Rebel Wilson promotes her weighty cause

 

Rebel Wilson attends Cosmopolitan's Super Fun Night / Picture: Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images Source: Getty Images

 

Maria Lewis, The Daily Telegraph, reports

Aussie actress Rebel Wilson has hit out at fat-shamers on Twitter after critics bagged her fuller figured body.

Wilson is a big deal in the US thanks to roles in films including Bridesmaids and Pitch Perfect.

But it is her irreverent style of comedy on new primetime ABC show Super Fun Night that is causing the most attention.

Detractors have criticised Wilson, 27, for glorifying what they say is an unhealthy body and cliched jokes about being overweight.

"I haven't received any offers in the US to lose weight ... and even if I did, right now I'm way too focused on doing Super Fun Night x," the Australian comedian wrote on Twitter yesterday.

"I never wanna be too unhealthy though, so even though I like desserts (clearly), I still try to exercise e.g walk to shop to get ice-cream. oh yeah I do mermaid dancing once a month at least x that counts as cardio x Note to self: do not eat dinner quickly and then put in Spanks x"

Critics pan Rebel Wilson's new comedy Super Fun Night, Aussie funny woman defends 'fat jokes'

Rebel Wilson in a scene from upcoming comedy Super Fun Night. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

 

 

News.com.au reports

It’s been a rough week for Rebel Wilson.

Even before its premiere, US television critics have panned the pilot for her new comedy, Super Fun Night, saying it falls "wide of the mark" and is "rarely outright funny."

"Super fright night is more like it. This show is so painful and cringe-inducing that it's scary," one critic even wrote.

But in true Rebel form, the Aussie actress has bounced back from the criticism, insisting she has a licence to doll out 'fat jokes'.

"As long as I look like this I'm going to make fat jokes," she told Hunger magazine.

"All comedians have to use their physicality, so I use my size."

Earlier this year the 27-year-old was called out by Forbes magazine who accused her of overusing "fat women can be funny" jokes while hosting the MTV Movie Awards.

But despite receiving negative comments about her figure, the Pitch Perfect star hopes her look will inspire larger women to feel comfortable in their own skin.

"Before, it was all glamorous types like Kate Hudson who served as, like, the female equivalent of a 'straight man'. Now it's turning, and it's really good," she said.

Wilson is gearing up to debut Super Fun Night on October 2, in which she plays a socially inept single woman who sets aside Friday nights to stay at home and hang with her pyjama-clad besties.

She argues that she wanted her character Kimmie to wear unflattering clothing.

"In the pilot, I was deliberately wearing a very tight white dress with horrible crisscross black stripes that is way too short, and I'm holding a clutch purse that is so tiny that it accentuates my size," she told vulture.com.

"The women from wardrobe are lovely, but they don't get that I want to dress as Kimmie, and Kimmie does not have the best taste. The girls in the show are at the bottom of the social pole, and it's hard to communicate that to the network. It's important they understand that comedy is not about looking good."

Wilson had her breakthrough role in 2011 comedy Bridesmaids playing the sister of British comedian Matt Lucas. Since then she has gone on to star in other comedies such as Pitch Perfect, in which her character was referred to as 'Fat Amy'.

Rebel without Jenny Craig cause

Rebel Wilson has split with Jenny Craig after failing to reach her weight-loss goal. Source: Supplied

The Sunday Telegraph reports

She’s never made a secret of her cupcake fetish but after failing to fend off the lure of such fatty treats, the well-rounded Rebel Wilson and Jenny Craig have split.

Wilson's ambassadorial role with the weight-loss giant has ended long before she reached her target goal.

The Aussie actor, who pledged in July 2011 to shed 25kg, managed to drop 15kg, but the contract is over. It's unclear which party ended it.

Wilson, who weighed 106kg at her heaviest, initially said being overweight had affected her work. But it turns out the US film industry has no problem with her size, having cast her in big-budget comedies such as Bridesmaids and What To Expect When You're Expecting.

Last year the 29-year-old was forced to stop dieting for her role as a college student named Fat Amy in Pitch Perfect, but vowed to slim down to 80kg by the end of last year.

"At the moment Rebel is based in the States and is concentrating on her acting career. Due to her busy work schedule she is currently not on the JC program," Jenny Craig's Amy Smith said.

"She successfully lost 15 kilos and thanks Jenny Craig for their help and support."

The company's current Australian ambassador Mel B lost 15kg after signing up following the birth of her third child in October 2011 and continues to feature in its marketing campaigns.

Barry Humphries, Ian "Dicko" Dickson and Magda Szubanski have all shed weight as ambassadors for Jenny Craig.

Meanwhile, rival company Weight Watchers last month announced it had signed Mahalia Barnes as its new celebrity face.

Wilson has two films set for release this year - US comedy Pain & Gain starring Mark Wahlberg and Super Fun Night, a TV movie she wrote and produced.

Two former executive producers of friends join comedienne Rebel Wilson's team for comedy pilot Super Fun Night FOR CBS

Comedy pilot for CBS ... Comedienne Rebel Wilson. Picture: Richard Dobson Source: The Sunday Telegraph

The Daily Telegraph reports

Aussie comedienne Rebel Wilson is getting some help from high places, with two former executive producers of Friends joining the team behind her comedy pilot Super Fun Night for CBS in the US.

Website Deadline reported Andrew Reich and Ted Cohen have joined Wilson's staff as executive producers/showrunners and will probably stay on should the show be picked up as a series.

Written by and starring Wilson, Super Fun Night - from Warner Bros TV and Conan O'Brien's Conaco, follows three nerdy female friends on their quest to have "super fun" every Friday night.

Reich and Cohen join the show fresh from the dismal failure of their last effort; the short-lived, cross-dressing sitcom Work It.