Jennifer Coolidge Opens Up About Her COVID-19 Weight Gain

The pandemic has been hard for everyone — including celebrities. With most gyms, fitness centers, and other wellness establishments temporarily closed, our favorite stars found it difficult to maintain their physique, and many of them opened up about how they weren't immune to the pandemic-induced weight gain.

Gwyneth Paltrow once admitted on the "Art of Wellbeing" podcast that she lost 11 pounds, but only after gaining "a lot of weight" during quarantine. Kourtney Kardashian clapped back at a commenter who asked if she had gotten pregnant since it seemed that she put on some extra pounds, saying (via ET), "This is the shape of my body. I gained a few pounds over this quarantine time, and I love my body and I'm proud of my shape." Gayle King also poked fun at her weight gain and shared on Instagram how it will take her some time to be back to her ideal weight. "Fatter than I've been in long time," she wrote. "Ideal weight says Dr is 163... not happening anytime soon .. blaming corona quarantine & Halloween candy corns I just bought! Make it stop!"

Even Jennifer Coolidge, who is known for her voluptuous physique, revealed that she had packed on more pounds than she would have wanted due to the pandemic. In fact, she almost turned down a role over it.

Celebrities typically have trainers, nutritionists, and other specialists at their beck and call to keep their bodies in tiptop shape, but just like the rest of us, they lost access to them over the pandemic. It happened to Jennifer Coolidge, and she had gotten so insecure about the weight gain that she even considered turning down her role in "White Lotus."

"I tried to get out of it because I was too fat," she told People. She said being cooped up at home wasn't the best for maintaining her fitness goals. "During COVID, I just let everything go," she added. And so when she was offered the chance to star in "White Lotus," she thought about passing on it. "I'm vain," she joked. "I wanted to look a certain way when you're on film ... I was not ready for this cool opportunity. It goes to show, you should always be in the best shape because you just don't know."

Luckily, one of her good friends told her that it was too good an opportunity to pass up. "I had a smart girlfriend who talked me off the ledge," she said. The HBO show eventually drew millions of viewers, and even Coolidge herself couldn't believe it turned out to be a success. "It's a miracle that happened. What a fluke, you know?" she said. "We went and did it and we filmed it and then people liked it."