Actor John Goodman, 73, Debuts 200-Pound Weight Loss

Goodman started his weight loss journey in 2007

Andre Ellington,

AARP

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Published July 16, 2025

a side-by-side image collage showing john goodman before and after his weight loss

AARP (Getty Images, 2)

Legendary actor John Goodman is still taking on stellar movie roles while prioritizing his healthy lifestyle.

The Hollywood star appeared at the premiere of the animated movie Smurfs in Los Angeles, showing off his significant weight loss progress. Goodman voices Papa Smurf in the film.

Goodman started his weight loss journey in 2007 because he wanted to achieve a healthier lifestyle. The Big Lebowski actor told ABC News in 2016 that he eliminated sugar and alcohol from his diet and began exercising throughout the week.

“I just got tired, sick and tired of looking at myself,” Goodman said. “You’re shaving in the mirror, and you don’t want to look at yourself. It gets dangerous.”

Having a healthy weight or BMI (Body Mass Index) is imperative for older adults. Being obese and having visceral fat can pose serious health problems such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cognitive impairment.

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, 44.3 percent of people ages 40 to 59, and 41.5 percent of those 60 and older, are considered obese.

In 2023, the AARP Movies for Grownups award-winner told Rolling Stone that “getting out and walking the dogs” and “boxing” were among the ways he started shedding weight and continues to keep it off.

“Nobody’s going to get hurt, but it’s just hitting the mitts and trying to learn,” Goodman said.

When asked if he did any sparring while boxing, Goodman said he’s just “hitting the mitts.”

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“I never got good enough where I would trust myself to spar because once I get whacked in the face, I don’t know if I wouldn’t lose it,” Goodman shared. “But someday I’d like to get that far advanced. But it’s usually just an hour or an hour and a half of hitting the mitts, hitting the bags, learning footwork. It’s great.”

Other celebrities, like comedian Jim Gaffigan, are also taking charge of their health and well-being.

Gaffigan, 59, told AARP in 2024 that he started his weight loss journey after his doctor advised him to try weight-loss drugs.

“My doctor brought it up,” he explained. “I went in for my yearly checkup. My doctor had noticed that I had gained weight, and she offered it as an option. I had done a movie where my knees were kind of shot and I was kind of doing the elliptical, but barely. My family [history includes] — I think it's just in the genetic makeup — compulsive eating. And my experience is like, Oh, that stuff doesn’t work on me. But I gave it a try.”

The Being Frank actor said nowadays, he focuses on “trying to close my rings on my Apple Watch.”

Actress Kathy Bates, 77, says mindful eating jump-started her path to losing weight.

“A few years ago, I was diagnosed with diabetes,” Bates shared with AARP. “It scared the crap out of me. So I decided I was going to finally do something about my weight.”

“I was at 245 pounds,” she continued. “Over a period of about six years, I lost 80 pounds. There’s something in the brain that sends a message to our stomachs when we’re hungry, then you eat. Then after 10, 15, 20 minutes, depending on how fast you eat, another message has been sent from your brain saying you’ve had enough.” The Hollywood actress said she used Ozempic to lose 20 more pounds, and she’s now down to 145.

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