Valerie Bertinelli Admits She Was ‘Part of the Diet Culture Problem’ as a Jenny Craig Spokesperson
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After Valerie Bertinelli shared an emotional video in response to a troll’s comment about her weight, she admitted to being “part of the problem” as a Jenny Craig spokesperson who helped sell fad diets.
A Twitter user initially called her out for the gig, which she held in the early 2000s.
“I have been buying into the diet industry my whole life and then I became part of the problem,” she wrote. “So here I am today receiving the karma of my actions.”
Over the last week, Valerie Bertinelli has had some difficult conversations about body image online. It all started when she shared an emotional video in response to a troll’s hateful comment on her weight. Then she found herself having to regretfully detail her own perpetuations of diet culture.
In the original video, she said the troll was “not being helpful” by pointing out that she “needed to lose weight.”
“When you see somebody who has put some weight on, my first thought is that person is obviously going through some things,” she added, tearing up. “Because if I could lose the weight and keep it off, I would.”
The clip garnered lots of positive response, with many people assuring the actress that she’s not alone. But of course, she also got some flack for the post because well, it's the internet.
“Sorry Valerie Bertinelli @Wolfiesmom - you spent decades telling the rest of us to get thin, shilled weight loss shakes, potions and snake oil and NOW wanna be a body shaming warrior?” A person wrote to Bertinelli on Twitter. “You don’t get to be a victim when you helped create the problem. Grow up if you can’t take the heat.”
The user was referring to Bertinelli’s days as a Jenny Craig spokesperson, to which she responded with honesty.
“I’m not a victim. I can take the heat. I made the video so I could get my feelings out instead of squashing them down and eating them, which is what I usually do,” she replied, beginning a thread.
Yes, I spent 6 years ‘shilling’ for Jenny Craig. (your math’s a little off) I have been buying into the diet industry my whole life and then I became part of the problem, so here I am today receiving the karma of my actions.
— Valerie Bertinelli (@Wolfiesmom) July 10, 2021
“Yes, I spent six years ‘shilling’ for Jenny Craig,” she continued. “I have been buying into the diet industry my whole life and then I became part of the problem, so here I am today receiving the karma of my actions.”
In conclusion, she wrote: “You can go ahead and judge all you like. However, I can warn you, from experience, that kind of karma doesn’t feel great either.”
The interaction comes shortly after the Food Network star announced the upcoming release of her memoir, Enough Already: Learning to Love the Way I Am Today, in which she shares more openly about her insecurities and what they’ve taught her. She told People it’s “the most personal, intimate writing I’ve done,” which has helped her accept the person she is today instead of constantly trying to lose weight.
“This book is about letting go of the mindset that made me feel broken and always trying to fix something about myself,” she explained. “I explore the things that I have gone through and continue to deal with in getting to where I am today—topics that I think will be familiar to many people—my relationship to food, being a mom, mid-life career changes, aging parents, saying goodbye to loved ones, and asking why the hell have I been so hard on myself for so long.”
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