Melissa McCarthy's Complete Weight-Loss Transformation

Funny lady Melissa McCarthy has played memorable and hilarious characters on the big and small screen. From her early beginnings on "Gilmore Girls" to her Oscar-nominated role in "Bridesmaids," the actor has proven that she knows how to command the spotlight. McCarthy returned to the stage at "Saturday Night Live" to host the show for the sixth time in December 2025. But this time, fans were stunned by her appearance. When McCarthy walked out on stage for her monologue, viewers couldn't help but notice that she had lost a significant amount of weight. 

McCarthy was unrecognizable with her new slender figure and teeny-tiny waist. She wore a black jumpsuit with beaded detail on the shoulder and a matching belt with a silver pendant around her waist which accentuated her curves. This resulted in comments on social media including "wow! the weight loss" and "She looks fab!" One X user wrote, "She looks AMAZING you go girl."

McCarthy is not the only celeb that has made a massive change to their appearance by losing a lot of weight. Back in 2020, Adele stunned the public when she posted a birthday photo on Instagram of her new body. Valerie Bertinelli has talked at length about her weight-loss journey. While McCarthy has remained tight-lipped about her transformation, she has occasionally given updates about her health and lifestyle throughout the course of her career. 

Melissa McCarthy became a household name when she played the title character on the CBS sitcom "Mike & Molly" from 2010 until 2016. Weight was a frequent topic of discussion on the series as the main characters met during a meeting of the Overeaters Anonymous support group. During the show's run, McCarthy told USWeekly in 2013 that she had "been every size in the world." In an Instagram post from 2016, she called out society's obsession with weight by saying that it has a negative impact on body image, especially for young girls. "We have to stop categorizing and judging women based on their bodies," she wrote.  

While McCarthy does not go into detail about her weight, she has always been honest about her size. "I'll be up, I'll be down, probably for the rest of my life," she told Refinery29 in reference to her actual weight measurement. When appearing on the radio show "The Breakfast Club" in 2018, McCarthy discussed her process of losing weight within a five-year period. Rather than opting for surgery, the actor explained she preferred to make lifestyle changes over time so healthy practices become more of a habit instead of a regimen. She added that after having kids, it was unrealistic to think much time could be devoted to a weight-loss routine.

It's a fact that the way a woman dresses can help give the illusion of a smaller waist, so it helps to pick the right dress shape for your body type. Not many people know that Melissa McCarthy has lots of knowledge when it comes to clothing and even studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology. McCarthy has used her fashion school training wisely when walking on red carpets and appearing in magazines. She has often worn florals and frills that create a bold and exuberant statement to place focus on the eye-catching visuals rather than size. 

In 2015, McCarthy created her own clothing line called Seven7, which was available in sizes four through 28. She said the inspiration to design her own clothing line came from her being unable to find clothes for herself that she liked. She realized that women of varying sizes likely felt the same, so she set out to create clothes in a wide range of sizes so every woman can feel beautiful and love their look. McCarthy told Redbook Magazine in 2016, "My message is that as long as everybody's healthy, enjoy and embrace whatever body type you have."

As Melissa McCarthy has been steadily shrinking her waist over the years, other celebrities have taken notice. In fact, Oscar winner Barbra Streisand made waves with a comment she left on McCarthy's social media. Back in 2024, McCarthy posted a photo on Instagram where she could be seen standing beside director Adam Shankman. The pair wore dueling pastel ensembles with McCarthy in an adorable mint-green dress with frills of tulle and a matching jacket. 

But all eyes were on the comment section, where Streisand said "Give him my regards did you take Ozempic?" The post was quickly deleted, and Streisand apologized on X, saying she "forgot the world was reading!" McCarthy found humor in the situation and affirmed that she was delighted that Streisand took an interest in her. However, she never confirmed or denied publicly whether she has ever used the medication as a part of her weight loss journey. The jury is still out on whether McCarthy is among the celebs who look totally different after using weight-loss medications such as Ozempic.