Chrissy Metz burst into our lives in 2016 when she started her acting career at the age of 36. She got a role on the show This Is Us. Chrissy’s amazing acting in the role of Kate Pearson, who was born as a triplet with her brothers Kevin and Kyle, has greatly contributed to the show’s success. However, Chrissy’s road to stardom has been full of obstacles, as she had to deal with lots of issues along the way, her weight being one of them. She went through a lot of hard work, and after blood, sweat and tears, she lost 100 pounds. Now she looks slimmer, healthier and gorgeous. Here's an inside look at her life and career.
TV Success
Chrissy achieved amazing success with her breakout acting role in the show This Is Us. Her performance was so stunning that she earned numerous prestigious nominations, including two Golden Globe awards and one Emmy award.
Chrissy also appeared in several other TV shows, including Entourage and American Horror Story, along with a couple of other smaller roles. Despite all the difficulties and struggles Chrissy had to face regarding her weight, she managed to land important roles and breakthroughs in the busy world of Hollywood.
Her Struggles With Weight
The biggest issues that Chrissy had to deal with were eating and weight issues. Just like the character she plays in This Is Us, Chrissy has dealt with weight-related problems her entire life. The fact that her character deals with the same issues has enabled Chrissy to play her role so realistically and naturally.
Now that she has become a public figure, Chrissy started taking advantage of the social media exposure she gained to encourage others and help those who deal with weight loss issues. Besides sharing her success, Chrissy has shared her struggles and emotional stories with her fans as well.
A Breath of Fresh Air
The reason why everyone loves Chrissy Metz so much is the fact that she remained her true self throughout her entire journey. When you think of Hollywood and people involved in the movie industry, you often think of how people change when they become famous.
Well, Chrissy always remained the same old positive person she always was. She has always been honest and straightforward about her issues and concerns, which is why so many people look up to her. She inspired thousands of people through her journey and transformation as well.
Early Childhood
When speaking about her weight, Chrissy once said, “I was definitely always a chubbier kid”. Despite the fact that Chrissy was involved in sports, she never managed to keep her weight in line.
Chrissy also mentioned that she had to watch what she ate, while her friends could eat anything and never gain weight. This was one of the major issues she had to deal with throughout her entire childhood. Sadly, she still deals with the same obstacles during her adult life.
Chrissy and Her TV Character
In one of her interviews, Chrissy revealed how much she relates to the character she plays in This Is Us. The young Kate in the TV show goes through the same exact issues that Chrissy is dealing with in her daily life. Besides struggling with food, Kate has issues with her mother who is concerned about her weight and overall health condition.
Similarly, Chrissy’s real mother constantly worries about Chrissy’s weight being a health issue. In an interview, Chrissy once said: “Kate wants her mom to be happy with her, and Rebecca (Kate’s mom) just wants her daughter to be happy.” Chrissy could probably relate very well.
Struggles With Bullying
Sadly, along with her struggles with weight, Chrissy had to deal with bullying while growing up. In her school years, she had to deal with bullying on a daily basis, which left a mark on her childhood memories. This issue also affected Chrissy’s mother who was devastated to see her daughter being treated so horribly.
The show This Is Us features many of these elements as well. Similar to Chrissy’s real mother, Kate's mother also worries about her daughter being bothered at school because of her physical appearance. “No matter what, somebody is going to pick on you for something,” said Chrissy.
Unexpected Acting Success
Believe it or not, Chrissy never intended to be an actress. Chrissy graduated high school in Florida and shortly afterward, she began working as a preschool teacher. Chrissy's sister played an important part in her life.
At the age of 20, Chrissy accompanied her sister to an audition. While the two were there, Chrissy ran into a former teacher who ended up convincing her to audition as well. The whole thing was completely unexpected but Chrissy decided to go along with it and audition along with her sister.
Dream Big
When she recalled that day she went to an audition with her sister, Chrissy added: “Yes I would love to, but I was too afraid of my own shadow.” Despite her fears, Chrissy decided to push through an audition. Little did she know that it was the beginning of a long and successful journey.
After her debut audition, Chrissy liked the idea of trying her hand at other auditions as well. After a few months, she decided to audition for a number of TV pilots and it didn’t take long for her to realize that acting was her calling. When she decided to move to LA, she told her mom: “Mom, I’m going to live my dream.”
Baby Steps
Chrissy’s spirit was truly admiring but when she came to LA she faced a harsh reality check. After all, she wasn’t the only young actress who wanted to make it in Hollywood. Just like many people who chased their dreams in LA, Chrissy had to struggle to gain roles and reach the surface.
At first, her career had a very slow start. Being rejected many times was discouraging but Chrissy never gave up. After realizing that she couldn't get any roles right away, Chrissy took a job as an assistant for a talent agent. However, she was unhappy with this new decision and she wanted to continue pursuing her dreams.
Acting Is a Passion
While working as an assistant, Chrissy never gave up on pursuing acting. She used all the free time she could get to practice and go to auditions. However, the talent agency never allowed her much time to pursue her own dreams, as she had to work on making other people’s dreams come true instead.
Her comment on the whole situation was: “Scheduling auditions for the talent was like watching your boyfriend take out another woman every single day.” It was evident that she wasn’t going to settle for this position so she kept pushing and looking for new acting opportunities.
Facing Anxiety
“I remember going to Weight Watchers when I was like 11. I was the youngest person in the room and it was awkward,” said Chrissy, remembering her childhood once again. Sadly, Chrissy had to deal with anxiety her entire life. Before she moved to LA, her manager advised her to lose 50 pounds, which she managed to do.
Sadly, after facing rejection multiple times in LA, Chrissy gained the weight back due to her struggles with depression. All of this led to serious health issues, including panic attacks that she faced on a regular basis. She even had to go to the hospital on her 30th birthday after suffering a major attack.
In Control
During all those struggles with mental health and other health problems, Chrissy decided that it was time to take control. She knew that she had to change the way she felt about food and exercise and she was aware that a difficult journey was ahead of her. “I was so gung-ho, I lost 100 pounds in less than five months,” she said in an interview.
Furthermore, she explained that she managed to lose so much weight by dieting and eating a limited amount of calories while exercising every day. It took a lot of determination and focus to keep pushing through the struggles for five months but Chrissy managed to reach her goal and lose a drastic amount of weight, which positively affected her mental health.
An Important Role
Naturally, after she lost a lot of weight, Chrissy began feeling better both mentally and physically. She experienced anxiety and panic attacks less often, which allowed her to continue pursuing her dream. Shortly after losing weight, she gained her first role in the popular show American Horror Story for the season Freakshow.
She played the role of Barbara “Ima Wiggles” and, ironically, she had to put on a suit in order to look larger for her role. When she recalled those days, she said: “It was sobering… I thought, what if I become that heavy and can’t walk around or get stuck in the door frame?”
Financial Struggles
The role in American Horror Story made Chrissy believe that she had finally made her big breakthrough. However, after the filming of the season ended, in which she appeared in five episodes, Chrissy was back at the beginning. It didn’t take long for her to spend all the money she earned on set and her bank account was slowly drying up.
Chrissy even remembered that she struggled with finances so much that she even went to auditions knowing that she had absolutely no money in the bank. At one point, she was forced to go on unemployment in order to pay her bills and afford food. Sadly, things weren’t getting any better for her.
Good Friends
Things got a lot worse when Chrissy’s finances dwindled so much that she couldn’t even afford groceries. She lived off of ramen noodles and she even lost her home since she wasn’t able to pay bills. Thanks to her good friends who allowed her to stay at their place, Chrissy didn’t have to spend nights on the street.
According to Chrissy, her friends always told her: “If you don’t have money for food, I’ll cook you dinner. You don’t have money for acting class? Let’s get together and read lines.” Who knows how things would have turned out if it weren’t for Chrissy’s supportive and generous friends.
A New Opportunity
When she got invited to an audition for This Is Us, Chrissy finally gained some hope again. She knew that this role could change her life and it was exactly what she needed at the time. The moment she read the show’s script, she knew that there was something special about it and that she simply needed to get that role.
However, Chrissy had to beg her agent to let her audition for casting, promising that she would give it her best. All the efforts eventually paid off, as this role saved Chrissy from a life of poverty and depression.
Getting the Call
“This was the role that finally broke down the real issues behind weight,” said Chrissy, commenting on the This Is Us script. She added that, besides issues with food, people who are overweight have to deal with the feeling of inadequacy and the fear of living in their own shadow.
After convincing her agent, she finally managed to get the audition and, even though she didn’t expect it, she got a callback. In one interview, Chrissy said: “The callback – which I didn’t think was coming – was unlike any other I had ever experienced...”
Success!
Chrissy was shocked yet very excited when she learned that she actually got the role in This Is Us. After all, it was a huge relief knowing that she was finally going to make money since she had no savings in the bank whatsoever.
Chrissy was so thankful to her friends who helped her out that she paid them all back when she got her first paycheck. Now that her financial issues were taken care of, Chrissy was able to focus on acting and her performance on the set.
A Star Like No Other
Despite her newly earned fame and success, Chrissy still remained modest. She once commented on the whole situation, saying: “You may think ‘Oh you’re on TV, you’re a millionaire!’ No. It’s definitely a lot more than I was making but I still live with my roommate.”
Even though she was now making a decent amount of money, Chrissy couldn’t help but feel guilty when she made a few expensive purchases. At times she even felt so guilty that she went back to a store to return a pair of designer shoes she had previously bought.
Weight Issues Again
As we already mentioned, Chrissy’s character in This Is Us deals with the same weight and anxiety issues that Chrissy deals with in her personal life. Just like Chrissy, Kate also wanted to be healthy and lose weight along the way. This led to many questions, including the question of whether her contract contained any requirements for losing weight.
However, Chrissy made it quite clear that there were no weight loss requirements in the contract. In fact, she was using the character as motivation to work on herself. That’s how Kate’s journey became Chrissy’s journey as well. She borrowed some of Kate’s desire to lose weight and used it to motivate herself to work out at the gym.
Health
Even though many people believed that Chrissy was pressured by the Hollywood lifestyle to lose weight for superficial purposes, she actually focused on exercising for health reasons.
“I just want it to be very clear. Whether or not I lose weight or stay the same, it’s purely a choice of mine for health. Not because I think that plus size, curvy, voluptuous, big bodies aren’t attractive – because I think they’re awesome,” said Chrissy on one occasion.
An Inspiring Show
Besides being entertaining and quite hilarious, This Is Us is the kind of show that offers a lot of educational value, which Chrissy never fails to point out. As she once mentioned, Chrissy believes that this show and its storyline will encourage overweight viewers to live positively and pursue their dreams, despite the issues they are facing.
She also added that she believes that the show is a good opportunity for people who are overweight to realize that continuing to eat won’t solve other issues in their lives.
Relatable
What’s so great about This Is Us is the fact that the show has so many storylines that you are likely going to relate to at least one of them, even if you’re not one of the overweight viewers who relate to Chrissy and the character of Kate.
In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, Chrissy said: “I think everyone has shame about something, whether it’s a lack of a relationship with a child or maybe their weight or lack of communication within their marriage… Everyone can relate to that.”
Positive Impact
There is no doubt that Chrissy’s role as Kate has made a tremendous impact on the show’s viewers. She often talked about her fans who reached out to her. On one occasion she added: “I’ve had women – average women, older women, teenagers – who say to me ‘Your role and this show has changed my life.’”
She also added: “That makes all the struggle, all the ramen noodles, all the times when I couldn’t pay my bills, all the times where I was like, ‘I can do this,’ worth it.”
Haters Gonna Hate
Unfortunately, the exposure one gets in Hollywood often comes with a lot of hateful comments. Not everyone was a fan of the show and Chrissy personally. Many of her actions received backlash, including the time she went to the MTV Movie Awards in 2017 wearing a latex dress.
However, Chrissy knew how to deal with hate and she never let those comments get to her. She even called out her haters on social media when she posted a Tweet saying: “For the record, I wear what I want when I want. News flash, it’s MY body #thankstho.”
Many Similarities
Surprisingly, Chrissy had a lot more in common with her character Kate than she originally thought. Besides the similarities related to weight and appearance issues, both Kate and Chrissy loved to sing. Chrissy even dreamed of pursuing a singing career as well.
On one occasion, Chrissy added: “ Like Kate, I never really was encouraged to sing, but always wanted to. It’s like my dreams are really coming true.” At one point Chrissy was asked about the opportunity to sing on the show, to which she responded with: “To potentially sing with my TV mom would be incredible!”
Thinking of a Singing Career
Even though Kate deals with her issues with weight and her relationship with her mother, her major storyline revolves around her singing career. Just like Chrissy had to gain the courage to audition for acting gigs, Kate had to face the anxiety of going to auditions.
When she finally decided to go to an audition, Kate was humiliated after she found out that the backup singer had a better voice than her. When speaking about the possibility of singing on the show, Chrissy commented that she was “excited to see where they’re going to go with it.”
The Lessons
This entire journey has allowed Chrissy to change her attitude towards weight and life in general. She admitted that she was way too hard on herself and that she realized that no one was perfect. As she once mentioned, everyone is a work in progress.
She also added that “We have to celebrate the victories,” which shows how much progress she made in the previous months. Despite all the struggles she had to deal with, Chrissy managed to succeed in her pursuit of happiness. She managed to become a successful actress along the way.
It Was Meant to Be
After looking back on her entire journey, including all the ups and downs she went through, Chrissy stated that she has no regrets whatsoever. She strongly believes that all the problems she faced were placed in front of her for a reason.
The issues she dealt with had helped to form the person she is today. She also added: “I wouldn’t have this amazing role if I’d already lost all the weight. So I have to believe that everything happens for a reason.”
How One Woman Decided to Turn Her Life Around... By Losing
Most people in Amber Rachdi’s local neighborhood in Troutdale, Oregon, knew her well - not because of her personality or talents, but because of her size. Amber weighed 657 pounds and because of this, stood out in a crowd. Mobility had been a life-long struggle for Amber and at age 24 she realized it was time for a change - a big one.
She couldn’t do it alone and needed help - help that came in the form of the television show My 600-lb Life.
Too Much To Handle
Amber had been dealing with the negative health issues associated with obesity her entire life. Every doctor’s visit she was reminded of her dire situation; if she didn’t lose weight she wouldn’t live past her 30s, they told her.
Amber decided this was it, now or never. She couldn’t remember a time in her life when she wasn’t overweight and in pain. This was going to be the most difficult thing she would ever have to do, but it was time, and being surrounded by compassionate people equipped with the right tools to help her was the first step.
An Early Start
Amber had always had a difficult relationship with food. At five years old, when most kids her age weighed no more than 40 pounds, she was already 160 pounds.
She never felt full, which led to binge eating. Her weight also made it difficult for her to run and play with the other kids as she had trouble keeping up and was frequently out of breath. As a result, with little activity and constant hunger, her weight steadily rose.
A Vicious Circle
As she put on more and more weight, Amber started experiencing intense body image issues. She became crippled with insecurity and would constantly feel judged by others.
Exercise became difficult as her legs and knees were unable to support her weight. Her insecurities drove her to food for comfort and her weight continued to spiral out of control. Unable to cope, she dropped out of school and moved in with her boyfriend, Rowdy, and her parents.
The Lion’s Share
As Amber’s weight increased, so did her food portion sizes. It got to a point where she was eating five full meals a day, not counting all the sweets and desserts she snuck in-between. She knew she needed to stop, but she was helpless. Food was her coping mechanism, and due to this, she would eat her feelings, bingeing to deal with her anxiety and emotional issues.
She felt like a failure, and eating was the best way she knew to deal with it. Not only that, but her weight made her require assistance with the simplest tasks. She couldn’t fit into most cars and walking more than a few feet was too painful. If it wasn’t for her motorized scooter, she would have been totally housebound.
A Little Help
Amber did her best to hide her shame, but her parents were very aware that she felt like a failure. Whenever they accompanied her on her visits to the doctor, they too would hear the doctor’s grim prognosis regarding her lifespan.
They had been there for her throughout her life and were exactly the kind of support system she needed now that she was about to start her journey with My 600-lb Life. Amber didn’t know if the show would solve her problems but the alternative was too bleak to consider.
Taking The First Step
It would all start with a meeting with Dr. Nowzaradan. But a problem arose: she was in Oregon and he was in Houston. There was no way to make the trip except by flying, which was problematic because not only would Amber need two seats to be able to sit comfortably, but she would also have a difficult time fitting into the rows.
This struggle started a domino effect of inconveniences, which ended with her wheelchair breaking, so that her dad had to wheel her around in a luggage cart, in a crowded airport, much to her horrified embarrassment.
Breaking Bad Habits
When Amber finally had a meeting with Dr. Nowzaradan, he gave her some shocking news: though they tried to be supportive, her family and boyfriend were actually enablers because they hadn’t tried to put a stop to her unhealthy food choices and lifestyle. This led to Amber’s admission that she had gained 200 pounds since she started dating Rowdy. Rowdy had always found larger women attractive but Amber’s weight had gotten to the point where it was getting in the way of their love life.
Amber had to get serious if she was going to achieve her goal: she would have to follow a strict diet and lose 17 pounds to prove that she was serious about changing her lifestyle. If she managed to achieve her target, she would qualify for gastric bypass surgery. Her supportive parents flew to Texas to be with her through these trying times.
One Step Forward
Amber stuck to her diet and was able to lose enough weight to qualify for gastric bypass surgery but had to be taken to the hospital again just a few days later when she complained of having chest pains. What the doctors initially assumed was a cardiac arrest was discovered to be an anxiety attack; Amber needed therapy to cope with the PTSD of years of being overweight. The surgery alone wasn’t enough, but, therapy coupled with a healthy diet and exercise would give Amber a fighting chance.
And as the therapy started to take effect, Amber made other changes to her routine; she started well-being lessons where she was taught to make healthy meals at home instead of getting take-out and started taking walks - short ones at first because it was painful for her. Around this time, Amber started documenting her journey to share with her followers.
Hard Work Pays Off
Amber’s hard work continued to show results and made her more determined. She had lost 92 pounds; her legs were getting stronger and she was finding it easier to move.
The gym, which had always seemed so daunting before, was now within reach thanks to the surgery and Amber's efforts. She went down several dress sizes from a 6X to a 2X. Once her parents knew she was well on her way, it was time for them to head back home to Oregon.
Miles to Go Yet
By the time the anniversary of her surgery rolled around, Amber had lost 267 pounds! As happy as she was with all her hard work paying off, she was now faced with a new problem: all this weight loss meant a lot of loose, hanging skin.
Her doctor came to her rescue for a second time by setting another goal for her: if she could lose another 140 pounds, they would surgically remove the excess skin. Amber had a new target to reach, but would she be able to?
One Milestone After Another
Amber’s determination knew no bounds. In an incredibly short amount of time, she had lost a whopping 420 pounds. Amber was a totally new person, she had oodles of self-confidence and felt the contentment she had been seeking all these years.
Not only that, but her relationships with her family and friends had improved drastically as well. Amber was ready for a do-over in life to enjoy all the experiences she had missed out on. She decided to start by going back to college and getting a degree and a job.