Whether you know her from movies, TV shows, or comedy, Melissa McCarthy is an incredibly recognizable face and name in Hollywood. She’s also an Oscar-nominated actress and comedian who’s more than proven her talents to the world. From her early work in sitcoms “Gilmore Girls” and “Mike and Molly,” to her leading lady roles in “Tammy” and “The Boss,” Melissa’s style of comedy is a breath of fresh air. It’s no wonder she’s one of the most in-demand and highest-paid actresses working in Hollywood today!
What some people might not know is that Melissa’s real-life husband is actor and director Ben Falcone, and the two are frequent collaborators. Falcone has directed various movies of hers, and together they run On the Day Productions, a production company that makes comedy films. She also credits her husband as helping her keep things in perspective.
Now 52 years old, the actress is truly in her prime, and nothing is stopping her from shining in the limelight. She even has her own fashion line that offers plus-size clothing for women. In fact, Melissa studied fashion before pursuing acting, so it’s not all that surprising that she is exploring both creative mediums these days.
Melissa has always been beautiful, but her weight-loss transformation has gone hand in hand with her personal growth and it’s been beautiful to see. But what’s more inspiring is how real she keeps it, as she stays vocal on the expectations that women face in society. She’s been very open about her weight-loss journey, revealing in interviews how she stays fit and the right attitude to have if you want to lose weight. Not only is she looking fantastic, but she’s also sending a positive and healthy message on how to look your best. Let’s take a look.
Born on August 26, 1970, and raised on a soybean farm in Plainfield, Illinois, Melissa McCarthy’s early life might not have seemed like the upbringing of a future Hollywood star, but that didn’t stop her. However, despite this, she does have a few famous relations including Hollywood actor and model, Jenny McCarthy, as well as a professional basketball player, Joanne McCarthy.
After she initially set her sights on working in fashion, Melissa began to study textiles at Southern Illinois University. But she realized university wasn’t for her and instead headed to New York to meet up with a friend. On her first night there he convinced her to give stand-up a try, and she never looked back since. Comedy was a way for Melissa to express herself and she had officially caught the bug.
Soon after she found herself in The Groundlings, Los Angeles’ famed improvisational and sketch comedy troupe. While there she honed her craft and even made friends with fellow members Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph — connections that she would keep and that’d play a part in her stellar rise to fame. It’s also where she met her future husband, actor, comedian, and filmmaker Ben Falcone.
By the late ’90s, Melissa was landing bit parts in Hollywood movies and TV shows, with her first role on her cousin Jenny’s show “Jenny.” Then in 2000, Melissa got the first of her big breaks when she was cast as Sookie St. James, the best friend of Lorelai Gilmore on the series “Gilmore Girls.” The show’s success was huge and got her noticed. She would remain on the show for all of its original seven seasons and reprised her role for the 2016 revival “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.”
“Gilmore Girls” gave Melissa the boost she needed and after the show ended, she switched between acting in movies and TV before landing the co-lead role in the series “Mike & Molly” in 2010. The show would run for six seasons and further cemented her career in Hollywood. Both shows had loyal fanbases and served to highlight her comedy skills, but Melissa knew she was only just getting started.
It was her breakout performance in the comedy movie “Bridesmaids” in 2011 that really put her on the map. Teaming up with her Groundlings alumni Wiig and Rudolph, as well as her husband, the movie was not only an incredible success, it boosted the careers of many of its actresses. In fact, Melissa’s hilarious turn was so impressive it earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. This also led her to host “Saturday Night Live” for the first time, which she would go on to do another four times, making her one of the rare people to host the show five times.
In the years following, while she was still working on “Mike & Molly,” Melissa would be recognized more and more for her talents, from awards nominations to hosting gigs. This was when she began appearing in comedy films as a leading star, including “Identity Thief” with Jason Bateman, “The Heat” with Sandra Bullock, “Tammy” and “Spy.”
This all led to a stellar year for Melissa in 2015, when she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and ranked by Forbes as the third highest-paid actress of that year, banking an impressive $23 million. Her rise to the top may have seemed sudden but she certainly had the talent to prove it.
Since then, Melissa has continued her domination of Hollywood. She appeared in the comedy film “The Boss,” and drew rave reviews for her portrayal of author Lee Israel in the comedy-drama “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” In fact, the shift to dramatic work paid off in her favor and earned her a second Oscar nomination, this time for Best Actress. Coming up on the horizon, Melissa is set to play Ursula in the live-action remake of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid.”
One constant throughout her career is her husband. Also established in his career, the couple often works together and has even started their own production company named On the Day Productions. Falcone has even directed Melissa in three films.
In a 2018 episode of “The Ellen Degeneres Show,” Melissa opened up about how they met while at The Groundlings. She recalled that he did a skit about “an inmate that really likes his new roommate,” and it left an impression on her. She added:
“I immediately was like, ‘Oh, he’s strange. I like him. And we were friends from, like, day one.”
In 2013, Melissa told More magazine, as reported by Us Weekly, that she “got hit with the lucky stick with Ben.” Sharing the exact sentiments, he added that they “got hit with the same lucky stick.”
“From the very first time we spoke, we were on the same page,” he said. “We love each other, respect each other, and try not to sweat the small stuff. And we really make each other laugh.”
We can only imagine the comedy that ensues in their household! What’s more, the couple has two daughters together named Vivian and Georgette.
What’s even more impressive about Melissa is that not only is she one of Hollywood’s top stars, she’s also a bonafide fashion designer! With her early fashion schooling, it’s not a totally random endeavor, and what’s more, it also sends an incredible message to women out there who don’t fit into the narrow window of what society deems acceptable.
Named Melissa McCarthy Seven7, the fashion collection, which launched in 2015, was made in partnership with Sunrise Brands and caters to plus-size women. Running up to size 28, Melissa spoke a bit about the brand to More magazine, as reported by E!:
“People don’t stop at size 12. I feel like there’s a big thing missing where you can’t dress to your mood above a certain number. [Malls] segregate plus-size … It’s an odd thing that you can’t go shopping with your friends because your store is upstairs hidden by the tire section. ‘We’ll put you gals over there because we don’t want to see you and you probably don’t want to be seen.’”
She elaborated further:
“There is just this weird thing about how we perceive women in this country. I would love to be a part of breaking that down.”
Flouting the rules, she hopes to bring about meaningful change in the plus-size women’s clothing market:
“Only wear solids? Don’t wear bright colors? That’s not real. Somebody made up these rules, and I disagree.”
She also talked about her hands-on approach, explaining that “if it has my name on it and I want to make people feel good about wearing it, I can’t pass it off.” The designing part began as a loose agreement before Melissa began “delivering drawings and saying, ‘No, this is the length, this is the arm measurement,’ and they were like, ‘Um, we kinda didn’t think [she’d] be here.’”
For the collection’s launch, naturally, Melissa starred in the fashion campaign. Around the time she had lost some weight and looked absolutely incredible in the photos, as she showed off her gorgeous physique. Nevertheless, she looks stunning no matter how much she weighs, and she’s the first to bring things back to reality when the topic of her weight comes up. In an interview with Refinery29 in 2016, Melissa spoke about her weight loss but was honest about why it didn’t matter:
“I have [lost weight], but I’ll be back again. I’ll be up, I’ll be down, probably for the rest of my life. The thing is, if that is the most interesting thing about me, I need to go have a lavender farm in Minnesota and give this up.”
But Melissa does look fantastic and she’s clearly doing all the right things and feeling healthy. When asked by Extra TV what her trick was, she kept it real and stated that there is “no trick,” rather it’s leading a “super boring life” that sometimes sees her in bed by 7:30 p.m. At least she’s honest!
One thing that has helped her slim down is incidentally, not worrying about her weight. She told Life & Style:
“I truly stopped worrying about it. I think there’s something to kinda loosening up and not being so nervous and rigid about it that, bizarrely, has worked.”
She also revealed that she sticks to a high-protein diet and importantly, not beating herself up if she slips occasionally. She exclaimed that “it may be the best thing [she’s] ever done” and that she feels “amazing.”
Melissa and her husband share two daughters named Vivian and Georgette and that’s no doubt given her an even stronger sense of purpose. She’s set out to be an excellent role model for them, telling Hollywood Life:
“A biggie for me is, take the compliment … It’s kind of a rule with me — just say thank you, don’t negate it. I hope that’s one of the many ways I show my girls that it’s OK to like who you are and it’s ok that everybody’s different. If we were all the same, we’d be robots.”
In the same interview, Melissa credited her husband for helping keep things in perspective for her. She revealed that in parts of her 20s she was in great shape but took it for granted, however, now she has “two great kids and the dreamiest husband on the planet, and everything else is just a work in progress.”
She goes on to explain that “at 20 you don’t have any responsibilities, so of course you’re a shallow narcissist.” But by the time she turned 40 and “especially with kids, you lose any sense of time or energy to worry about all the little stuff.”
Melissa has carried these lessons she’s learned into today, and she’s never looked better or seemed happier. She recently appeared on the April 2021 cover of InStyle magazine in a series of fashion-forward looks. In the photos, she’s glowing and showing to the world that you can be and dress exactly as you please.
Over the years, Melissa’s personal growth has become evident and it’s great to not only see her so happy and fulfilled in her life (on top of her superstar career!) but to know that she’s staying grounded, all the while serving as an inspiration to women all over the world.
What do you think of Melissa McCarthy’s transformation over the years? Do you find her to be inspiring? If you enjoyed this article then be sure to pass it on to those you know!
