Image Source : YouTube
The Oscar-nominated actor, Jonah Hill, took to his Instagram on October 13th, 2021, to plead with his fans and followers to stop commenting on his body, even if they are positive comments.
On his social media post, Jonah wrote, "I know you mean well, but I kindly ask that you not comment on my body [heart emoji] good or bad. I want to politely let you know it’s not helpful, and it doesn’t feel good. Much respect."
The request for his fans comes after a US magazine published an article titled, Jonah Hill Shows Off Dramatic Weight Loss: See the Before and After Pictures. The article published showcases the actor’s weight loss journey, which began in 2011, and he dropped a massive amount of weight for his movie "Moneyball" opposite Brad Pitt.
Since then, Jonah Hill’s weight gain and loss journey came under public scrutiny that has received positive and negative comments from fans and followers. The actor opened up about his childhood struggle with body image during an interview on The Ellen Show in 2018. Jonah mentioned in the interview that the comments he received from people about his body have stayed with him throughout his adulthood, and it’s hard to cope with them sometimes.
Jonah teamed up with A24 Films and came up with a magazine "Inner Child" as a companion piece to the actor and low-key style icon's directorial debut Mid90s. Jonah interviewed 12 people for the magazine about their childhood selves and how they’ve learned to love themselves. The twelve people who Jonah interviewed for his paper includes skaters Mark "Gonz" Gonzales and Na-Kel Smith, musicians Q-Tip, DJ Premier and Kim Gordon, and actors Michael Cera, Edie Falco and Beanie Feldstein.
Explaining more he said, "I think everybody has a version of themselves ― I call it a snapshot ― at some point in life, trying to hide from the world. Even if you get success, grow up, become good-looking or whatever, you kind of carry some part of that with you. For me, it’s definitely being like this 14-year-old kid, being overweight, wanting to fit in with these skaters and hip-hop kids, and just feeling lonely and maybe not understanding my own worth."
After Jonah posted his request on his social media, Tess Holiday, who has had her struggle with body shaming, cheered the actor by writing "THIS LOUDER". Aidy Bryant of Saturday Night Live also appreciated the actor’s request with a simple green checkmark. Influencer Remi Bader, famous for her "realistic shopping hauls" on TikTok, added, "Amen." Impeachment star Beanie Feldstein praised him for his remark, writing, "THAT’S MY BROTHER."
During The Ellen Show, Jonah Hill shared that he became famous in his late teens and "then spent most of my young adult life listening to people say that I was fat and gross and unattractive. And it’s only in the last four years of writing and directing my movie, Mid90s, that I’ve started to understand how much that hurt and got into my head. "
The actor has called out various tabloids for publishing his pictures of himself changing after surfing. He mentioned, "I don’t think I ever took my shirt off in a pool until I was in my mid 30s, even in front of family and friends. It probably would have happened sooner if my childhood insecurities weren’t exacerbated by years of public mockery of my body by the press and interviewers. So the idea that the media tries to play me by stalking me while surfing and printing photos like this, and it can’t phase me anymore is dope. I’m 37 and finally love and accept myself. "
The 21 Jump street actor revealed a new tattoo on his shoulder that includes a yellow circle with the words 'Body Love' and a geometric hand in the middle, which appears to be his take on the Body Glove brand logo.
Sarah Brady is the actor's girlfriend, and the two made their relationship on the Instagram public in September, with the 21 Jump Street star captioning the lovely snapshot, "Grateful for you Sarah Brady."
Jonah Hill is now preparing to act opposite Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Timothée Chalamet, Scott Mescudi, Cate Blanchett, and Meryl Streep in the sci-fi black comedy Don't Look Up. The film, directed by Adam McKay, will be released on Netflix on December 10th.
