>> James: IT CERTAINLY IS.
NOW I WANT IT TALK TO YOU ABOUT SOMETHING.
LAST WEEK I WAS WATCHING THE TELEVISION AND BILL MAHER SAT AT
A HOST DESK LIKE THIS ONE.
HE LOOKED INTO THE CAMERA LIKE I AM DOING NOW AND HE TALKED ON
HIS SHOW ABOUT FAT SHAMING.
AND HE ARGUED THAT IT HAD GONE AWAY AND NEEDED TO MAKE A
COMEBACK.
TAKE A LOOK.
>> BEING FAT ISN'T A BIRTH DEFECT.
NOBODY COMES OUT OF THE WOMB NEEDING TO BUY TWO SEATS ON THE
AIRPLANE.
WE HAVE TBON TO THIS WEIRD PLACE WHERE FAT IS GOOD.
IT IS POINTING OUT THAT FAT IS UNWEALTHY.
THAT IS WHAT IS SAD.
FAT SHAMING DOESN'T NEED TO END.
IT NEEDS TO MAKE A COMEBACK.
>> Jame SO I SAT AT HOME AND.
I'M WATCHING THIS AND ALL OF I COULD THINK OF, I WAS LIKE OH
MAN, SOMEBODY NEEDS TO SAY SOMETHING ABOUT THIS.
IF ONLY THERE WAS SOMEONE WITH A PLATFORM WHO KNEW WHAT IT WAS
ACTUALLY LIKE TO BE OVERWEIGHT AND THEN I REALIZED, OH, THAT
WILL BE ME.
(LAUGHTER) (CHEERS AND APPLAUSE).
>> James: OH NO.
NOW, HERE IS THE THING.
I ACTUALLY HAVE A LOT IN COMMON WITH BILL MAHER, I DO.
WE BOTH SHOOT OUR SHOWS HERE IN THE SAME BUILDING.
WE BOTH HOST THE SECOND MOST POPULAR TALK SHOWS ON OUR
NETWORK.
AND WE BOTH KNOW THAT WE HAVE QUESTIONABLE CHOICES IN OUR FILM
KAER RADIOS, BILL WAS IN A MOVIE CALL THE KAL I BELL WOMEN IN THE
AVOCADO JUNGLE OF DEATH WHICH IS ABOUT, TRUE, ABOUT AN ALL-FEMALE
TRIBE OF CANNIBALISTIC AVOCADO FARMERS.
AND I APPEARED IN THE CLASSIC FILM THE LESBIAN VAMPIRE
KILLERS.
WHICH IS ABOUT LESBIAN VAMPIRE KILLERS.
NO, DON'T YOU DARE CLAP IT, NO.
IT IS EXACTLY AS BAD AS YOU THINK IT IS.
(LAUGHTER) I GOT TO SAY, RIGHT, THAT ANY
TIME I HAVE MET BILL MAHER IN PERSON, HE HAS BEEN POG BUT ME
SANT AND KIND AND NICE, WHICH IS WHY I FOUND IT SO SURPRISING
THAT HE OR ANYBODY THINKS THAT FAT SHAMING NEEDS TO MAKE A COME
BACK.
BECAUSE FAT SHAMING NEVER WENT ANYWHERE.
I MEAN ASK LIT REALLILY ANY FAT PERSON.
WE ARE REMINDED OF IT ALL THE TIME ON AIRPLANES, ON INSTAGRAM,
WHEN SOMEONE LEAVES A PIE ON THE WINDOW SILL TO COOL AND THEY
GIVE US A LOOK LIKE, DON'T, DON'T YOU DARE.
(LAUGHTER) NOW THERE IS A COMMON AND
INSULTING MISCONCEPTION THAT FAT PEOPLE ARE STUPID AND LAZY AND
WE'RE NOT.
LIKE WE GET IT.
WE KNOW.
WE KNOW THAT BEING OVERWEIGHT ISN'T GOOD FOR US.
AND I'VE STRUGGLED MY ENTIRE LIFE TRYING TO MANAGE MY WEIGHT.
AND I SUCK AT IT, RIGHT.
I HAVE HAD GOOD DAYS AND BAD MONTHS.
(LAUGHTER) I'M BASICALLY BEEN OFF AND ON
DIETS SINCE AS LONG AS CAN REMEMBER.
AND, WELL, THIS IS HOW IT IS GOING.
RIGHT?
BUT WE'RE NOT -- (CHEERS AND APPLAUSE).
>> James: HERE'S THE THING.
WE'RE NOT ALL AS LUCKY AS BILL MAHER, YOU SNOW.
WE DON'T ALL HAVE A SENSE OF SUPERYORITY THAT BURNS 35,000
CALORIES A DAY, RIGHT?
I KID BECAUSE I LOVE.
BILL, I SINCERELY BELIEVE THAT WHAT YOU THINK YOU ARE OFFERING
HERE IS TOUGH LOVE.
AND YOU'RE JUST TRYING TO HELP BY NOT SUGAR COATING REALITY FOR
FAT PEOPLE, EVEN THOUGH YOU KNOW HOW MUCH FAT PEOPLE LOVE SUGAR
COATING THINGS.
RIGHT?
BUT THE TRUTH IS, YOU'RE WORKING AGAINST YOUR OWN CAUSE.
IT'S PROVEN THAT FAT SHAMING ONLY DOES ONE THING.
IT MAKES PEOPLE FEEL ASHAMED AND SHAME LEADS TO DEPRESSION,
ANXIETY AND SELF-DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIOR.
SELF-DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIOR LIKE OVEREATING.
WHEN I WATCHED THAT CLIP, I GOT UP, WALKED TO THE FREEZER AND
GRABBED A PINT OF ICE CREAM.
(LAUGHTER) I'M KIDDING, I WAS ALREADY
HALFWAY THROUGH THE PINT WHEN I STARTED WATCHING.
BUT BILL MAY HE MADE MEINISH IT, HE MIGHT HAVE DONE.
AND THIS TERM, WE'RE USING THIS TERM, USING THIS TERM FAT
SHAMING.
WE HAVE COME UP WITH A NAME FOR IT LET'S BE HONEST.
FAT SHAMING IS JUST BULLYING.
THAT IS WHAT ST. IT'S BULLYING.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE) AND BULLYING ONLY MAKES THE
PROBLEM WORSE.
OKAY?
I DON'T THINK STUFF LIKE THIS IS GOING TO SOLVE THE OBESITY
EPIDEMIC.
>> IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT BEING ABLE TO SEE A DOCTOR, IT'S ALSO
ABOUT BEING ABLE TO SEE YOUR [BLEEP]
>> James: BELIEVE ME, I CAN SEE A DICK.
(LAUGHTER) NOW LOOK, NOW LOOK, BILL MAHER
MAKES SOME INTERESTING POINTS IF YOU GO BACK AND WATCH IT ALL.
BUT THERE IS A LOT THAT HE GOT WRONG IN THIS PIECE, INCLUDING
MAKING THE CLAIM THAT EUROPE DOESN'T REALLY HAVE FAT PEOPLE.
>> EUROPE DOESN'T LOOK LIKE THIS, BECAUSE EUROPE'S NOT ONLY
EATING FOR TWO.
>> James: YOUR HONOR, I WOULD LIKE TO PRESENT EXHIBIT A.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE) NOW I KNOW, I KNOW THAT
BRITAIN'S RELATIONSHIP WITH EUROPE IS STRAINED RIGHT NOW,
BUT I LIVED THERE FOR 37 YEARS, AND TRUST ME, THERE ARE FAT
PEOPLE IN EUROPE, MAYBE NOT AS MANY, AS IN AMERICA.
BUT THE REASONS FOR THAT ARE COMPLEX.
IN FACT, THIS ENTIRE ISSUE IS A LOT MORE COMPLEX THAN HE'S
MAKING IT OUT TO BE.
NOW BILL IS RIGHT ABOUT ONE THING.
HE REALLY, REALLY IS.
THIS IS A HEALTH PROBLEM.
IT IS AN ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE DISCUSSED CLEARLY AND HONESTLY.
IT'S AN EPIDEMIC AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE NUMBERS, IT IS
TERRIFYING.
THERE ARE NUMEROUS REASONS WHY PEOPLE LIVE THEIR LIVES AT AN
UNHEALTHY WEIGHT, JUNK FOOD, PORTION CONTROL, A LACK OF
EXERCISE, THESE ARE ALL MAJOR CONTRIBUTING FACTORS.
BUT POVERTY IS ALSO AN ISSUE.
A STUDY CONDUCTED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN HEALTH
SYSTEM FOUND THAT CHILDHOOD OBESITY IS DIRECTLY LINKED TO
POVERTY.
BUT, FUN FACT, IF YOU SHAME OBESE CHILDREN, WHOLE FOODS WILL
GIVE THEM FREE SALADS.
LAUGH LAUGH I'M KIDDING, THAT IS NOT HOW WHOLE FOODS WORKS.
SOMETIMES GENETIC PLAYS A ROLE.
YOU KNOW, THERE IS A MOLECULAR GENET TYES NAMED JEFFREY
FRIEDMAN WHO DISCOVERED A HORMONE CALLED LEPTIN.
DEFECTS IN THE LEPTIN GENE ARE LINKED DIRECTLY TO OBESITY, THEY
ARE.
HERE IS A FUN FACT.
IF YOU SHAME THE GENE IT ACTUALLY FIXES IT SELF, I'M
KIDDING, THAT IS NOT HOW SCIENCE WORKS.
A LACK OF SHAME IS NOT THE ISSUE HERE.
IT IS MAKING FUN OF FAT PEOPLE MADE THEM LOSE WEIGHT THERE
WOULD BE NO FAT KIDS IN SCHOOLS AND I WOULD HAVE A SIX PACK BY
NOW, RIGHT?
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE) UNTIL WE MAKE HALEY FOOD AND
HEALTH CARE MORE ACCESSIBLE AND WE PROPERLY EDUCATE PEOPLE ON
NUTRITION AND EXERCISE, MAYBE WE CAN HOLD BACK ON THE WHOLE CALL
FAT PEOPLE-- UNTIL THEY LOSE WEIGHT STRATEGY.
I BELIEVE BILL'S HEART IS IN THE RIGHT PLACE AND I TRULY LIKE
THAT HE CARES ABOUT THE CONDITION OF MY HEA, AND I
WILL.
I WILL KEEP TRYING.
ALL THE TIME, I AM AWARE TODAY THAT THIS IS GOING TO BE A
STRUGGLE THAT I WILL FACE FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE, RIGHT.
SO IN THE MEAN TIME, BILL, PLEASE HEAR ME WHEN I SAY THIS,
WHILE YOU ARE ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO THINK ABOUT WHAT GOES INTO
THEIR MOUTHS, JUST THINK A LITTLE HARDER ABOUT WHAT COMES
OUT OF YOURS.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)