Jonah Hill’s Body Transformation Over the Years Is the Perfect Reminder Weight Loss Isn't Always Linear

When Jonah Hill came onto the scene in 2007's mega-hit Superbad, he was 23 years old. Our first impression of him was that of a goofy, overweight kid beginning a career that could quickly typecast him. At his heaviest, Hill reportedly weighed 280 pounds and was the subject of intense media scrutiny.

In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres in 2019, Hill talked about a free, self-published magazine called Inner Children he put out in which he detailed his weight fluctuations over the years and the body shaming he experienced because of them.

"I think everybody has a version of themselves―I call it a snapshot―you're trying to hide from the world," he told DeGeneres. "Even if you get success, you grow up, or become good-looking—you carry some part of that with you. For me, it's being this 14-year-old kid—being overweight, wanting to fit in with these skaters and hip-hop kids, and just feeling lonely and not understanding my own worth."

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He goes on to read the magazine's manifesto: "I became famous in my late teens, and spent most of my young adult life listening to people say that I was fat and gross and unattractive. It was only in the last four years writing and directing my movie, Mid90s, that I've started to understand how much that hurt and got into my head."

In the magazine, Hill asked 12 people he respects and admires to talk about their own snapshot and how they learned to love themselves.

He went on to say, "I'm under construction like we all are."

The irony of Hill's desire to find his self-confidence and be seen for his acting chops, rather than his physicality came amid movie lines like 2009's Funny People in which Hill's character ribs at an aspiring comedian played by Seth Rogen: “You shouldn’t have lost all that weight. There’s nothing funny about a physically fit man.”

A Timeline of Jonah Hill's Weight Loss Journey

Hill first started to lose weight in 2011 after Moneyball. In 2012, he told ABC, “I wish there was some crazy thing I did, like a pill or a genie, but I went to see a nutritionist, and he told me what to eat to change my habits. I found that Japanese food was very helpful to me.”

His weight fluctuated back and forth, from lean to more full-figured, through his roles in 2012's 21 Jump Street and 2013's Wolf of Wall Street.

In 2014, he slimmed down to reprise his role in the action-comedy 22 Jump Street opposite Channing Tatum, then gained 40 pounds for War Dogs in 2016 to play real-life arms dealer Efraim Diveroli alongside Miles Teller.

After, the actor told Jimmy Fallon during a 2017 interview on The Tonight Show: "I called Channing Tatum and said, 'Hey, if I eat less and go to a trainer, will I get in good shape?' and he's like, 'Yeah, you dumb motherf***er, of course you will. It's the simplest thing in the entire world.' "

Tatum gave Hill the number of a nutritionist who told him to write down what he eats every day, then email it, which he mistakenly (and hilariously) sent to Drake. This was a pivotal moment, however, that helped Hill lose 40 pounds.

In fact, 2017 was when a flurry of paparazzi photos hit the media circuit of Hill's slim-down. He was spotted numerous times arriving and leaving workouts sporting a noticeably slimmer silhouette.

Hill stayed trim when he starred in the Netflix TV series Maniac in 2018 alongside his Superbad co-star Emma Stone.

His weight fluctuated once more ahead of 2021's Don't Look Up, but came back down for 2023's You People. Regardless of the star's weight, he's got a renewed sense of confidence at this stage of his life and career.

It's unclear if beer is still his "Achilles’ heel," as he told the Kyle and Jackie O radio show at the start of his weight-loss journey. He elaborated saying, “It’s so annoying because if I don’t drink beer I get really thin, and then when I drink beer I get a little bigger.”

Regardless of how his weight oscillates, the impetus should remain to serve the best version of himself. May it serve as a reminder that the chase for perfection is often fruitless if its only meant to serve someone else's standards.

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