James Corden has criticised fellow US talk show host Bill Maher for saying that fat-shaming should “make a comeback”.
“Being fat isn’t a birth defect,” Bill told viewers of his show Real Talk With Bill Maher last week.
“We have gone to this weird place where fat is good. Fat shaming doesn’t need to end, it needs to make a comeback.”
Sigh.
James took issue with the comment on his own show, calling fat-shaming “bullying” and saying that fat-shaming is everywhere.
In a witty and self-deprecating takedown, he joked that not everyone is lucky enough to have “a sense of superiority that burns 35,000 calories a day” and blasted the misconception that fat people are “stupid and lazy.”
“Fat-shaming never went anywhere,” he said. “Ask literally any fat person. We are reminded of it all the time. On aeroplanes, on Instagram, when someone leaves a pie on the windowsill to cool”.
“There’s a common and insulting misconception that fat people are stupid and lazy and we’re not. We get it. We know. We get it that being overweight isn’t good for us. And I’ve struggled my entire life trying to manage my weight and I suck at it. I’ve had good days, and bad months.
“We’re not all as lucky as Bill Maher. We don’t all have a sense of superiority that burns 35,000 calories a day. I kid because I love Bill. I sincerely believe that what you think you’re offering here is tough love and you’re just trying to help by not sugar-coating the reality for fat people. Even though you know how much fat people love sugar-coating things.
“We’ve come up with this term ‘fat-shaming’, we’ve made a name for it. Let’s be honest, fat-shaming is just bullying. And bullying only makes the problem worse.
“Bill, please hear me when I say this: while you’re encouraging people to think about what goes into their mouths, just think a little harder about what comes out of yours.”
James has been praised for taking control of the narrative around fat-shaming, while many fans thanked him for using his platform to speak up.
Thank you for this James. Finally someone that stood up for us.?❤
— Marjolein De Smet (@_Marjolein_) September 13, 2019
Thank you for this James! I’ve been struggling with my weight my whole life, and after a really rough week, I can’t thank you enough for speaking to this. I have never related so much to anything in my life, and it really does help to know I’m not alone in that feeling.
— Ryan Sandberg (@imfrog2002) September 13, 2019
I’m 38. Been struggling my whole life. Thank you for standing up. Hugs and well wishes. ?
— Erick Coughlin (@CHEFERICKNOLA81) September 13, 2019
So eloquent. Well done. I’ve struggled with people’s attitude about my figure for two and a half decades. I’m actually happy with the way I look but it’s a shame others feel the need to chip away at others confidence…oooh, chips!!
— Emma Louise Dajavs (@DajavsEmma) September 13, 2019
