Kirstie Alley announced on Monday that she’s back with Jenny Craig, but her latest advertisement is already causing controversy.
In a new TV spot, Alley, 63, pretends to call the weight loss company that helped her shed 75 pounds in 2004 to inform them of her recent weight gain.
“Jenny, I wanna come home,” the actress, clad in a figure-skimming blue wrap dress, says into a phone. “No, no, no. I’m not like circus fat, I just wanna lose 20 pounds.”
“30!” she whispers into the camera.
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But Alley’s use of the term “circus fat” has been criticized on social media.
“Why didn’t @JennyCraig just shoot a commercial with Kirstie Alley taunting, ‘At least I’m not as bad off as you’?” Megan Pollvault wrote on Twitter.
Elizabeth Hawksworth also took to the service to say, “I don’t care what weight they’re at or how they look, fat people are not a goddamn circus sideshow. #notyourgoodfatty.”
Landry Miller wrote, “Kirstie Alley is talking about being ‘circus fat’ … I guess thats why she’s wearing more make up than any clowns I’ve ever seen.”
“What’s considered circus fat? Asking for a friend,” Grant Johnson tweeted.
During an appearance on “Today” on Monday, Alley further explained her use of the term many have found derogatory.
“I know this isn’t politically correct, but I grew up when there were actually fat ladies in the circus,” she explained to Matt Lauer. “Now so many of us are fat that you can’t tell us apart. When there were actually fat ladies in the circus … they would parade the fat lady out, so I call it ‘circus fat.'”
“I’m not ‘circus fat’ but I need to lose 30 pounds. Thirty pounds is a lot,” she continued.
A representative for Jenny Craig could not immediately be reached for comment.
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