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The White Lotus star Jennifer Coolidge has cleared the air about a rumor she inadvertently started about herself. She once disclosed that her role as Stifler’s mom in American Pie impressively invigorated her love life, leading to 200 new lovers. But the actor later confessed to exaggerating a little when calculating that quantity, though she “would love to say” her original statement was true.

Jennifer Coolidge attends the Los Angeles premiere of "The White Lotus" at Bel-Air Bay Club on July 07, 2021, in Pacific Palisades, California.
Jennifer Coolidge | Emma McIntyre/Getty Images

Jennifer Coolidge joked ‘there would be like 200 people that she would never have slept with’ if not for ‘American Pie’

In an interview with Variety, Coolidge reflected on playing Stifler’s mom, the character that embodied the term MILF in 1999’s raunchy comedy American Pie.

“I got a lot of play at being a MILF, and I got a lot of sexual action from American Pie,” Coolidge offered. “There were so many benefits to doing that movie. I mean, there would be like 200 people that I would never have slept with!”

Jennifer Coolidge said she accidentally started a rumor that she’d slept with 200 people, and it was a ‘terrible mistake’

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Coolidge fan and sometimes-impersonator Ariana Grande brought the quote up to Coolidge while interviewing her for Entertainment Weekly, asking about “the tremendous impact that playing Stifler’s mom” had on her life.

“… I’m glad you asked this because, you see, I did say that jokingly and, God, you really can’t make jokes in our town,” Coolidge told her. “I did make the terrible mistake of saying, ‘Thank God for that movie, I got to sleep with 200 men,’ or whatever.”

“And look, I would love to say that was true, but I mean, that was sort of an exaggeration …,” she said.

However, “it did sort of open up the world to a much broader group of handsome men, and younger men,” for Coolidge. She recalled, “This one guy was particularly young — legal, of course, it was all very legal …”

The story ended with the young man calling his mom to suggest somewhere Coolidge could get her hair done the following day. She said, “It was so weird that happened on the phone. It was very clear that we were in the bed together.”

“Well, she gave me a good recommendation at a local mall, so it all worked out,” she concluded.

Jennifer Coolidge is ‘living that dream’ in 2022

After winning an Emmy for her portrayal of Tanya McQuoid in the first season of The White Lotus, Coolidge returned as the beloved character for season two. She told Grande she “really realized I’m living that dream” in 2022, adding, “I’m incredibly grateful for what has happened to me in the last year or two.”

“I waited my whole life to not give a f***,” she shared. “It’s the only time we have power.”

Coolidge also said, “I’m still insecure about all the basic stuff. I’m still insecure about appearance and all of that. But if someone calls me a D-bag or something … I really don’t think anyone can really penetrate me anymore. I don’t really care what people think of me.”

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