In 2009, Eric Stonestreet’s life changed forever in two major ways.
First, he won his role in “modern family.” It was an ABC sitcom that lasted 11 seasons and earned fame as Cameron Tucker, a kind husband in Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s Mitchell Pritchett play.
But it was also the same year that Stonestreet received medical news. He had type 2 diabetes. This made him feel a great shame, like his stars were rising.
“I would probably dare say the only person in the cast who knows that Type 2 diabetes is Jesse. That’s what I’ve never talked about before,” says Stone Street. “Of course, because a guy who looks like me has type 2 diabetes.” That’s what everyone gets from looking like you and eating like you. ”
He says that it was Munjaro, a drug that started on a doctor’s recommendation in 2022 that changed the actor’s health. Since then, Stonestreet said his blood sugar level has been healthier and pre-diabetic levels, and he has lost some weight.
Stonestreet admits that fans of “modern family” may notice that he’s thinner than he was on the show, but emphasizes that he didn’t appear in Munjaro. On the Zoom Call in late April, the actor doesn’t share exactly how much he lost, but admits that “it’s true that the shirt size is a couple of or three lower.”
Currently, Stonestreet has formed a paid partnership with Eli Lilly and Company, the drug brand behind Mounjaro, sharing his experience with drugs in hopes of similar drugs that have become a hot cultural and political topic in recent years.
“I’ve never spoken to anyone about it. I was embarrassed so I just kept it to myself,” he says. “I’m talking about it now, so I hope others do the same.”
“I didn’t like looking at myself.”
As an actor, Stonestreet says he doesn’t like to see his work. He can know that his performance is spontaneous and he can get in the way at the moment while acting.
During his run on “Modern Family,” Stonestreet says he found it particularly difficult to see himself on TV. Much of this has been linked to feelings of shame that comes with his diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, he says.
“I know when I’m doing well and I liked not and ‘I don’t want to see myself’,” he says of his time at the sitcom. “And I don’t like how I see it there.” As others experience, people always say, “You love to see yourself on TV.” In fact, that’s the opposite. ”
Stonestreet has not told his former “modern family” castmate that he has started Mounjaro. However, he hopes that with the announcement of his Eli Lily partnership, many will know when the other world will do so. He expects that when they do so, they will be cooperative.
“I think most of them will be surprised and they will be happy for me. So we all want the best of each other. “But over time, there’s no doubt that people will think, ‘Eric should take care of herself better.’ And I thought that (too); ”
Stonestreet doesn’t know if or how his weight loss will affect his career. His main motivation for starting Mounjaro has always been his health and management of type 2 diabetes. However, he believes that costumers in future projects may not be as unwell when taking measurements.
“Look, I’m suddenly Brad Pitt here and not carved at 175 pounds. Let’s be really clear about that. I’m always falling into a big bone, Kansas, a corn guy,” he says. “But the clothes are better. It’s exciting. I’m down in size. It’s exciting. People in the show’s wardrobe are not shocked to hear that I’m a size 50 jacket.what Is it the size? how big? ‘It’s interesting. That’s exciting. ”
Stigma of weight loss due to medication
Medications that lead to weight loss have now split into mainstream these days, thanks to Oprah Winfrey and other celebrities moving forward to sharing their experiences.
Still, these drugs often carry stigma, but medical professionals stressed that there was no problem taking them under proper medical guidance and supervision.
Stonestreet hopes he will receive some average comments when the public learns that he has been to Mounjaro.
“People will inevitably smoke social media and people will say mean things. That’s fine. I’ll get it. “But it works for me and I can’t judge why someone else has been on these other drugs.”
But Stonestreet knows that his progress is likely to mean a lot for people in similar situations. He hopes these people will let them know that they are not alone and that they are not embarrassed to take these medications responsibly.
It’s a lesson that he acknowledges that it took him a little time to learn.
“Hopefully, what everyone takes from it is to find someone you can talk about it and to make it shine by hiding it,” he says.