Is There a 'SNL' Weight Double-Standard?

By PopEater Staff Posted Sep 10th 2009 11:56AM

'Saturday Night Live' has always been a place where few things were taboo. Sex, drugs, politics ... they all have a place for satire on the legendary comedy skit show. However, one topic that's not in the script, but among the cast, is being called out as sexist and (we're coining the term) weightist. E! columnist Ted Casablanca claims that Casey Wilson was fired from the show because she was asked to "lose 30 pounds during the show's summer hiatus," but didn't. This begs the question: Is there a weight double-standard on 'SNL,' which featured heavyweights like Chris Farley and Horatio Sanz but very few curvy women? Or was Wilson just fired because she wasn't as funny as others? We explore after the jump.

Casey Wilson's 'SNL' Skits

'Penelope'

'Cougar Den'

Throughout its history, 'SNL' has gladly hired -- and successfully written skits about -- the weight of burly male comedians on the show. Jim Belushi was often the "big guy," and late actor Chris Farley's weight was more often the punchline than not. His epic Chippendales dance-off with Patrick Swayze was purely fat-guy-and-buff-guy comedy, but could you picture (or would 'SNL' ever dare) a skit with Megan Fox (set to host on Sept. 26) in a bikini contest with a heavier woman like Wilson? Probably not.

Casablancas is quick to point out that Wilson was "pretty much the only female castmember the show's had in years who wasn't a size 6 or smaller (a pregnant Amy Poehler notwithstanding)."

'SNL' often uses its off-season to trim talent and hire newcomers as replacements. Wilson had never established herself as a fixture on the show, never landing a stand-out character like Kristen Wiig or Amy Poehler have before her. So, the debate rages as to whether it was her lack of weight on the show or what the show thought was a surplus of weight on her body that got her fired.

There hasn't been a comment from 'SNL' on the weight claims.

Comments

(133)

Thursday 10 September

By Sara

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There is a term that exists for weight discrimination already - sizeist. It's fairly common in the blogosphere.

By Wendy Schwartz

I've watched SNL for many years and I truely love the show. I have to agree that SNL's
owners discriminate against heavy woman and that is not okay. John, Chris and Horatio were extremely funny but they were very much over weight,none of these men were fired. You would think that people that run a show like SNL would be more liberal with their views.

By Blue Melon

Lowest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

Well, perhaps you need to spend a bit less time in the blogosphere you anus. Nobody cares - if you had read the article, you would have read that the writer was referring to it as "weightist." But you obviously didn't take the time to read it completely and just fired out a comment that made no sense to make yourself look smart. You failed to make anyone think you're intelligent.

By Tracy

Sorry, I thought Casey Wilson was adorable and funny (see the Anne Hathaway episode from last season)
SNL, as much as I love it (guilty pleasure although the product isnt as good) discriminates against bigger women, Remember Denny Dillon?? She got one season and was let go, then went on to be one of the funniest characters on HBO's "DREAM ON".
They also DROPPED THE BALL asking Matthew Fox to host when they could have had big man Jorge Garcia from LOST, who's lifelong dream is to host SNL.
They obviously don't care what the audience wants to see. They havent "caught on" America wants to see people like them!! Not some makeup caked floozy like Lindsey Lohan.
Get with the times Lorne!!

Friday 11 September

By Mr McGriddlecakes

Low Ranked Vote down Vote up Report this

Well some of us tend to do normal things still and not be a part of this so-called "blogosphere".

I like the real world just fine.

By asl9810

Maybe this actress (who doesn't look fat to me!) was is a 'natural', and the viewing public can see that. Also there is a double standard: Big fat white men are always funny and charming; while big fat white women are sloppy -- but skinny, drug addicted white women are always "hot".

Saturday 12 September

By frank

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I'd have to guess they fired her for being overweight, because none of them are funny. They are all so unfunny they are actually embarassing to watch. Predictable and unimaginative, the show has been on for too long, and they need to stop their criminally bad performances.

By foxfor9

that being said... this girl is pretty cute. is SNL still being viewed by anyone?

By riverdew149

Really? Doesn't anyone else think that she is a pretty lady?

By Lady Luck

I think she's pretty. I just don't think she's funny. at all.

By Tom

In a word, yes

By Gizmologist

Personally I think she is fantastic. Skinny, bony women are not attractive at all. They remind me of Holocaust survivors.(no offense intended to the survivors at all) Women are made to be curvy and there are a great many men realistic and level headed enough to ignore the skin and bones credo of Hollywood and are attracted to real, sexy, curvy feminine women.

By cashman7323

how about finding a funny woman. Since Tina and Amy left, the ones that were left were unfunny, unwatchable, and highly forgetable. Dump all of them, please.

By LaLa

I love Kristen Wiig! Please don't let her go! I thought Casey was all right, she did not get much of a chance. She is very attractive and I cannot believe they told her to lose 30 lbs!

By ben

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She was fired because she wasn't funny. I watched SNL a lot last season and during the season I thought that Wilson and the other woman that was fired were both the least funny people on the show. The article seems to forget about Rachel Dratch. She was more heavyset, and not very attractive, but she was funny and was on the show for a long time. Wilson isn't ugly at all, and she isn't even very fat. Hopefully SNL can find some more funny women to go with Kristin Wiig.

By Reena

why would size matter when it comes to being funny?? who cares what she looks like as long as she's getting her job done and producing laughs?? It totally is a double standard, if in fact she was let go because of her weight. And - just by looking at this photo - she doesn't even look fat, a bit chunky, but not fat!

By Wanda

You make a good point Reena. She's chunky. Pretty,but chunky.I am so tired of overweight girls/women being called "curvy." One can be curvy and not be overweight. I wish people would stop confusing the two. That being said,I haven't watched SNL regularly for a while, so I don't know if she was funny or not,but if weight was the issue,then the double standard is definetly in evidence here.

By Nico Toscani

Alex Borstein was a fixture on Mad TV for years & was plump compared to the other female cast members. Of course, she was hilarious (and continues to be as the voice of Lois on Family Guy), and Casey Wilson was terrible in her stint on SNL. While I agree that looks are stressed more for female performers (and females in general), true talent will still win out.

By Lhyzz

It's not just SNL, it's all of television/movies. Seriously, I can count on one hand the number of successful actresses who are even a little heavier than skinny. There loads and loads of ugly-ass, fat men that succeed in acting and comedy.

Because no matter how far we've come, women are still judged first and foremost on their appearance and not their abilities. It's sad.

By the way, Casey Wilson is adorable and very pretty, and any employer that asks a woman at her weight to lose 30 lbs is asking her to be unhealthy.

By Steve

She was simply not very funny. She was the kiss of death in any scene she was in last season. Just a terrible, terrible actor. Also, not a very good writer, ie., "Bride Wars". She unleashed that abomination on the world - reason enough for her to get canned.

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