Craziest celeb body shaming stories

By Bryanne Salazar 8:26am PST, Nov 7, 2017

Being in the public eye for some stars means having to face comments people make about their physical appearance. Whether it's internet trolls or colleagues in the industry, there's no end to the catty and mean things people will say about the way a celebrity looks. Wonderwall.com found body-shaming stories from major Hollywood stars that will make your jaw drop… starting with Academy Award-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence. J.Law shared that when she was just starting out in the biz, a female producer told her to disrobe and line up with other (also naked) women to have her body evaluated. The producer then told Jennifer to use naked photos of herself to help motivate herself to diet. She also claims she was told to lose 15 pounds in two weeks for a film role. When she later talked about her experience with another producer (this time a man), he said he couldn't understand why people thought she was fat, telling her she was "perfectly f—able" (which is equally creepy). Keep reading for more…

Emmy-nominated actress Chrissy Metz, who stars on the hit series "This Is Us," has experienced body shaming throughout her life, but one writer took it to the next level with cruel comments about the actress's weight after she was called a sex symbol by Harper's Bazaar magazine in March 2017. Linda Stasi, a writer for the New York Daily News, wrote, "A morbidly obese woman is no more of a pinup than are horrifyingly underweight models," and "Bazaar is clearly trying to exploit the 'I love being overweight' trend…" She went on to insinuate that overweight could never be considered sexy. Chrissy, who previously starred on "American Horror Story," kept it classy by not even bothering to respond. Later at the MTV Movie & TV Awards in May, Chrissy was once again shamed, this time by internet trolls who took issue with her form-fitting red latex dress. This time, Chrissy wasn't letting it slide. She fired back on Twitter with the following response: "For the record, I wear what I want, when I want. News flash it's MY body. #thankstho." We love her uncompromising confidence.

Grammy-winning pop star Rihanna (who always looks amazing) was unbelievably fat shamed in May 2017 by a male writer whose biggest concern was her ability to start a fat trend. That's right, a man published an entire article about Rihanna's weight and then suggested that because she's famous, other hot women will also "get fat." Thankfully, the disgusting piece, which was published on Barstool, was later deleted. Rihanna took to Instagram to respond, posting a hilarious meme showing two pictures of rapper Gucci Mane at different weights with a caption that read: "If you can't handle me at my 2007 Gucci Mane, you don't deserve me at my 2017 Gucci Mane" — proving that RiRi really is one bad gal.

Can you even imagine "Stranger Things" without Winona Ryder? We can't either. That's why we were so shocked to read that back when Winona was first starting her career, a casting director interrupted her while she was auditioning to say, "Listen, kid. You should not be an actress. You are not pretty enough. You should go back to wherever you came from and you should go to school. You don't have it." Thankfully, Winona had a strong sense of self (she credits her parents with that) and didn't let the comments deter her from following her dreams.

After Lady Gaga's amazing Super Bowl LI halftime performance on Feb. 5, 2017, fans were talking about her talent while trolls were tweeting about her "flabby stomach." Some even went so far as to say the celebrity should "do some crunches." Instead of sinking to their level (which was the floor), Gaga responded with encouragement for any fan who might be struggling with body image, saying: "I'm proud of my body and you should be proud of yours too. No matter who you are or what you do."

The beautiful Sarah Jessica Parker, whom many consider a style icon (thanks to her six years as Carrie Bradshaw on "Sex and the City"), was once unfairly targeted by Maxim magazine in 2007 when they branded her "the unsexiest woman alive," which SJP admitted hurt her "so much." The cruel lineup actually ranked celebrity women based on the magazine author's limited understanding of sexiness. Sarah said it impacted her husband, Matthew Broderick, claiming: "It upset him because it has to do with his judgement too. It's condemnation, it's insane." Thankfully, Sarah was able to move past the meanness and continued to land roles in hit films and shows, including her most recent HBO series, "Divorce," proving that no man's opinion of her attractiveness could ever determine her success or self-worth.

Gabourey Sidibe, who got her start in Hollywood with the 2009 drama "Precious," broke our hearts when she shared how a fellow actress once discouraged her from pursuing her acting dreams. According to Gabourey, while at a party before the release of her first film, she met her idol, Joan Cusack, who asked her, "Are you an actress?" When Gabby replied that she was, Joan said: "Oh, honey, you should really quit the business. It's so image-conscious." The jerk reply was "meant in a good way," Gabourey said, but we think it was just Joan regurgitating her own internalized misogynistic issues. Thankfully for us, Gabourey didn't let Joan or anyone else stop her from becoming the radiant star she is today.

Body shaming isn't just about being told you're overweight, as stars like Keira Knightly can confirm. In a 2014 interview with ELLE U.K., the Oscar-nominated British actress said that frequent comments about her thinness (with some going so far as to say she looked "anorexic") were so upsetting that if she ever had children who wanted to act, she would discourage them from it. Keira, who became a mom in 2015 to daughter Edie, said the comments devastated her and at one point she even saw a doctor to find out how to put on weight. In the end, she decided eating junk food and not exercising to put on pounds (and shut up critics) wasn't how she wanted to live her life, saying "I'm learning to become more happy with myself as a result of all this."

A music star learned the hard way that messing with Taylor Swift incurs the wrath of her famous friends and millions of fans. In 2014, DJ and producer Diplo tweeted, "Someone should make a kickstarter to get Taylor Swift a booty." He followed that tweet with an actual fundraising effort for his "cause." Fans hit back at Diplo, who at the time was dating Taylor's nemesis, Katy Perry (which further fueled suspicion the two women absolutely hated each other). Singer Lorde's response had everyone cheering: "Should we do something about your tiny penis while we're at it hm," she wrote on social media. A year later, Diplo told GQ Style that starting beef with Taylor was "one of the biggest mistakes" of his career because her fans are "like an army that's worse than North Korea." He apologized to Taylor at the 2015 Grammy Awards and took a pic with the singer to prove they were officially over the drama. Lesson — don't body shame Taylor — learned.

Being a plus-size actress in Hollywood is never easy. No matter how beautiful, funny and talented someone is, mean people find ways to tear them down. Such is the case for Oscar-nominated star Melissa McCarthy, who was called "tractor-sized" by self-aggrandizing film critic Rex Reed in a review he wrote in May 2013 for Melissa's comedy "Identity Thief." Rex didn't stop there either. He went on to say Melissa was "a gimmick comedian who has devoted her short career to being obese and obnoxious with equal success." In a June interview with The New York Times, Melissa was asked about the review and said she felt "really bad" for the author who was "swimming in so much hate" while she was reflecting on how happy her own life, complete with a husband and two children, was. She also expressed concern for younger women who might read the review and believe that their ability to succeed was limited by their weight, which, as she's proven, isn't true.

In 2017, "Will & Grace" star Debra Messing shared a particularly horrifying experience about being body shamed and belittled by director Alfonso Arau in 1995 while filming "A Walk in the Clouds." The actress alleged that Alfonso examined her naked body after telling her that her job was to "get naked and say the lines" and that she "should be grateful to have this part." The stunned actress revealed that the final cut of the movie only showed her bare back, meaning her forced nudity was nothing more than a "power play" by the director. Alfonso reportedly also humiliated Debra while filming a close-up shot, saying, "How quickly can we get a plastic surgeon in here? Her nose is ruining my movie!" Debra says the early experience made her feel like "garbage" but it later helped her love herself and realize her own originality. Alfonso's rep claims the allegations are "false."

"Modern Family" star Ariel Winter is no stranger to being body shamed — and she's also bold enough to clap back at the haters. In November 2015, Ariel shared an Instagram picture of herself in a bikini with her two nieces and was met with a barrage of hateful comments, including suggestions she was "asking for it." In response, Ariel shared another pic, this time of a hiked-up skirt revealing a woman's leg with measurements that began mid-shin with the word "prudish" and went as high as the hip with the word "whore." Along with the image Ariel wrote, "I typically never give power to the mean things people bravely say behind their computer screens on the Internet, but this is for the girls who are constantly bullied whether it be online or at school. You are not asking for anything because of what you are wearing…YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL. Celebrate you and don't let anyone's comments allow you to think less of yourself." Ariel's continued to follow her own advice, shutting down suggestions in September 2017 that she was "squeezing" into her favorite booty shorts by saying: "Pretty annoyed about the focus on the fact that I wear shorts, and the commentary that I'm 'squeezing' into them or the idea that it's not okay for me to wear shorts. It's SUMMER. Get over it."

Emmy-nominated writer and actress Mindy Kaling might have her own hit Hulu series, but at one point in her career, she wasn't even deemed talented or pretty enough to play herself on TV. In 2014, Mindy shared during an interview that she was once offered her own sketch comedy series, but the network oddly wanted her to audition for the part. She did and they rejected her, claiming she wasn't "attractive or funny enough" to play herself. Much to her amusement, that network eventually went off the air and Mindy became one of the most successful women of color on TV.

Plus-size model Ashley Graham has long endured body shaming over her curvy figure, but in 2016 when she posted a picture of herself on Instagram, she actually got shamed for losing too much weight, proving women in this industry just can't win. Angered fans took to her page to voice their contempt for her slimmer figure, calling her "phony" and saying they didn't want to follow her any more. Ashley tried to ignore the comments but finally had enough. She replied to her haters by saying, "People come on my page and body shame me because I'm too big, because I'm too small, because I'm not good enough for their standards…But at the end of the day I'm good enough for me." She followed the response by posting a pic of her on the runway in lingerie on Snapchat, with the caption "I will not let others dictate what they think my body should look like for their own comfort."

A swimsuit designer had the gall to come after Amy Schumer for her May 2017 InStyle magazine cover, where she was featured wearing a swimsuit (the irony is too much for us). In April 2017, the magazine posted its May cover featuring Amy lounging in a pool looking lovely in a white swimsuit, but South Shore Swimwear owner and swimsuit designer Dana Duggan wasn't impressed, commenting, "Come on now! You could not find anyone better for this cover? Not everyone should be in a swimsuit." (Huh?) The comment (which was later removed) inspired hundreds of responses in Amy's defense, noting how ridiculous it was that a woman who profits from selling swimwear would shame a woman for wearing a swimsuit. Amy later replied via an Instagram story in which she wore a bikini, captioning it, "I feel great. No haters can f with my baseline."

Being an icon in Hollywood doesn't mean a celebrity gets a free pass from body shamers. When the late Carrie Fisher was asked to reprise the role of Princess Leia in the 2015 sci-fi adventure "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," she was told to lose 35 pounds before filming began. Carrie, who was 56 at the time, spent a year working out regularly to drop a total of 40 pounds. The experience wasn't a new one for the legendary star either. She later told late-night host Stephen Colbert that before the first "Star Wars" movie in 1977, she was also told to drop weight for the role and sent to a "health farm" (aka a "fat farm") to slim down. She said, "They want to hire part of me, not all of me. They want to hire about three fourths, so I have to get rid of the fourth somehow."

Tennis champion and new mom Serena Williams has long been taunted by hurtful accusations that she's "a man" who "uses drugs" for performance enhancement and that she doesn't belong in women's sports. On Sept. 19, 2017, shortly after giving birth to her first child, Serena took the matter to Reddit in an open letter to her mom in which she marveled at her newborn's beautiful figure, writing: "She has my arms and legs! My exact same strong, muscular, powerful, sensational arms and body. I don't know how I would react if she has to go through what I've gone through since I was a 15 year old and even to this day." Serena then praised her mother for not going off "on every single reporter, person, announcer and quite frankly, hater, who was too ignorant to understand the power of a black woman," adding, "I am proud we were able to show them what some women look like. We don't all look the same. We are curvy, strong, muscular, tall, small, just to name a few, and all the same: we are women and proud!"

Just eight months after giving birth in 2014, singer Kelly Clarkson appeared on "The Graham Norton Show" only to be criticized via Twitter by British columnist Katie Hopkins who cruelly wrote "Jesus, what happened to Kelly Clarkson? Did she eat all of her backing singers? Happily I have wide-screen." In March, reporters reached out to Kelly about the body-shaming insults, to which the singer replied, "Who is she? I don't have a clue what you're talking about." Kelly later added (while laughing), "Oh, and she's tweeted something nasty about me? That's because she doesn't know me. I'm awesome! It doesn't bother me. It's a free world. Say what you will," proving that no one can "Breakaway" her amazing confidence.

Author, screenwriter, actress and producer Lena Dunham literally can't get a break when it comes to people judging her body. While starring on her hit HBO series "Girls," on which she frequently appeared nude, Lena was called horrible names (like "bag of milk" and "cow") by internet trolls. In 2015, she famously handed her Twitter account over to someone else to manage because of all the "verbal violence" she experienced from body shamers. Lena never let the hatred get her down though, and has long been a beacon for body positivity and leader of the body acceptance movement. In 2017, she experienced a new wave of attacks when she debuted her slimmer figure after committing herself to exercise and yoga in order to "feel strong" and manage her endometriosis symptoms. Instead of praising her hard work, critics slammed her as "a hypocrite." Calling herself a "body-shaming vigilante," Lena posted on Instagram that she was "proud of what this body has seen and done and represented" and that she doesn't give "even the tiniest of s—s" about anyone else's opinion of her.

For many of us, British actress Kate Beckinsale is an icon of beauty and style, but even she's experienced body shaming. According to Kate — who had just given birth before filming began on 2001's "Pearl Harbor" — director Michael Bay told her she needed to work out for the role. Kate claims she didn't understand why her character, a 1940s nurse, would be hitting the gym. She went on to say that she thinks Michael was "baffled" by her because her breasts weren't larger than her head. The director even made snide remarks about her looks while promoting the film, saying (when asked why he cast her), "Kate wasn't so attractive that she would alienate the female audience." Kate later said she and Michael were able to put the matter behind them and are friendly now.

In August 2017, Chloe Grace Moretz told Variety that when she was only 15 years old, an older male co-star (who was playing her love interest in an unnamed film) fat shamed her on set when he said, "I'd never date you in real life." Understandably shocked by the randomly rude remark, she asked, "What?" — only to have the guy say, "Yeah, you're too big for me," which made the young actress burst into tears and turn to her protective older brother for support. Chloe, being the epitome of grace (that is her middle name) refused to name the guy or the movie in the interview. Fans on Twitter speculated it could either be Aaron Taylor-Johnson from "Kick-Ass 2" or Jamie Blackley from "If I Stay," but Chloe's brother Trevor Moretz was quick to shut the rumors down saying it was neither and that he loved both of them, adding that the person in question "isn't even really acting any more." (Good!)

What kind of world do we live in when Adele (one of the most amazing singers in the universe) can be called "a little too fat" by Karl Lagerfeld (the creative director of both Chanel and Fendi)? In February 2012, Karl unbelievably commented on Adele's weight while speaking to Metrotoday, which he later claimed was "taken out of context" and was actually in relation to singer Lana Del Ray (WHAT?), adding that he loved Adele and couldn't wait for her next album. Adele shut it all the way down when she said, "I've never wanted to look like models on the cover of magazines. I represent the majority of women and I'm very proud of that." Madonna even came to her defense, saying, "I don't like it when anybody says anything bad about anyone — I don't like it. Adele's a great talent and how much she weighs has nothing to do with it." After the controversy one would think Karl would learn how to keep his foot out of his mouth, but in June 2012, he actually had the gall to tell CNN that he believes his comments helped Adele, saying "…after that she lost eight kilos [17.6 pounds], so I think the message was not that bad." Ugh.

Although body shaming disproportionately affects women in Hollywood, men are also sometimes the targets of hateful comments about their bodies. In 2014, Jonah Hill was hounded by an annoying reporter who repeatedly asked if the actor was "still considered the fat guy" at parties. Jonah ignored him at first but the reporter wouldn't let it go, so he finally replied, "Do you have any other questions that are smart?" which totally shut the questioning down. The following year, after Jonah gained weight for his role in the movie "War Dogs," a celebrity gossip site posted pics of the "Wolf of Wall Street" actor calling him the "Whale of Wall Street." Jonah didn't bother to respond but fans did, telling the site its comment was "unnecessary" and "rude."

Meryl Streep has the most award nominations in history and has starred in countless films over her 40-year career in Hollywood. While we imagine success like hers would act as a safeguard against being shamed, Meryl put the myth to rest when she described an audition she went on for the 1976 film "King Kong" directed by Dino De Laurentiis Sr. (who happens to be chef Giada De Laurentiis's maternal grandfather). According to Meryl, Dino's son, Dino Jr., had seen her in a play and excitedly invited her to try out for the lead role of Dwan (that eventually went to actress Jessica Lange). However, the director wasn't thrilled with her and told his son in Italian, "Why did you bring me this ugly thing?" to which Meryl replied in the same language (which she speaks fluently), "I understand what you're saying and I'm sorry I'm not pretty enough for you." We all hope the director's jaw fell straight to the floor.

Chrissy Teigen isn't just John Legend's wife and baby mama — she had a fruitful career as a model long before saying "I do." However, in 2014, she shared a particularly disappointing story from her modeling days that proves no woman, no matter how flawless, can dodge a body-shaming bullet. Chrissy was once hired to do a shoot for Forever 21 and got an urgent call from her agent when she arrived, saying, "You need to leave right now. They just said you are fat." She publicly trashed the brand years later, saying "I hate you, Forever 21. I hate you so much. Honestly you are the worst." As we all know, Chrissy went on to model numerous times for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and grace the cover of high-fashion magazines like Marie Claire and Vogue (plus she married one of the hottest guys in the music industry). It leaves us to ponder one final question: How does regret taste, Forever 21?