Ricki Lake’s slimming new look is turning heads, and sparking suspicions.
The former host of the “Ricki Lake” show has been more than open about her weight loss over the years after losing over 130 lbs. She was complimented on her glow-up during a June 12th episode of “Watch What Happens Live.”
In the midst of discussing her past battle with hair loss, host Andy Cohen told her “You got a juz up! You look really good.”
Lake then revealed that she recently had a “lower face and neck lift.”
“Thank you, I kind of think it’s the best facelift I’ve ever seen,” she replied, calling her doctor, Dr. Allen Foulad “a genius.”
“This is something that was bothering me. I lost a lot of weight and I had this certain thing hanging and I had it fixed,” Lake explained.
Fans online seemed to agree with Cohen as they wrote “No lie. It’s the best face-lift I’ve ever seen. She looks amazing” and “She really does look dang. Took 10 years off her” in the comments.
On Wednesday, June 11, the “Hairspray” star was spotted in New York City flaunting her slender body as she strutted inside of the Bravo Clubhouse. Lake waved at the paparazzi while wearing a black, form-fitted maxi dress she paired with a leather jacket. Giving herself some extra height, she also had on black pumps.
Lake opened up about her weight loss to Us Weekly back in January and shared that she was able to drop 40 pounds — with no thanks to Ozempic. She told the outlet that she started this weight loss journey back in October 2023.
Not only did she do intermittent fasting but she was also “following a very strict keto diet.” As for physical activities, Lake went hiking daily and wore a weighted vest. And “four days a week” she did Pilates.
She clarified that no weight-loss drugs were used to assist her on this journey. She said, “I did not go on any drug because I wasn’t prediabetic,” she said. “There’s nothing wrong with those drugs. They’re actually game changers for so many people. But for me, I did not want to be reliant on a drug if I could help it.”
Detailing more of what she did do instead of taking medications similar to Ozempic, she said, “I wore a glucose monitor. I wore my Oura ring. I prioritized sleep and overall, a low-stress lifestyle. And it worked,” she said.
She insisted that almost two years later, “it continues to work.”
Daily Mail’s report of Lake being spotted by paparazzi in her black dress spurred a range of reader reactions.
One fan said, “Bravo Ricki; you did it the correct way!! You’re rocking it!”
A second person who had a skeptical reaction said, “She looks great…but I don’t believe she’s lost that weight without some sort of injection helping her.”
A third person wrote, “She looks great. Just keep your weight and don’t lose anymore. You don’t want to look like Sharon Osbourne or Ariana Grande or Cynthia Erivo. They look unhealthy and scary looking.”
A fourth feeling similar to the second fan said, “I call bs. All of these celebs that could
Never ever lose the weight until now and want you to believe it’s not the shot. Nope. Sorry not biting.”
Some fans claimed to notice actresses Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo — who were already known for their slender frame — getting even skinner around the time they filmed their movie “Wicked.” The two women were accused of getting so small that their bone structures were obvious under their skin.
As for Sharon Osbourne, the TV personality had been using Ozempic for four months before stopping in April 2023. But, that same year in November she admitted that the drug (which is actually used to treat Type 2 diabetes) has had adverse effects on her. Fans online are often pointing out that she looks “too gaunt” as she struggles to put on weight past 100 pounds.
This is not the first time Lake has taken a stab at losing weight. When she was cast to play Tracy Turnblad in the 1988 movie “Hairspray” she weighed 200 pounds at 19 years old.
But by 2011 she had dropped about 130 pounds from her peak weight. Reflecting on that, she told “Good Morning America,” “To have almost 130 pounds on top, I mean, almost twice what I weigh, I can’t fathom what that feels like today. Being a size 6 feels better than being a size 24.”
Lake told “GMA” hosts that her slide toward obesity began in childhood. At age 9 or 10, she started to pack on pounds after a traumatic experience.
“I was sexually abused as a child, as a young child,” Lake said. “And I think that is what contributed to my being overweight … and obese, in the later years. I, even subconsciously, did not want to be attractive to men. And it was my way of, you know, protecting myself, I think … and maybe stuffing my feelings with food.”
Unlike some celebrities, the “Ricki Lake” talk show host has no shame about being heavier in her past. In fact, she embraces every body image she’s had throughout her life.
She recently shared an Instagram post with photos from some of her plus size days to her more slender days. On the May 27 post, she wrote the caption “All these ladies are part of me… I feel like I’ve lived many lives.”
