From TV to the big screen, Melissa McCarthy has a direct line to millions of funny bones
across the world. Known for her hilarious outlandish roles and devotion to character,
her turn toward comedy began at a very early age. Let's dive into the transformation of
Melissa McCarthy.
Born in Plainfield, Illinois in 1970 to Irish-Catholic farmers Michael and Sandra McCarthy, Melissa
McCarthy has stayed close to her humble beginnings throughout her showbiz success. As her husband,
actor-filmmaker Ben Falcone, told WSJ Magazine in 2019, she's still, quote, "very Midwestern."
Melissa, who's cousins with actress-model Jenny McCarthy, was especially close with
older sister Margie growing up. Since the family lived in an isolated farm town, she
explained on The Howard Stern Show:
"I was bored. I had no neighbors, I had no kids to play with. I'd be, like, running around
the barn pretending I was a detective or something."
As a teen, Melissa inherited her comedic sensibilities from overhearing The Carol Burnett Show in
the living room and watching her mom in action. Melissa told People in 2018 that her mother
was, quote, "really solid in her shoes" as a matriarch and noted that her mother's example
was one of the greatest gifts she got as a future comic actor.
Melissa McCarthy may be a natural on screen and stage, but she actually didn't consider
a career in comedy at first. She revealed on The Howard Stern Show in 2016, that a career
in tennis was her main focus growing up.
But McCarthy ended up studying fashion at Southern Illinois University before dropping
out and moving to New York City with childhood pal Brian Atwood. The now-famous shoe designer
had an eye for her talent and booked her for stand-up gigs within her first few nights
in the city, which is where McCarthy found her calling.
Her parents were especially encouraging of her career shift. McCarthy revealed to People
that their undying mantra throughout her childhood was all the support she needed to give comedy
a shot, saying:
"'Why not you?' is an unbelievably great sentiment to give to a kid."
She later moved to Los Angeles, where she became a member of The Groundlings comedy
troupe in 1997. Working alongside future Bridesmaids co-stars Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo in
sketch and character shows, McCarthy developed somewhat of a cult following with lines of
fans waiting for the nights she was going to perform.
Considering she made a name for herself in the Los Angeles comedy scene by the late '90s,
it was only a matter of time before Melissa McCarthy took on television. After a cameo
appearance on cousin Jenny McCarthy's short-lived sitcom, Jenny, Melissa landed her breakout
role of Sookie St. James on Gilmore Girls in 2000. As the best friend and business partner
to Lorelei Gilmore, played by Lauren Graham, McCarthy appeared in most of the original
153 episodes of the series.
Melissa's humble and humorous portrayal of the character was an integral part of Gilmore
Girls, but creator Amy Sherman-Palladino originally had a very different vision for the part of
Sookie. According to Screen Rant, actress Alex Borstein was originally cast in the unaired
pilot but had to drop out due to her MAD TV commitments. Sherman-Palladino also later
revealed to HuffPost that Sookie:
"Was originally supposed to be gay, but that was a non-starter [for the network] at that
time."
While E! reported Melissa was not initially approached for 2016's reunion, Gilmore Girls:
A Year in the Life:
"What? There's gonna be lots of upset people."
She ended up reprising her role in the nick of time with a short but sweet cameo.
Melissa McCarthy cannot keep her hands off husband Ben Falcone on the big screen. Whether
she's destroying his fast food restaurant in Tammy or inviting his flight marshal character
to join the Mile High Club in Bridesmaids. The couple's onscreen chemistry comes from
their romantic roots onstage, where they met as part of the Los Angeles comedy troupe Groundlings
in 1998 and later tied the knot in 2005.
This husband-wife duo have produced films like The Boss, Tammy and Life of the Party,
which they co-write and Falcone directed. Falcone has made cameos in all McCarthy's
films since Bridesmaids but apart from work, their family life is fairly low-key. They
have two daughters together, Vivian and Georgette, inspiring Falcone to lovingly reflect on their
family in his 2017 memoir, Being a Dad is Weird.
In 2010, Melissa McCarthy was cast as Molly Flynn in Mike & Molly alongside Billy Gardell.
The show follows a couple who fall in love after meeting at an Overeaters Anonymous group.
While McCarthy told The Guardian in 2016 that:
"You know, I've been every size in the world, from a six to a 22."
She was cautious about doing a show touching on body image and told People:
"I just don't find [jokes about weight] funny."
But McCarthy responded firmly yet graciously when a 2010 Marie Claire column wrote the
sitcom off as, quote, "fat people making out on TV," telling People:
"It was so unkind […] At a different point in my life, it would've crushed me. But it
didn't."
Mike & Molly scored McCarthy her first Emmy Award nomination and win for outstanding lead
actress in a comedy series in 2011. The show ran for six seasons. When learning the news
the show had been canceled in 2015, McCarthy tweeted:
"I would have shot this show for 50 more years."
At the beginning of her career, Melissa McCarthy was reportedly advised to lose weight if she
ever wanted to find success in Hollywood. But the actress told People that she used
it as motivation. She said in 2011:
"I understand that the odds are not as high as if I was skinny, but I still have talent.
I thought, 'I'll show you!'"
While her weight was reportedly never a conversation on the set of Gilmore Girls, McCarthy lost
70 pounds over four months in 2003 as part of a doctor-supervised all-liquid diet of
500 calories a day. McCarthy admitted that she felt starved and would never do that again.
After giving birth to her second daughter in 2010, McCarthy told People that she changed
her attitude around weight and started focusing on staying fit by eating healthy, playing
tennis, and doing a mix of Pilates and boxing.
Melissa McCarthy's true breakout moment was in 2011's comedy hit, Bridesmaids. McCarthy's
buck wild performance scored her nominations at the Oscars, BAFTA Film Awards, and the
Screen Actors Guild Awards, and was part of the hit movie's success. The film took in
over $288 million worldwide and it surpassed Sex and the City as the highest-grossing rated
R female comedy of all time.
Director Paul Feig [FEEG] told GQ in 2011 that McCarthy nailed her audition but McCarthy
initially felt she might have blown it by going too far.
"That's a, that's a lot of energy to deal with."
She wore no makeup and unfashionable pants to the audition and later told Rolling Stone
in 2017 that she, quote, "could not have been any weirder," improvising a story about a
dolphin. But as her husband, Ben Falcone, explained to GQ:
"Melissa will do anything to get a laugh. It's pathological."
Maya Rudolph commented to GQ about her co-star's performance, saying:
"I secretly delighted in knowing that vintage McCarthy was about to be unleashed upon the
world."
Comedy found its new heroine when Bridesmaids became producer Judd Apatow's highest-grossing
film. After a cameo in Apatow's This is 40, Melissa McCarthy's next movie was 2013's Identity
Thief, starring alongside Jason Bateman. The duo's chemistry was magic and though the film
was critically panned, it grossed over $173 million worldwide.
McCarthy performed stunts for the film, telling The Hollywood Reporter:
"Anything that I thought I could do, I was like 'I'll give that a try' and at night,
I was like 'What have I done?'"
But her stunt skills came in handy later that year for The Heat, in which she plays the
rough-around-the-edges cop partnered with Sandra Bullock's no-nonsense agent. McCarthy
teamed up again with director Paul Feig, and the film took in nearly $230 million at the
global box office.
McCarthy explained her acting process to Collider in 2013, saying that grounding her characters
in reality despite their over-the-top antics is what made them so focused and funny. She
said:
"We had no interest in making [a movie with] two wacky cops that are bad at their job and
they're fighting over lipstick in the car."
By 2014, Melissa McCarthy had proven herself as a box office draw all on her own. After
forming On the Day Productions with her husband, Ben Falcone, the two came together and co-wrote
Tammy.
The film marked Falcone's directorial debut and grossed over $100 million worldwide on
a $20 million budget. But critics seemed to be harsh to McCarthy and the film. She revealed
on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that a male reporter had written that she was:
"Only a good actress when [she looks] attractive."
McCarthy called out the body-shaming journalist when they met at the Toronto Film Festival
by expounding on the need for the media to uplift women.
She asked if he'd ask the same question to a man or expect the same unrealistic standards
of his daughter. McCarthy said of the incident:
"I just think we tear down women in this country for all these superficial reasons, and women
are so great and strong."
Melissa McCarthy reunited with director Paul Feig for the third time on 2015's Spy, starring
alongside Jude Law, Jason Statham and Rose Byrne. McCarthy portrays a mousy and single
CIA agent tied to her desk until she finally gets the chance to go undercover.
While the film is a comedy, the blockbuster also had its intense moments. McCarthy told
The Guardian:
"It's not anywhere in the ballpark of being a spoof. It's a real action movie and it's
really funny."
It was also another slam dunk for Feig and McCarthy, who said about their screen chemistry:
"I didn't think anyone would ever let me play one of those strange women that I love so
much ... then this guy came along."
Spy further solidified McCarthy's draw as a lead actress, scoring her a Golden Globe
nomination for lead actress, as well as a nod for best motion picture in the musical
or comedy category.
Melissa McCarthy's place in Hollywood history was literally cemented when she received a
star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2015. McCarthy described to KCAL as a very surreal
experience, stating:
"I don't want to forget today, I don't want to forget my mom, my kids, anybody that I
get to see here watch this happen. I want to remember every second of it."
But a family member was missing for a very Midwestern reason. According to E!, McCarthy's
father had to stay in Illinois to deweed the lake. She explained:
"It was his turn at the club to take care of the weeds, so he's doing that. That's the
truth. I can't write that."
But the invaluable support of her family was part of the reason she made it that far. McCarthy
added:
"Every time I said, 'I'm going to quit college and do stand up,' my mom and dad would say,
'Great.'"
Melissa McCarthy originally moved to New York City to pursue fashion and attend the Fashion
Institute of Technology, so it was only a matter of time before she transformed her
love of clothing into a passion project. In 2015, the actress-comedian launched her own
clothing line, Melissa McCarthy Seven7. She told Vogue she's:
"Bringing runway looks to women who don't fit sample sizes."
Extra noted that McCarthy wore her own clothes to a junket in 2016 and she noted:
"I'm wearing my own clothes every day of my life, which I never thought I would get to
say."
Bloomberg Businessweek reports that the demand for McCarthy's line, which features all sizes
while specializing in plus-size, has inspired other companies to take notice and follow
the lead.
Melissa McCarthy worked with her husband, Ben Falcone, once more on 2016's The Boss.
McCarthy portrays Michelle Darnell, a high-powered businesswoman who falls from grace after a
stint in jail for insider trading and looks to rebuild her wealth by giving back to a
local Girl Scouts troop.
The film is based on a character McCarthy created with The Groundlings nearly 16 years
before. She explained on The Howard Stern Show about how much the character means to
her:
"I love her. Like, I weirdly miss her. I miss the clothes."
"I felt bad for her."
"Like she's real to you."
"She's super real to me."
The couple also saw their daughters make their big screen debut. She explained to E!:
"They kept asking and we said no for months and [then] my oldest said, 'Am I not allowed
to even try?'"
But don't expect either to launch their own showbiz careers just yet. McCarthy added
"We said, 'You can do it again right after college.'"
And McCarthy made headlines for her change in appearance in the film, reportedly losing
50 pounds. She explained to E! that the weight loss was no big secret but merely a result
of lifestyle changes:
"You don't do anything fun and you go to bed at 7:30 — that's the trick."
In 2016, Melissa McCarthy took on the paranormal with fellow funny women Kristen Wiig, Kate
McKinnon, and Leslie Jones in Ghostbusters, an all-female reimagining of the franchise.
But the flick faced sexist backlash long before it even hit theatres. The Washington Post
reports it was largely from internet trolls angered by the new all-female team.
While Ghostbusters was by no means a financial failure, the movie was not quite successful
enough to warrant a sequel, partially due to the online crusade to banish it. McCarthy
said about the sexist remarks:
"If a [remake of a] movie 35 years later is 'ruining your childhood, don't blame us — you've
got your own issues."
Despite it all, McCarthy and her co-stars knew their presence on the big screen would
mean the world to young women seeing the movie. She told The New York Times:
"When we were shooting, Paul [Feig] would bring in pictures of young girls dressing
up, and they had made their own proton packs and jumpsuits. And I thought, that's really
cool."
Melissa McCarthy found herself joining the 42nd season of Saturday Night Live with a
recurring role as then-White House press secretary Sean Spicer. According to The Hollywood Reporter,
it all started when McCarthy took the same flight as fellow actress Kristen Stewart,
who was set to host the show in 2017. After hearing that McCarthy pitched an idea for
the episode to the Twilight star, show writers had the idea to bring the comedian on board.
From her very first jaunt behind the podium, McCarthy's impression was a hit. McCarthy
told The Hollywood Reporter:
"[During the first episode] there was this weird, great delay, and first people figure
out it's Spicer and then they figure out it's me. You could just feel it in the room."
McCarthy is no stranger to the legendary sketch show. Her guest-hosting episodes have a legacy
of their own. She was nominated for outstanding guest actress in a comedy series at the Emmy
awards for her 2014 and 2016 hosting spots. But it was a 2017 appearance where McCarthy,
as Spicer, hosed down journalists with a fire extinguisher, that finally scored her the
award.
“Are you ok?”
“Are you kidding me? Are you out of your mind?”
In 2018, Melissa McCarthy had a bit of a rough patch for movies that got panned by critics.
One was The Happytime Murders, an R-rated puppet cop film, and the other was husband
Ben Falcone's Life of the Party, a movie about a divorcee who returns to college to party
and find her purpose. Both films turned out to be a long shot even for a capable comedian
like McCarthy. Her performances in both movies earned her the Golden Raspberry Award for
worst actress.
But she got her first-ever Oscar nomination in the best actress category for the film
Can You Ever Forgive Me. McCarthy's somber and restrained portrayal of Lee Israel, a
former biographer who was arrested for forging celebrity letters in the early 90s, marked
a departure in tone for the funny lady. She told The Hollywood Reporter:
"Sometimes when you look like someone who isn't L.A.-centric, people in Hollywood don't
think it's a real human. But I want to play all types of women."
She earned Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations for her role, although she lost
to Glenn Close and Olivia Colman, respectively.
After proving herself as a comedian, dramatic actress, fashion designer, and mother, the
world is truly Melissa McCarthy's oyster. While her career only started to truly skyrocket
in 2011, it was the product of years of hard work and a journey that gave her a husband,
two beautiful daughters, and a ton of perspective. McCarthy, who turned 50 in 2020, admitted
to Glamour:
"I think I would have been probably cuckoo [if I'd been successful] at 18. I think the
best thing I could have done was struggle until I was 30."
McCarthy and Falcone both have their hands full with a stacked line-up of projects through
On the Day Productions, including Thunder Force, a superhero film for Netflix and the
action and comedy flick Superintelligence for HBO Max. According to Deadline, Netflix
reportedly paid almost $20 million for the rights to the drama The Starling, which will
star McCarthy and fellow Bridesmaids co-star Chris O'Dowd as a couple trying to fix their
relationship.
If there's anything that McCarthy has shown us, it's that she's just as grounded as her
characters… and just as set on cracking us up, too
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