Legendary actor Kathy Bates has run the gamut throughout her acting career, with CBS’ Matlock as her most recent challenge. Though her talents are as sharp as ever in the 2025 TV schedule, the former star of the short-lived NBC legal dramedy Harry’s Law admits that her work on that series physically felt “awful.”
However, thanks to her recent weight loss, spurred by her Type 2 diabetes diagnosis, Bates has a new view on how she’s been able to work as of late. As we wait for Matlock’s current spring break to be over, the star of this Paramount+ subscription booster has shared even more feelings about how it feels shooting a television drama after her 100 lb. loss.
Speaking with People during an event for PaleyFest this past weekend, Kathy Bates told her “before” story with these details:
When I was so heavy in Harry's Law, I had to sit down in between every take, and it was awful. I'm ashamed to have put myself through that, to be honest.
Running for two seasons between 2011 and 2012, this legal dramedy spanned 34 episodes. After reading Ms. Bates’ thoughts of how physically taxing working on Harry’s Law was, one could almost see that cancellation as a bit of a blessing.
According to the report cited above, it wouldn’t be until 2017 that Kathy Bates would receive the diagnosis that prompted her to lose the weight that caused her actual physical discomfort. Once that prognosis was in the air, the Misery icon took steps to improve herself, with a result that's notable for several reasons.
Kathy Bates' Post-Weight Loss Work Process Is A Lot Less Taxing
While Ozempic has become a controversial drug, it’s what helped the recent Critics Choice winner to make her physical transformation. Knowing stories of Bates’ generosity to her Matlock collaborator Eric Christen Olsen, reading the following “after” story almost feels like that philanthropy reflected inward:
But now that I've been able to get really healthy, I can move, I can breathe, I can have fun, I'm not sore. I get tired and realize I'm like an old lady, but even the kids get tired. But it's been a magnificent experience. [I] never expected to have this at my age, at the end of my career.
Matlock’s central actor has noticed the difference, and in their own way her collaborators seemingly have as well. Director Kat Cairo’s story of Kathy Bates’ "stamina" when it comes to the production of her CBS show sounds like it’s talking about a completely different person than the one who unfortunately struggled during Harry’s Law.
Talking about subjects such as an actor’s weight loss can be a bit of a minefield, especially in a media that’s ever conscious of image and health. Sharing stories like this Kathy Bates-based account are important, as it highlights a talented actor boosting a different kind of signal. The “weight loss journey” described above isn’t one of vanity, but of personal improvement in the name of health.
As a Type 1 diabetic myself, I can relate to Ms. Bates’ story of noticing the difference in life before and after adjusting to such a condition. Knowing she’s feeling better about herself, as well as physically functioning at a better capacity, is totally the sort of information we should be sharing with the world.
It should serve as an inspiration to others to not only take their health seriously, but to also acknowledge that even Academy Award-winning powerhouses like Kathy Bates are just as human as the rest of us. That may mean that she’s anticipating her TV return on April 3 just as much as the rest of us are, if only to enjoy the reactions to the supposedly shocking Matlock Season 1 finale that awaits.
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