Melissa McCarthy Laughs It Off

Melissa McCarthy is hard to miss. As the klutzy bestie in Gilmore Girls, a not-so-anonymous overeater in Mike & Molly and the man-hungry scene-stealer in Bridesmaids, it should be obvious by now that the long-time comedian isn’t just a one-trick pony.

But apparently, not everyone’s a fan. In February, Rex Reed of The New York Observer panned her performance alongside Jason Bateman in Identity Thief. In his review, Reed referred to McCarthy as “tractor-sized” and a “female hippo.” Really speaks to the quality of her acting, right? Because your dress sizes is a direct reflection of your talent, right?

McCarthy opted not to comment right away (unlike the MANY furious readers). Instead, she chose her words carefully and responded to Reed’s raucous review in a recent interview with the New York Times.

The 42-year-old Emmy-winning actress said her initial response upon reading the review was, “Really? Why would someone O.K. that?”

At 20, “it may have crushed me,” she went on to reflect. Now, raising two daughters of her own among “a strange epidemic of body image and body dysmorphia,” McCarthy worried that those kinds of comments “just add to all those younger girls, that are not in a place in their life where they can say, ‘That doesn’t reflect on me … That makes it more true,” she said. “It means you don’t actually look good enough.”

But McCarthy’s not mad. Just the opposite, in fact. And Rex Reed? Well … Rex Reed just seems kinda sad.

Featured image via People.com