John Candy Deserved Better. So Do the Millions Living with Obesity Today.
By Joe Nadglowski, President & CEO, Obesity Action Coalition

John Candy was more than a comedian. He was a cultural icon, a father, a friend and by all accounts, a deeply kind human being. But as the new documentary John Candy: I Like Me reveals, the world couldn’t seem to see past his size.

The film, directed by Colin Hanks and produced by Ryan Reynolds, celebrated Candy’s genius and laid bare the relentless way interviewers, critics and even fans fixated on his weight. Variety reported that Candy was frequently asked about his body during interviews, sometimes framed as whether losing weight would change his acting. As Colin Hanks told Cracked, looking back at the interviews is “shocking” because of how “inappropriate and cruel” the questions were.

It wasn’t entertainment. It was cruelty.

Weight bias is the negative attitudes, stereotypes and discrimination aimed at people because of their size, and it is one of the last socially accepted forms of prejudice. And it’s everywhere. In the workplace, in schools, in doctors’ offices and yes, in the media.

We know from decades of research that weight stigma doesn’t motivate people to lose weight. It does the opposite: driving up stress, disordered eating and avoidance of healthcare. Stigma isn’t just hurtful, it’s harmful to health. And when it plays out in front of millions, as it did for Candy, the damage is magnified.

Obesity is a complex, chronic disease influenced by biology, environment, genetics, stress and more. It is not a punchline, and it is not a moral failing. Yet too often, the media still treats it as both.

Candy’s story is a stark reminder of how far we still have to go. The fact that his interviews are shocking to watch today is progress. We’ve begun to recognize this behavior as unacceptable. But let’s be honest: we’re still failing the millions of people living with obesity right now when headlines frame bodies as jokes, when “before-and-after” photos are treated as the only measure of worth, and when health is reduced to a number on a scale.

We can do better.

At the Obesity Action Coalition, we call on journalists, interviewers and entertainment media to take three steps:

  1. Stop reducing people to their weight. Their size is not the story.
  2. Learn the science of obesity. Understand that it is a disease, not a choice or a character flaw.
  3. Cover it with compassion. Just as reporting on mental health, disability or addiction has evolved to reduce stigma, so too must reporting on weight.

You can join us in this effort by visiting Stop Weight Bias, our national campaign to end weight stigma through education, awareness and advocacy.

John Candy deserved better. He deserved to be celebrated for his joy, his talent, his humanity.

So do the millions of people living with obesity today.

Let’s honor Candy’s memory not just by laughing at his films, but by making sure the next generation never has to face the same relentless, public scrutiny over their weight. It’s time to change the story to one with dignity, with science, and with compassion.