Although Ethan Suplee’s name may not immediately ring a bell, his face certainly will. The actor was a staple in mid-’90s to early aughts cinema and television. While some may recognize Suplee for his more dim-witted roles such as Randy in My Name Is Earl or William in Mallrats, other millennial teens may instantly remember the celeb as school bully Frankie Stechino from Boy Meets World.

Now, however? You may find yourself doing a double-take to even identify Suplee because his weight loss in recent years has been absolutely extraordinary. In fact, even his industry peers have struggled to recognize the New York native. “[When I started looking for work], I found that people were like, ‘Who are you? We don’t know you. You’re this new person,'” Suplee dished to Entertainment Weekly in 2017.

As it turns out, that lack of recognization in Tinseltown prompted the American History X star to regain some pounds — only to lose them yet again a few years later. Let’s take a closer look at the dramatic transformation of Ethan Suplee.

Ethan Suplee's health improved, but his career suffered

There’s no denying that Ethan Suplee found fame in Hollywood. Unfortunately for the actor, that same fame worked against him when he decided to get his health back on track. In an 2017 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Suplee explained how difficult it was for him to land his role on Hulu’s psychological thriller Chance. “Initially, the casting directors didn’t want me to come in because I’d lost a bunch of weight,” the actor revealed. “Apparently they had proposed me a bunch of times, but the casting directors were like, ‘No, he’s too thin now.'”

Getting rejected in Hollywood must hurt, and Suplee eventually decided to stop prioritizing his health. “A couple years ago I made the decision: I’m not going to kill myself to be thin when nobody knows me as a thin person, and I do think it is affecting the kind of jobs I’m getting,” the Boy Meets World star told the outlet. “And so I just kind of relaxed on my diet.”

However, fans have noticed via Suplee’s Instagram page that he’s been losing weight yet again and making headlines in 2020.

Ethan Suplee's transformation has been in the works since he was a child

Ethan Suplee’s dramatic transformation is particularly commendable, considering the Mallrats actor has struggled with his weight his entire life. It’s something he’s even started to talk about, too, having launched his podcast, American Glutton, in January 2020.

As the star explained on the podcast (via The Epoch Times), he’s struggled with his weight since he was 5 years old. He said his grandparents even restricted his eating. “It became something that I was withholding from people,” Suplee explained. “Health wasn’t something I ever thought about.” The actor said he turned to drugs and alcohol to “help fill the void inside him.”

After finding mainstream success on My Name Is Earl, Suplee became “identified for big-bodied characters,” making it hard for him to expand into more diverse roles. When the show ended in 2009, Suplee took on cycling as a hobby and went from “over 400 pounds” to 220 pounds. Unfortunately for the star, his new look cost him work. As he dished on American Glutton (via Entertainment Tonight), “I definitely struggled with work because of that for a while.” 

Ultimately, it looks like this celeb chose a healthier way of living. “My goal right now is a six-pack and I’m not far off, pretty f**king close actually,” he revealed. We here at Nicki Swift wish Suplee all the best in both his professional life and his fitness-related goals!

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