Beck Bennett is frequently cited as one of the most well-regarded and universally liked cast members in SNL history, but that doesn’t mean it was always smooth sailing behind the scenes for the comedian. Apparently during his first few seasons working at Studio 8H, multiple people told him on multiple occasions that he needed to lose weight. That messaging, especially the ones delivered in “shitty ways,” sat heavy with him during his second season in particular, but he eventually took the advice and decided to cut.
Bennett hasn’t talked a ton about his weight loss journey, probably because he wasn’t ever someone people would consider overweight, but he was asked about it during a recent appearance on The Good One podcast. He told host Jesse David Fox that during his second season, multiple higher ups at the show advised him to lose weight. He said one person in particular was not nice about it, and it really contributed to his second year at SNL feeling a lot “harder.” Here’s a portion of his quote…
I was told by many different people in different ways, some shitty ways, some like oh okay maybe… I’m keeping it vague on purpose. There was definitely somebody, who I don’t think people would know, that handled in ways that were upsetting and frustrating and hard, which probably made my second year even harder. Then there was somebody who put it to me in a way that kinda made it click.
Bennett didn’t want to speak at length about the person who told him in a nicer way that clicked. He said telling people to lose weight is controversial, but that the second person’s method of delivery made a lot more sense. He said the person told him he was impersonating all these people on the show who were smaller than him, and it would make him feel more confident and comfortable in those roles if he was the same size as the people he was playing.
Bennett said that resonated with him, and when he was offered a short film about losing weight between his second and third seasons, he decided that was the perfect excuse to make a life change. He ended up losing thirty pounds over the summer before he came back for his third season, and obviously, his prominence on the show increased as he slowly but surely developed into one of the most used cast members on SNL.
Bennett left SNL in 2021 to focus on his family and expand his career. Almost immediately, stories started coming out about how much he was missed and how many other cast members really like collaborating with him. Just last year, Sarah Sherman called him “everyone’s favorite” and said she was blown away by how positive his reputation was amongst the cast, crew and even random people working in the 30 Rock building. She arrived the season after he left and didn’t fully get it until she was able to meet him and immediately understood what everyone else was raving about.
Not surprisingly, Bennett hasn’t had much trouble finding work since leaving SNL. He recently provided the comedic relief in Superman as Clark Kent’s coworker Steve Lombard, and he’ll next be seen in a key supporting role in the upcoming Daisy Ridley and Alden Ehrenreich rom-com The Last Resort.
