Kirstie Alley Called Tabloid Weight Reports ‘Disconcerting’ and ‘Malicious’
As a celebrity, the late Kirstie Alley was used to being in the news. Usually it was for a TV show or movie she was in. Unfortunately, by the 2000s, the media started covering Alley’s weight. The tabloids in particular exaggerated her appearance.
Alley appeared on a Television Critics Association panel for her Showtime comedy Fat Actress in 2005. On the panel, Alley addressed her real-life weight loss goals and how she really felt about those tabloid reports.
Kirstie Alley couldn’t avoid tabloid covers about her weight
Alley said she rarely did her own grocery shopping and the supermarket is where one usually sees those tabloids. Still, she noticed.
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“It was disconcerting,” Alley said. “I don’t go to the grocery store very much, but it was disconcerting. I can’t deny that. And then when we announced this show, it was so liberating. It was like, bring it on. Bring it on.”
Kirstie Alley considered tabloid reports about her weight ‘malicious’
Alley maintained a sense of humor about herself. She called her show Fat Actress after all. However, she said there was a clear difference between her recognizing she should take steps for better health and tabloids reporting on her appearance. She would become a Jenny Craig spokeswoman while she was on the program.
“I consider me getting fat sort of like an error,” Alley said. “Like an error in judgment, do you know? Because we can all enjoy food and have a lot of food and not look like this. So I considered it an error, but I think when you see it publicly right in front of your face all the time, and maliciously, come on. The intent is malicious. It’s not like, ‘Hey, here’s fat Kirstie Alley. We think this will be very helpful for her and her career and her family and we think it’s great for her.’”
‘Fat Actress’ took the power back
Alley said she didn’t need tabloids to tell her that people thought she was fat. She could tell in real life.
“It’s very real that if I would walk in a room, of course people would be very social. Give me a hug, ‘Great to see you,’ blah, blah, blah,” Alley said. “But we know they’re going, ‘She’s f***ing fat. What the hell is this? Why in the hell is she so fat?’ And you get calls. I’ve had agents call me and go, ‘Yeah, you’re too fat.’ Or, ‘They just saw you on the cover of The Star, and they think you weigh 500 pounds.’ So there’s reality in it.”
Alley decided to use her gift for comedy to confront the media perception of her weight. It was either that or profit off the photos herself.
“We could all be out there selling photos of ourselves looking like s***, which is a very good idea,” Alley joked. “Because you know it’s malicious, you think, ‘Well, I either hit this head-on or I become the effect of this.’ And I just went, ‘I don’t want to be the effect of this anymore. I can play this game better than they can.’”
