15 Times Celebrities Wore A Fat Suit And Made Us Cringe

Fat suits have a way of stealing the spotlight, and not always for the right reasons. From sitcom jokes to big-budget transformations, Hollywood has leaned on prosthetics and padding for years, and viewers have not exactly stayed quiet about it.

In this roundup, celebrities like Renée Zellweger, Courteney Cox, Gwyneth Paltrow, and others are shown in roles that relied on heavy makeup or fat suits instead of casting actors with larger bodies. That choice has sparked plenty of side-eye, especially when the result looks more distracting than convincing.

Here are 15 times the fat suit trend made people cringe.

1. Renée Zellweger as Pam Hupp

Skip Bolen/NBC

Viewers are torn when it comes to Renée Zellweger in The Thing About Pam. Although she's an incredibly talented actress, there's no denying that Renée looks rather odd in the fat suit.

Salten News

That reaction set the tone for the rest of the list.

2. Sarah Paulson as Linda Tripp

Sarah Paulson is almost unrecognizable as Linda Tripp in American Crime Story. "There's a lot of controversy surrounding actors and fat suits, and I think that controversy is a legitimate one," Sarah said.

"I think fat-phobia is real. I think pretending otherwise causes further harm."

USA Today

3. Eddie Murphy as Sherman Klump

Who could forget Eddie Murphy as Sherman Klump in The Nutty Professor films? It seems fat suits aren't any better on men than they are on women.

4. Matt LeBlanc as Fat Joey

Matt LeBlanc donned a fat suit to portray "Fat Joey" in Friends. The episode showed Joey in an alternate reality where he's married to Monica.

Imdb.com

5. Max Greenfield as Fat Schmidt

Why the creators of New Girl decided that Schmidt had to be overweight in his college flashbacks is beyond us. Surely a character doesn't have to be "fat" just because they're a bit awkward.

Glamour

6. Chris Hemsworth as Fat Thor

When half the population was killed in Marvel's Endgame, poor Thor suffered some major survivor's guilt. He turned to food and beer for comfort, and before long, we were introduced to "Fat Thor."

Pinkvilla

7. Julia Roberts in 'America's Sweetheart'

Even a Pretty Woman like Julia Roberts can't pull off a fat suit. She wore the suit for her character's backstory in America's Sweetheart.

Imdb.com

8. Courteney Cox in 'Friends'

Any fellow Friends fans out there will know that Monica used to be fat (*gasp). And, of course, to play "Fat Monica," Courteney Cox had to wear a crazy fat suit in several episodes.

Some of these TV moments aged better than others.

And if you’re wondering about cringe Hollywood moments, check out the times biggest stars wanted the earth to swallow them whole.

9. Mike Myers as Fat Bastard

Pretty much every character Mike Myers plays in the Austin Powers films is ridiculous in one way or another. But Fat Bastard really takes the cake!

Imdb.com

10. Amy Adams in 'Smallville'

When Amy Adams guest-starred on Smallville, she played a "fat" girl who lost weight by consuming space dust-laced vegetables. She then began craving body fat and sort of became a cannibal.

Imdb.com

11. Mila Kunis as Fat Jackie

Mila Kunis's fat suit as "Fat Jackie" would have to be one of the worst. Supposedly, the future version of Jackie had "let herself go."

12. Goldie Hawn in 'Death Becomes Her'

Goldie Hawn's character in Death Becomes Her was depressed and somewhat crazy. Why do these sorts of characters always have to be portrayed as "fat"?

Imdb.com

13. Gwyneth Paltrow in 'Shallow Hal'

Gwyneth Paltrow herself described Shallow Hal as "so sad" and "so disturbing." "No one would make eye contact with me because I was obese," she said.

That one still gets people talking.

14. John Travolta in 'Hairspray'

Not only did John Travolta play a woman in Hairspray, he played a "fat" woman! Why his character, Edna, couldn't have been played by a plus-sized female is a mystery.

Imdb.com

15. Ryan Reynolds in 'Just Friends'

Ryan Reynolds' character in Just Friends was awkward, nerdy, and entirely unpopular. But why he also had to be "fat" is a mystery to us.

Imdb.com/© 2005 New Line Cinema

So, there you have it. Fifteen times celebrities have worn fat suits that have made us cringe.

How do you feel about the fat suit trend? Do you think it's fair to cast thin actors in fat suits, or should those roles be given to plus-sized actors?

We would love to hear your opinions on this. You can share your thoughts with us in the comment section.

Hollywood keeps reaching for the same shortcut, and people keep noticing.

For more body-image controversy, see why Danielle Fishel couldn’t show her arms in the last season of Boy Meets World.