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MEAN GIRLS

Rosie O’Donnell Says This A-Lister Told Her to ‘Lose 20 Pounds’

The comment came while shooting one of the comedian’s most-loved films.

Lauren HartleyBreaking News Intern

PublishedJul 21, 2026, 8:31 PM EDT

UpdatedJul 21, 2026, 8:32 PM EDT

Updated Jul 21, 2026, 8:32 PM EDTPublished Jul 21, 2026, 8:31 PM EDT

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Rosie O’Donnell revealed an A-list director advised her to drop a significant amount of weight while shooting one of her most-loved films.

The actress and comedian shared the anecdote in an interview with People published Tuesday.

“Mounjaro changed my life,” O’Donnell told the outlet. “I couldn’t even pronounce it at first. I started three years ago when I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I was stunned at how it quieted the food noise.”

“I’ve had trouble with my weight my whole life,” she said. “I know the shame and humiliation dealt to people who are overweight.”

“My kids would come home from trick-or-treating with pillowcases full of candy and hide it. Smart children,” she said. “I’d wake up at 3 in the morning and go, ‘There’s a Nestlé’s Crunch bar somewhere.’ I couldn’t help myself.”

When asked how her recent 60-pound weight loss had changed her life, O’Donnell said, “When I would do late-night, my biggest concern wasn’t my set—it was, did I look fat?“

Continuing, “On League of Their Own, [director] Penny Marshall didn’t help by saying, ‘Rosie, I want you to lose 20 pounds.’“

“You think I carry it around for fun, Penny?” O’Donnell recalled snapping back.

O’Donnell appeared in the beloved 1992 baseball comedy alongside Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Madonna, and Lori Petty. Marshall, best known for playing Laverne DeFazio in Laverne & Shirley, died in 2018.

Now, she wishes she had felt content in her body back then.

“When I look back, I go, ‘God, I wish I could have enjoyed the size I was.’ I’m now at that same weight. But I feel much healthier, more powerful in my own physicality,” she said.

After losing weight, O’Donnell was left with excess skin—a common experience among those who lose significant weight, and one of the motivating factors for her highly publicized facelift.

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The extra skin made her appear sad, even when she wasn’t, she said.

“People in Ireland said, ‘Rosie, are you all right, love?’ I’m like, ‘It’s my face. I actually feel happy here,’” she said, repeating the previously shared anecdote.

O’Donnell, who moved to Ireland in 2025, is the mother of five children, Parker, 31; Chelsea, 28; Blake, 26; Vivienne, 23; and Clay, 13.

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She grappled with the decision but ultimately went through with it in January, stating, “I changed my mind for six months and then decided the real power of feminism [is] to decide what we want to do with our bodies and when.”

Her youngest child, Clay, still hasn’t noticed her facelift, she said, adding, “I hope they don’t pick up People magazine...but you never know."

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Lauren HartleyBreaking News Intern

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