10 celebs who promoted harmful diets and weight loss ways: From Gwyneth Paltrow to Kim Kardashian

Celebs and their bizarre diets and weight loss tips: From Hilary Duff's coffee intake to Chris Martin's no dinner plan

Hollywood is often associated with glamour and healthy lifestyles followed by stars to maintain their youthful appearances. While several stars have made their names in promoting clean and healthy diet, some have courted controversies, more often than not, for their ignorant comments on food habits. Some stars have even inadvertently promoted such lifestyles which may cause harm if anyone decides to practice them. Here are 10 such stars who have stirred controversies through their bizarre comments on diet and healthy living.

1. Kim Kardashian

Kim Kardashian went through an extreme weight loss regime to fit into Marilyn Monroe's iconic 'Happy Birthday, Mister President' dress. On the 2022 Met Gala carpet, Kardashian told La La Anthony, "I had to lose 16 pounds to fit into it." She also said in an interview with Vogue that she underwent an extensive weight loss regimen, including sauna suits, exercise, and food restrictions. She said, “I didn’t starve myself, but I was so strict,” per Teen Vogue. Kardashian's statements were naturally met with criticisms for promoting unhealthy weight loss standards.

2. Chris Martin

In March 2024, Chris Martin shared that he doesn't eat dinner anymore! When Conan O'Brien asked the Coldplay frontman whether he partook any dinner with any celebrity friends, Martin replied, "I actually don't have dinner anymore. I stop eating at four and I learned that from having lunch with Bruce Springsteen. [...] I was on a really strict diet anyway. But I was like, "Bruce looks even more in shape than me." 

3. Gwyneth Paltrow 

Chris Martin's ex-wife Gwyneth Paltrow has had her share of controversies regarding the promotion of super healthy eating which has often been called out for its incredulity. The Goop founder shared her "wellness" routine with Dr Will Cole during an episode of 'The Art of Being Well' podcast, where she said that her usual diet consisted of a light paleo dinner (caveman diet), skipping breakfast in favor of coffee or "celery juice with lemon [or] lemon water", and a lunch of some soup (mostly bone broth). Paltrow's diet elicited criticism from several dieticians, including Kathleen Meehan who told BuzzFeed, "I see [her] highlighting low-calorie eating, even though she's not explicitly saying that. She's normalizing things like fasting and restriction, and worrying about things like detoxing. That feels pretty problematic to me [...] There's not a whole lot of eating that she describes. It's normal to eat food, it's normal to chew food, it's normal to eat every three hours and have something substantial."

4. Jack Dorsey

X (formerly Twitter) founder Jack Dorsey once appeared on 'Ben Greenfield Fitness: Diet, Fat Loss and Performance' podcast where he shared that he ate only one meal per day - dinner. Sharing that he takes his dinner usually between 6.30 pm and 9 pm, Dorsey said it has made him more focused. The techie said, “During the day, I feel so much more focused. ... You have this very focused point of mind in terms of this drive,” before adding, ”[c]ertainly, the time back from breakfast and lunch allowed me to focus more on what my day is." He further said, “I can go to bed and actually knock out in 10 minutes, if not sooner than that. It really changed how quickly I felt asleep and more so how deep I felt I was sleeping.”

5. Hilary Duff 

During an appearance on the 'Lipstick on the Rim' podcast in May, Hilary Duff shared, "I wake up really hungry." She continued, "I'm obsessed with those cauliflower rounds," before explaining the dish and adding, "They're super clean." However, she added later, quite controversially, “Sometimes I try to — you know, Gwyneth’s in trouble for saying this — but sometimes, I try to just drink coffee in the morning and stave off my hunger." Saying that she has fears of getting "too bulky," the 'Lizzie McGuire' actress admitted, "I would love to have the skinniest little pencil arms," per BuzzFeed.

6. Jason Bateman

Jason Bateman courted controversy when he called his 'SmartLess: On the Road' co-host Will Arnett a "fat f**k" and "chunk" as he ate food. He also asked Will how many sauces he was going to use and how often he was biting.  Will responded by saying, "[I'm] having fun though, enjoying my life, it's happening now. God, you're going to be so shriveled."

7. Rebel Wilson

Rebel Wilson, who has struggled with weight management for several years, once said in an interview, "The truth is your body doesn’t need a lot of calories and I know that might sound crazy to some people, but if you eat right and you eat small portions you’ll be just fine," before adding, "I learned that you really only need about 600 calories a day, you don’t need 1,500 or 2,000," per BuzzFeed.

8. Lori Harvey

Lori Harvey once exercised intensely and went on a "calorie deficit" diet to shed her relationship weight. Harvey shared, "When Mike [Michael B Jordan] and I got together I gained like 15 pounds of relationship weight and it was horrible. None of my clothes fit [...] I was working out like five, six times a week and for the first month and a half I would even do it two [times] a day [...] I was in a calorie deficit — I think I was maybe consuming like 1,200 calories a day max."

9. Kate Moss

In 2009, supermodel Kate Moss created quite a stir through one of her interview quotes. In an interview published by WWD, Moss was asked if she had any mantras of life. The supermodel then replied, "There are loads of mottos. There's 'nothing tastes as good as skinny feels'. That's one of them," before adding, "You try and remember, but it never works," per BBC. Needless to say, the quote made its way to several popular weight loss websites and received criticism from a section of fans. In 2011, even Jennifer Lawrence appeared to take a dig at the quote as she said to ET on Oscars red carpet, “There’s that Kate Moss quote that’s like ‘Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels,’" and added, "And I can name a lot of things that taste better than skinny feels: bread, potatoes, a Philly cheesesteak, and fries.”

10. Jason Derulo

Jason Derulo found himself in a similar situation as Kate Moss as he reworded the supermodel's famous line to write in his 2023 memoir, "I remind myself that there's no meal that tastes as good as having a six pack feels." Derulo also advocated for "substituting one of [your] meals with a vegetable Bone Broth soup" to have abs. He told GQ in 2020, "My diet changes pretty often. I've done everything under the sun. I used to blend my salmon and have a salmon shake. I did all kinds of crazy s**t. Sometimes I would literally just eat a bunch of eggs. Eggs and veggies," before adding, "My diet ain’t about taste. I mean, it's cool, but, like…it’s broth. It’s not like having a burger or anything in that good world. I would much rather just eat fries."