan or fitness center.
She’s pretty, looks Irish. When one loses that much weight, the excess skin may create a problem…..at least for us common folk. Lipo should do it for her. I wish they’d cast her in a movie worthy of her comedic skills. So far Bridesmaids is the only one imo she shined in, well walked away with.
YES! I am so tired of celebrity weight loss endorsements. Every time I see a commercial, I wonder if their personal chefs and personal trainers are annoyed that they’re not getting the credit.
I like that Melissa said there’s no trick to it.
@nancy, have you seen Spy? I thought MM was great in it!
I love her. She’s smart and classy and likeable.
Her taste runs to volume and shine and bland prints and colors, though, and those only make her look bigger. And more dated.
She looked many lbs. lighter wearing sleek black pants and a cute black jacket. It was more edgy and tailored and very cute.
She could wear a tight black dress with a loose jacket in her bland colors over it and look much thinner.
Thinking along the same lines as you. I love that Melissa has lost weight the slow & steady way instead of some fad diet but I do wish she wouldn’t hide it behind these baggy clothes that she continues to wear. Show off your new figure Melissa!
She looks good. What I like about Melissa is that she is not pushing her weight loss in our face, unlike Oprah. I bet she has not given up bread.
No joke – I sprung for add free Hulu after seeing Oprah’s bread commercial one too many times.
The Buick commercials though. Hell, ALL the commercials on Hulu are killing me. As soon as 11.22 is done I’m cancelling it because I can’t take it anymore.
Netflix 4-Eva.
OMG – I did too! It was the bread commercial and my kids were there wondering, why is it a big deal to eat bread? Also Oprah is annoying so the ads HAD to go.
Oprah is getting paid to talk about her weight loss. If Melissa was getting paid she’d be as obnoxious as Oprah.
Oprah is paying herself to talk about it, since she invested heavily in Weight Watchers before touting the weight loss.
She looks pretty in the navy dress. I like her, but her new movie looks really bad.
I really like her. She’s gorgeous, and I like her in interviews, but I have avoided her recent movies. Probably won’t be seeing “The Boss” either.
I thought Spy was a good movie. Like LOL funny. What did you think of that?
I love her face so pretty and those dimples. She is like me, in my pj’s as soon as I hit the door, sad I know but don’t care.
Why is it sad? If I’m going to be home and not go out again, why not be comfortable? It’s not like people will be calling on me or anything, and even if they do, well, they’ll figure out that this is how I roll. Nobody’s there to see me eat dinner in sweatpants except my husband, who is likely also wearing sweatpants.
I agree. I hate wearing my “outside clothes” in the house. As soon as I get home, I usually take a shower and put on my house clothes. It’s your home. You should be comfortable.
When I worked in Italy (many many years ago) all my Italian colleagues (in a pretty low paying job) would wear expensive labels – Prada, Armani etc. Their two tricks were that they would change the moment they got home into “regular” clothes, and they would wear the same things day after day- not like mix and match, but literally the same thing multiple days in a row. an interesting contrast to here where most people have many many outfits of cheaper clothing.
she looks great but I hope she is not shedding the weight because of body shaming or because she feels the urge to prove something to the tossers out there.
She is genuinely funny and very talented.
I get the feeling it was starting to affect her health and she lost what was necessary for that reason. I’ve had larger friends lose weight for health reasons and they approach it with the same philosophy. They don’t end up skinny because that’s not their aesthetic goal, but they lose enough to get back on track.
I think she’s been gradually slimming down after having her kids, and it was noticeable when she did Spy (loved that movie). She looks really fantastic here.
She looks great.
I wouldn’t have thought she was 45.
Same. I was shocked when I read that. She looks 10 years younger (in a completely natural way)
I love her and how she handled the question. But honestly, commenters, if I hear the term “body shaming” again I’m going to lose it. Sometimes people are unhealthily over or under weight. It’s ok to have a public discussion about it without being shamed for “shaming”. There is an obesity epidemic in the States.
Thank youuuuu!!!
I so agree.
I have always thought she was absolutely beautiful and, more importantly, intelligent and talented. But a year or so ago her weight was to the point where it was concerning. She could have a stroke or develop diabetes, etc. Why is it so wrong to be concerned? And is it wrong to be relieved and happy for her weight loss from a health perspective? Because I am!
No it’s not ok to discuss an individual’s weight under the guise of concern trolling. She is obviously making better choices, exercising etc. Nothing else need to be said
@Breakfast – well said. In my opinion, people have no right to discuss other people’s weight unless they are related or know them.
People don’t know what people who are under and overweight are dealing with – they may have health issues which they don’t want to talk about. And frankly – it’s none of our business anyway.
Concern trolling is a real thing and shouldn’t be allowed either.
Agree. Concern trolling is just dumb. Guess what, Tw? People know when they’re fat! And no one really knows how to fix a broken metabolism. (So help me, if I hear one more person say, “calories in, calories out!” I am going to scream. That’s not the answer. If it were, more than 2% of weight loss attempts would work.)
+1 I don’t get why people care about someone else they don’t even know, I think that’s so weird. Although I do agree with the body shaming tired of hearing about it especially in regards to someone as low as a Kardashian.
Seriously though there’s no need to be concerned for someone else, I think some people forget that if the issues was as bad as they make it up in their head, something would already be done about it. What happened to if you don’t having nice to say don’t say it, and worry about yourself, and my personal favorite you’re not my doctor so why am I your concern.
P.s Melissa face is amazing in that second pic. She’s really pretty there
If you care about someone (and you can care about celebrities as well even if you do not know them) expressing some concern if they really look unhealthy is not concern trolling. We comment on every aspect of their lives anyway. You should just be polite and brief and not comment on the weight you otherwise do not care about the celebrity at all and just like commenting on other people’s weights.
@ CHINOISERIE but do people really need to care that much. That’s just weird, she’s “overweight” not smoking crack (if that’s what people do with crack, I really wouldn’t/don’t know about drugs so) or drinking ridiculously, there’s a difference I don’t think people realize in health it’s far worse to drink and smoke (which I think is okay to comment on) then just be overweight plus you can do stuff about being overweight but you can’t take back drinking and smoking because the damage has already been done.
Yes! Here are my people.
Agree with you all that it’s nobody’s business.
I’m against concern-trolling, but I don’t think everything IS concern-trolling. Like if I were to approach an obese person on the street and say, “Oh honey, I just don’t want you to get diabetes,”…that’s just messed up and insincere and screw people that do that. But when I tell my sister that I want her to lose weight or my boyfriend to quit smoking, it’s because I’m genuinely worried about their health.
Celebrity culture and gossip is weird. We all “care” about celebrities to some degree. On this blog, we get all up in their business. That’s the point of gossip. We make comments about them that we wouldn’t make about strangers in our real lives. We commented that we were concerned for Amanda Bynes’ mental health, on Katherine Heigl’s downfall, Charlie Sheen’s AIDS diagnosis and divorce after divorce. So I don’t think saying, “I’m concerned about Gabby Sidibe’s health” or whatever is out of line on Celebitchy, UNLESS it’s someone who actually doesn’t even like a celeb and the only interest they have in the person is that person’s weight. Shut up, you don’t care – you just wanted an excuse to discuss their weight and not look like an assh0le.
Anyway, I think it’s a sensitive topic that commenters might take personally but in this instance it’s not “concern-trolling.” It’s regular old commentary.
And, since it was mentioned, “calories in, calories out” is way too simplified to handle such a complex issue as obesity, but it DOES work. It’s just finding a sustainable way to do that for each individual that causes the failure.
I’m not staking a side but surely if you can remark that she is now “obviously making better choices” as Breakfast Margaritas just did, then you are also saying that she was not previously making good choices. Is the rule then that you cant note whether a person is making good or bad choices until they have kicked the “bad choices”?
@LUXE but AIDS and such is bad no? as far as mental health I never commented on that because I didn’t know about celebitchy back then but I don’t think I would comment, you don’t really have control over mental health/illness but you do have control or AIDS (abstinence and safe sex which seems like Charlie wasn’t doing). Plus with weight I think it’s best to reserve judgement because we are all built differently and just like illnesses for the mind there are illnesses for weight.
I also think it is a touchy topic because people are always commenting on someone else when that person shouldn’t really be their concern. Maybe if people stopped judging as much, especially by pics and other stuff rather than facts the persons doctor would have maybe there wouldn’t be body shaming and policing.
A lot of people with weight issues are really battling psychological issues, such as stress or anxiety. My weight can fluctuate quite a bit based on how stressed I am feeling. When like this hunger has very little to do with the need to consume food. Telling someone who is stress eating “calories in, calories out” is like offering a bandaid for a broken leg. The gesture might be kindly meant, but it really won’t help.
I like Melissa and hope she is happy regardless of her weight.
Exactly. Why do people feel the need to express concern over the health of an overweight person but very rarely do they express the same concern over someone who smokes or drinks heavily or has a drug problem?
Every damn time it’s a chorus of “oh, she’s sooooo unhealthy!” but when another celebrity with less visible shortcomings is discussed there’s only a handful of people who express any kind of concern. Even then it’s more of a shrug and an “they’re going to kill themselves doing this, oh well”. But if it’s a fat lady oh no, how dare she appear in public wearing that body and not acting completely ashamed of it. Even when an overweight woman is depicted actively engaging in healthy habits (see the running thread) it’s still not good enough. “Running when she’s that fat will kill her knees,” or “Maybe she’s not doing it right because she’s still fat”. Drives me crazy.
Other people’s health is none of your business. Melissa isn’t out there saying she’s super healthy and everyone should look just like her. Give her a break.
Exactly, TW. Not every comment about someone’s weight is “body-shaming”, and not every mention of health problems related to unhealthy weight (too much or too little) or unhealthy habits is “concern trolling”. Automatically accusing people of “body-shaming” and “concern trolling” is just a way to shut down discussion.
Being a troll is a lot being a hipster. In order to be one you must deny that you are one.
I like her response. She does resemble Jenny. But Melissa seems to have the better personality by far.
I think she’s far more attractive than Jenny.
Agree.
Yes, they definitely do look like they are related. They have similar features. BTW – I love Melissa’s blue Golden Globes award dress.
She looks great. I think she is so much more attractive than clueless cousin. Not to mention talented. Also, she and her husband really seem cool together.
Good for her! The green dress looks like she’s wrapped in cabbage leaves, but it looks nice on her.
For what it’s worth, I think her fans know she’s about more than her weight or loss thereof. To me, she just looks like she got back to her pre baby weight. She was ‘average’ sized (labels, yay) at the beginning of Gilmore Girls, and I think she was pregnant for some of the last season.
Wasn’t she pregnant twice on the show? I remember the first several seasons she was just normal sized. She’s pretty much back to how Sookie looked in the beginning.
We just watched Spy this weekend. It was hilarious!! I laughed so hard. My husband was shocked by how much he liked it too. 🙂
She looks amazing.
Spy was an unexpected delight – I laughed hard several times.
I did too! Sooooo much better than Bridesmaids, which I didn’t like at all.
I watched it last night. She is amazing.
I hardly ever laugh out loud at movies, but Spy had me cracking up. Melissa has a great gift for comedic timing.
I don’t believe her and think she had to have had surgery. You don’t lose weight by “being boring”. If she lost weight by not doing anything that would mean she’s out on her feet a lot either working or having so much fun doing activities that she doesn’t think about her weight.n, combined with eating correctly. Getting into your jammie’s at 5pm is how you become 300 pounds so I’m not buying this. She had to have had a major lifestyle revamp including learning from a dietician for it to come off this quickly. Old habits don’t die hard so there is more to this story. Like, does she have Dr Nowzaradan on speed dial?
I think she is just joking. Obviously she did a lot more than go to bed earlier to lose weight, although, there is probably some truth in that statement. What she probably meant was that she stopped eating after a certain time, perhaps by 7:30pm, and gets ready for bed early to avoid snacking late at night. The key to weight loss is cutting calories and staying active. For someone like Melissa who was at one point morbidly obese, I believe that if she just cut her calories in half, she would be able to lose weight very quickly.
Yeah, that’s how I interpreted the 7:30 pm. To keep weight down, you shouldn’t eat past a certain time. So the best way to cope with that is probably to go to bed early.
Yeah, her statement was so vague I really didn’t get it but I doubt she phoned it in. And even if she did, it doesn’t matter it’s her body and she is always going to be the one to live with not you. But what I don’t get is what she did though I am kinda interested to know what her workout was since she’s 45 years old and it’s very hard to lose weight at that age.
I respectfully disagree. For starters, while her weight loss is impressive and I am by no means BODY SHAMING (here we go again!?), she isn’t ridiculously skinny aka protruding bones. She looks healthier, but by no means emaciated. And I can speak of the “Jammies by 5pm” thing, I think what she means is that she stopped with the 9pm dinners which *is* what can put weight on you. I went through something similar myself, I actually carry about 20 pounds less than I did pre-children because i started eating dinner earlier and a little less “exciting” lifestyle…fancy restaurants, drinks, appetizers, etc. I think she’s being honest. I would use that term to describe my life and weight loss now too. Lol.
Maybe she’s just being purposely vague because she doesn’t want her weight loss to be the only conversation. She seemed to like herself before and she likes herself now. Whatever her motivations for losing weight they are her own. Weight loss is a personal thing and she doesn’t owe anyone a detailed diet and exercise plan. This could be her polite way of saying my weight doesn’t define me so move on. Just a thought. Obviously none of us know.
I agree, I just didn’t get what she meant by going to bed early until someone a little while ago explained it to me. I know weight is personal but wasn’t she the one who brought up how she lost weight, she does have to go into detail but since she did talk about, I wish explained she it a little better because I had trouble understanding.
My guy is in crazy shape and when people ask him how he got his abs/biceps/whatever, he always says it’s “just the old boring routine.” He means it’s just watching his diet, not drinking a lot of alcohol, getting plenty of sleep, and of course, working out at least an hour every day. When they ask for specifics about his work, he just says it’s “boring stuff,” because all he does is run, and lift weights. No fancy plans, no crazy regimens, no trendy games or sport-fitness or any of it. Just classic cardio and weight training, with a little yoga to keep his 40 yo bones from cracking. I took Melissa’s comments in this vein. She says “boring” because she means she did a standard “eat less, excercise more” plan, and not some fad diet or trendy workout program.
This is exactly how I took it. When I lost a bunch of weight, it was the most boring thing in the world… I watched what I ate and I exercised more. That’s really all it is. It also takes a lot of focus if you aren’t used to doing it, which can make you a pretty “boring” person.
That’s what finally worked for me. After years and years of doing every fad/trend diet and workout program, when I started dating my fiancee I started going to the gym with him, and doing the same kind of basic routines. Obviously, using much less weights because I am built like a guppy (tiny and soft), but doing plain ole cardio and occasional strength training did the trick. In the beginning, I did feel like it made me “boring” because it felt like my whole day revolved around going to the gym and preparing healthy meals, but two years later it’s just routine now. But there’s been no fancy trick to my weight loss, either. Just cardio and balanced meals.
You certainly can lose weight by being boring. I wasn’t even trying to lose weight, just dealing with digestive issues by eating smaller but more frequent meals, getting more variety (better for my allergies). I finally noticed that my clothes were a lot looser…. Took a while since I wear loose clothes (can’t stand pressure against my skin). I had been tracking my food to make sure I got enough calories (started after a bout with stomach flu and couldn’t eat much at once) plus enough protein/fiber but hadn’t bothered to unearth the scale and just made a wild (grossly underestimated) guess of my weight for the tracker food budget. I figure I probably had lost 25 pounds this boring casual way by the time I found the scale. Over the next three years, I lost another 50 pounds the same boring way – not really planning meals but recording everything (which does put a damper on how many Oreos a person ingests). I also tracked exercise to help me move more, mainly just walk in place while watching TV or reading/posting online, but I really was just eating enough less than needed for my couch potato lifestyle to lose weight steadily (not a gym rat). So boring can work.
Getting more sleep helps quite a bit also, since sleep deprivation can mess up the natural balance between appetite and calorie needs. So that probably helped Melissa. She might be young enough to not feel the need for surgery to deal with loose skin after weight loss – if you’re not too drastic about it, the skin will gradually adjust its size to the less fat underneath it, and the younger you are the more elastic it usually is. Certain kinds of exercise can help the process along, I think. Skin renews itself completely in about seven years.
She probably doesn’t want to talk about it because it IS boring and nobody wants to hear it. Maybe getting to bed early is helpful to her because otherwise she stays up late eating mindlessly. Changing your habits and lifestyle is exactly how you lose large amounts of weight but people really, really hate hearing that.
I lost 70 lbs by changing my food choices, cutting out soda and other empty calories, drinking more water, cooking more and eating out less, cutting way down on processed food, and making sure I was getting out and walking more. Not only that but making these changes permanently. Sound interesting? No. Was it a quick fix magic bullet solution? Absolutely not, but that’s all anyone wanted to hear. I started answering questions about my “secret” by saying I quit eating crap. True but vague because dissecting your lifestyle choices for the pleasure of others isn’t productive or enjoyable.
I interpreted the “boring” comment as doing the necessary boring things to cut calories. She probably didn’t want to frame it as a magical journey to take like Oprah does.
I agree. I took it as eating out less, not eating too late, drinking less, getting more sleep. I think she kept it vague on purpose because she doesn’t want to get into it, which is her right. I loved her response.
You’re an idiot. That is all.
@ Rachel I hope that wasn’t in regards to me.
By the way meant to say she doesn’t not does autocorrect sucks.
I believed what she said too but I was curious because I know it’s hard to lose weight at that age and I didn’t really think of sleeping earlier as away to lose weight. Like I said above I don’t think she phoned it in.
Losing weight is 80% diet, so “boring life” is definitely a reasonable answer. People who gain weight to a morbidly obese (medical label – not shaming, just don’t know what else to call it) level do so by overeating in response to psychological stimuli. It could be depression or some other form of anxiety/trauma processing/gosh…list off stuff people with medical degrees in psychiatry would cite.
Gaining muscle mass, which improves overall metabolism in the long run, thereby increasing the number of calories burned at rest, is helpful and good for overall health. Nobody would argue otherwise, but the constant mantra about working out constantly as the cure is completely wrong.
Someone who has 50+ pounds to lose could very viably do it without working out at all. Eating less and eating better, which is boring (I can testify), is how it’s done. Sure, you walk more, ride a bike, go swimming, play with the kids/dogs/whatever…but in the end, massive weight loss takes place in the kitchen, for the most part.
And that’s boring.
You stop going out to eat. You stop going out to get drinks with friends. You stop going to movies at the theatre with the butter popcorn and Junior Mints and sugar sodas. You stay home. You regulate your sleep (insomnia is a huge contributor to weight gain and metabolic freak outs – which is not a medical term /wink). You stay home, slow down, and do boring stuff until you get your habits on track.
So…I believe every word she said.
I’ve always really liked this actress and always found her beautiful (those dimples!), and it just sucks that her weight is so often a focus of interviews. Like, of course they’re going to badger her about her weight loss. They always ask for “secrets” or whatever and the big secret is that it’s whatever lifestyle change works for each person.
Dimples are my kryptonite.
I’d like to see McCarthy do more Sookie-type roles where she can take advantage of all that natural charm and on-screen charisma she has.
If she enjoys doing the slapstick stuff then that’s great, but she has a natural talent for subtle comedic acting and I wish she would embrace that side to her more often.
She looks so good and I have to say the weight loss has really complimented her face. She has always been beautiful, but now she is striking!
i don’t understand why people act as if others losing weight owe them an explanation as to how/why they lost weight. it’s a personal question, and if she doesn’t want to share, that’s her right.
I completely agree but I think the confusion occurs when some celebs use their weight loss as a way to get press.
People do the same to others who have happy lives, excellent health in old age, or lifelong marriages. They want these things too and more importantly they want to hear that there’s an easy, simple way to obtain them. Of course there isn’t, so they’re forever searching for the magic answer. “I didn’t like that person’s explanation because it sounded hard, and I don’t want it to be hard, but maybe THIS person will have The Secret!”
She looks fantastic. I loved her in Soy and i will miss Sookie 🙁 can’t wait for gilmore girls!
I’m still holding out hope that she’ll make a surprise appearance! I just finished rewatching the series last night. Edward Herrmann… tears.
I think she’s hysterical, and she is looking amazing. I’ll probably go see The Boss bec I certainly enjoyed Spy. C’mon folks- here’s a movie that is female-centric( maybe a bit cliched and formulaic from the trailer), but you want more movies with female leads, support such movies! Rant over(tho prefer to couch it in terms of “strongly encouraged”!)
OMG her eyes are beautiful in that blue dress they just sparkle! The dress is perfect.
To me, her explanation is so valid. Eat the right stuff, drink less, move more and go to bed so you don’t stay up with the third glass of wine and cheeze-its. I lost 25 pounds that way and I wasn’t obese just a little “fluffy.” It’s not rocket science but it takes a hell of a lot longer once you’ve hit 40, that’s for sure!
Amen! Good grief, I’m 41, and after several years of back trouble, I really had a come to Jesus about my eating habits. Mercy, it’s rough after 40. But it’s doable. Just takes dedication to being “boring life” about food until the habits are back on track.
I can’t wait for the Gilmore Girls revival. Although, I don’t think Melissa has confirmed her involvement yet.
I think she confirmed that she’s not on-board with the GG reboot.
I love her hair colour. Very rich and warm.
I love Melissa. Identify Thief should have been so bad, but Melissa and Jason Bateman, come on. What’s not to love? I loved them together, and they elevated the movie.
I love her!
Anyone else think the headshot on today’s Celebitchy resembles Kate Middleton’s?
I agree she does look super beautiful in that blue gown, best ever!
Good for her. I’ve always viewed her attractive because she’s charismatic and sharp.
i was under the impression she had gastric sleeve surgery
She looks lovely in the green in pic 1. it so suits her colouring.
I watch anything she’s in, just love her. She looks beautiful in that navy dress and I’m glad she doesn’t go on and on about her weight loss.
I heard she lost the weight after she literally bumped into Rebel Wilson at the Oscars and Rebel said “This town ain’t big enough for the both of us”.