Many people have dealt with issues surrounding their weight, and it’s almost never easy to figure out what’s best for you, particularly in a culture that tends to value thinness above any other body type. Even though it’s true that such struggles impact all kinds of people, celebrities might have a more difficult road, as their bodies and the choices they make about them are criticized, praised, and dissected way more than the average person. After losing 150 pounds, Bob Hearts Abishola star Billy Gardell recently opened up about the change, and how he still gets body shamed by fans.
What Did Bob Hearts Abishola’s Billy Gardell Say About His Weight Loss And Still Getting Body Shamed?
It’s probably rare that a day goes by when a celebrity doesn’t post on social media about their workout, how much muscle they’ve packed on, the diet/eating plan that’s changed their life, or, of course, how much weight they’ve lost. But, few of them have had the kind of radical weight loss that Gardell has had, which is something he began working on in earnest around the start of the pandemic. He recently spoke to Entertainment Tonight about it, and explained what made him take another look at his weight, saying:
When you hit 50, you start doing that dad math, like, 'If I can live 25 more years, and he'll be 40,' ... You know what I mean? So I want to be here for him. I've been an example in a lot of good ways for my child, but I feel like I wasn't a good example of health for him. And so I want him to see that. It doesn't matter what age you are, if you are willing to do something a day at a time, you can change anything.
While he was already in the process of becoming “a good example of health” for his son, he decided to have bariatric weight loss surgery in 2022, to help lessen his risk of catching Covid or having it affect him more seriously if he did end up getting it. The actor (who’s on his second hit CBS sitcom after Mike & Molly) told the outlet that he now floats between about 205 and 210 pounds, after being over 370 lbs. almost a decade ago.
Gardell, who got his start as a stand-up comedian, is happy about the changes he’s made, and feels better for them. He noted that his resting heart rate is now in a healthy range, and he no longer has Type 2 diabetes. However, even with his weight loss happening as he was filming his TV show (which is from prolific comedy producer Chuck Lorre), it seems that many of his fans haven’t been very welcoming of the change:
Walking around pretty healthy these days. Of course, there's always people online that, you know, when I was heavy, they were like 'You're too heavy!' And now it's like, 'Are you sick?' Can I just walk the earth, please?!
Well, this is the trick, right? Regardless of how good you feel about your health or body, there will always be total strangers who know nothing about your day to day life who decide it’s not right in some way. While stars like Kelly Clarkson have spoken about being body shamed for not being thin (and stuck up for others who’ve also been body shamed), it’s also possible for that sort of vitriol to be levied at folks who are seen as being “too thin” (as happened with The Flash star Grant Gustin).
Basically, you can’t win, which is why it’s great that Gardell feels good about what he’s been able to achieve when it comes to getting healthier, because that’s all that really matters.
