Chrissy Metz Details Traumatic Weight-Based Abuse By Her Stepfather

"This Is Us" star Chrissy Metz is opening up in a new interview, reflecting on her challenging childhood and how she often felt “singled out” by her stepfather due to her ongoing battles with weight.

The actress revealed the emotional toll of growing up in an environment where her weight was a constant focal point, explaining that it created feelings of isolation and insecurity. She described how her stepfather’s remarks and attitudes towards her body contributed to her struggles with self-esteem and acceptance.

In fact, Chrissy Metz remembered “not feeling worthy” during her younger years because of his actions.

On the “Jamie Kern Lima Show” podcast, Metz told listeners that her stepfather would "weigh" her "in the kitchen" or "threaten to lock the cupboards, which led her to "not feeling worthy."

“Why does my weight equate to my worthiness, or why does it bother him so much?” she wondered at the time.

"I think there's so much more awareness now around food, food issues, food behavior… we educate people, the fear goes away. And maybe he was just fearful. I don't really know," she explained.

At just 12 years old, Metz struggled to “reconcile that” feeling of being singled out in her mind. She shared, “Kids' job is to be loved, and some parents don’t have that capacity, unfortunately.”

Because of these actions, Metz was left feeling "devastated."

“Definitely mental, physical, emotional abuse, for sure,” she continued. “While you’re going through puberty and you look like none of your other friends, and you can’t fit into any of the cute Wet Seal clothes that they can fit into.”

Metz candidly admitted that while the physical abuse she experienced was “not great,” it was the emotional abuse that left a more significant mark on her. She explained that the psychological toll of being "singled out" and made to feel less than by those who were supposed to support her had a profound impact on her self-esteem and mental health.

“They’re like little nicks, little cuts and eventually you bleed out. It is painful,” she said on the podcast. “I think I’m trying to heal those wounds slowly but surely and it’s not easy because it definitely comes up. The root of it is like, ‘I’m unworthy.’”

While the abuse she endured was years ago, it is still something she is coping with, even as an adult.

“Now, as an adult, I’m like, ‘OK, maybe, he actually loved me [and] didn’t know how to express it’ and did it in such a difficult way that he thought he was being helpful. He doesn’t want me to be unhealthy or he doesn’t want me to be a certain way,” she said. “Also, hurt people hurt people and he was I think very hurt by his own father. These are only things I can say now because I’ve gone to therapy and like I’ve processed feelings.”

The biggest thing she has noticed about herself due to the abuse is she is now a "people pleaser."

“It’s my desire to be a people pleaser and a peacemaker,” she shared on the podcast. “It is still very painful if I really get to the root of it. There’s still a lot of pain about all of that, for sure.”

Metz went on to talk about how “there's so much stigma about weight, and there still is for a myriad of reasons, but I think there's this idea that like, ‘Oh, you can't put the food down’ or ‘You're lazy.’ “

“Beautiful models are on a pedestal, even though they're very unhealthy as well. They're not taking care of their bodies. But when you're overweight, it's like a whole other thing. It's so bizarre,” the actress said.

It's this stigma that caused people to “sigh, or wouldn’t look at me or wouldn’t engage” whenever she found herself seated next to them on a plane, Metz revealed.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, there are many resources available to help. Call or text 988 to connect with a trained crisis counselor or chat online with a counselor.