Debra Messing claims the executives behind the beloved sitcom ”Will & Grace” wanted her to “have big boobs” while filming the show.
The actress – who portrayed interior designer Grace Adler on the hit series – recalled pushing back when she was allegedly handed a silicone bra insert during a fitting.
“The very first fitting, they had the chicken cutlets to make [my chest] bigger,” Messing, 54, said Monday during “The Magic of Will & Grace” panel at The Paley Center for Media, per People.
“I just wasn’t a fan of, like, the whole idea of it.”
The “Smash” star continued on, claiming the wardrobe directive came from the boardroom.
Debra Messing claims she was asked to wear “chicken cutlets” in her bra during her first fitting for “Will & Grace.”NBCUniversal via Getty Images
“I just wasn’t a fan of, like, the whole idea of it,” Messing explained. NBCUniversal via Getty Images“I was like, ‘You know what? I don’t need that.’ And they’re like, ‘Well, it’s the president of the network [saying this],’” Messing recalled. “And I said, ‘If he wants it, then he needs to come here and tell me to my face.’”
Although she didn’t mention anyone by name, TV executive Warren Littlefield was at the helm of NBC when “Will & Grace” began production.
The sitcom ran for eight seasons on the network from 1998 to 2006. It returned for a three-season run from 2017 to 2020 starring Messing, Eric McCormack, Megan Mullally and Sean Hayes.
The actress alleged that she pushed back on the use of silicone bra inserts. therealdebramessing/InstagramThe “Wedding Date” star previously said she was “too skinny” during the show’s original run and found herself getting sick.
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“My body just could not hold out,” she said on Jameela Jamil’s “I Weigh” podcast in 2020.
“My adrenals crashed, I was exhausted and it just became clear to me that I couldn’t be healthy and a size 2 at the same time.”
Messing didn’t name the executive who allegedly gave the wardrobe directive.NBCUniversal via Getty ImagesMessing dropped from a size 8 to a size 2 after struggling to fit into her costumes and leaving fittings “hating my body and hating myself.”
“I thought, ‘My life would be so much easier, and it would be easier on everybody trying to do their job, if I just lost weight,’” Messing explained.
“So I started doing yoga every single day and I did one of those meal delivery services. I started to get smaller and then I was a 6, and they were like, ‘You’re losing weight, you look amazing!’”
Messing previously spoke out about losing weight during the show’s initial run.NBCUniversal via Getty Images Messing soon found herself being able to fit into “anything that was high fashion.”
“Going for those fittings, I fit into everything … so all of a sudden, everything seemed to open up for me, because I was a 2,” she said.
“[But] I was way too skinny.”
