TV Funnyman Ross Mathews Talks Shedding Pounds for His New Gig with Jenny Craig

Ross Mathews has gone from Jay Leno's jolly intern, to a jolly 'Tonight Show' correspondent, to 'Chelsea Lately''s jolly roundtable guest, but recently, he's been dropping the jolly. Although he'll never lose his smile or that signature sing-songy voice, he has lost quite a few pounds thanks to Jenny Craig.

If you follow Ross at all -- on his blog, on Twitter or on any of his TV gigs -- you know all about his struggle with weight, and (hello!) his new slimmer physique of late. Obviously someone at Jenny Craig noticed as well, because he's been crowned their latest spokesperson.

I caught up with the funnyman to find out all about how much he's lost so far, and how much he's got to reach his goal, and he shared stories about his weight loss struggles and what a difference this program has finally made.

He also dished about the company he's now in -- with the likes of Valerie Bertinelli, Carrie Fisher and his good pal Sara Rue -- and what his version of the "bikini reveal" will be when he reaches his goal. "I don't know what the male equivalent is. I guess a G-string? A thong? Let me just tell you right now: not happening."

And for you fans of Chelsea Handler's late-night show, he also teased a bit about the pilot he shot for E! with 'Chelsea' staffer Heather McDonald. The series has gotten some good buzz ... despite its lack of anyone with the last name Kardashian.

So if you're pleased with your own appearance, enjoy this for the giggle-filled stories of a truly happy man. And if you feel like you're getting a little too jolly yourself, Ross' words of wisdom are nothing if not realistic: "I'm not the only one. I think the majority of us struggle with weight." Keep reading for more ...

We're so excited for you! I know you've been tweeting and blogging about Jenny Craig sending you meals for a while now, and your pal Sara Rue has obviously had success with the program ... is that how you landed this gig?
That's exactly how it happened -- it was the most organic thing in the world. I was struggling with my weight, like I've done my entire life, and I saw my friend Sara Rue have this amazing success and keep it off. And I was like, "Honey, hook a brotha up! Help me out!" So she called her friends at Jenny Craig, and I started doing the program. It was as simple as that ... OK, I'll try the food and see if it works for me, and talk to the consultant and see what they have to say. I really didn't know if it was right for me. I knew it worked for Sara, but would it work for me? And I got results instantly, and I love the food and I had an instant BFF friend crush on my consultant Michelle. [Laughs] I was just so excited about it, excited about my results and how I felt, that I started tweeting about it and blogging about it and mentioning it on the red carpet. And Jenny Craig and the people there noticed, so they reached out to me and said, "Why don't we tell your story on a broader level?" And I was like, "Holla! Let's do that!"

Your results have been amazing already -- is there more to lose?
When I started, I was like 220, and I'm 195 now. I've lost 25 pounds in 12 weeks -- which is amazing, but I'm also exactly on track. Most people lose one to two pounds on Jenny Craig a week, on average. So it's not like some miracle Hollywood thing that I got that's special. My consultant Michelle is my secret weapon, but I have the same access to her that everyone who's on Jenny Craig will have to their consultant. I just follow the program the way the program exists. I have 15 more pounds to go to get to my goal, which is 180 ... and that's when it's like, "Hey, watch out. Roar." [Laughs]

Fifteen more pounds -- that is slim and trim and sexy!
Well I just want to get really healthy. You know, I've been up and I've been down, and it never lasts. I have a really all-or-nothing relationship with food. But what's really exciting this time is I've done it without cutting anything out. Before, when I'd think of losing weight, it was like, "OK, I have to have celery sticks and boiled chicken for the rest of my life." And I've done that, and you lose weight, but the truth is you can't do that forever. On Jenny Craig, I get to have my triple chocolate cheesecake every night, I have mac 'n' cheese or spaghetti and meatballs for dinner -- it's just the right amount.

Before you found Jenny, what was the craziest diet you tried?
Oh my gosh, I didn't eat a carb for two years! Literally! Not even a tortilla. Sure I lost a ton of weight, but I was petrified of food the entire time. Food was the enemy -- that's how I had to think of it. Then when I started having some carbs, you know browsing through the carb section, it all came back because I didn't know how to do it right. But what came back even more than the weight was an immense amount of shame. When you struggle with weight, it's not an internal struggle ... it's literally an external struggle, and everyone sees it.



And you're in the public eye on top of that, which has to make it even harder.
Yeah, when you're on television and you're as in-touch with your fanbase as I am, you get the tweets, like "Ross, you're a big fat fatty again" or "Ross, you failed." And that's hard to deal with. I'm a really happy person -- I'm really filled with joy -- and I was filled with shame and embarrassed by the struggle with food. I feel so in control now.

I'm guessing the tweets from fans have become more positive ...
Yes, I get tweets constantly saying "I get where you are," "I get your struggle," "What you're doing is inspiring me" ... I take those so to heart because I know that weight is a universal struggle. I'm not the only one. I think the majority of us struggle with weight. All we want to do is succeed, so I hope when people see that I'm doing it and I've been really honest about the journey, they'll know I'm being honest now when I say this has worked for me. It has taught me how to eat.

Usually when women are Jenny Craig spokespeople, they have their big bikini reveal moment. What's your bikini moment? Have you already started planning it?
Oh my god, no! [Laughs] But now you just gave me palpitations. [Laughs] That thought had not occurred to me, but now I'm having nightmares about it ... and I'm not even asleep yet. I don't know what the male equivalent is. I guess a G-string? A thong? Let me just tell you right now: not happening.

[Laughs] Well I'm imagining Jenny Craig tea parties with you and Sara, Carrie Fisher and Valerie Bertinelli. Can that happen?
[Laughs] Um, that would be my dream, just BTW. That would be a boyhood dream come true. But in all seriousness, Sara and I talk about our Jenny recipes -- because, you know, you can mix in all these vegetables with the food, and you start experimenting and it becomes really fun. I love to cook, and I never want to stop doing that, and with Jenny, you can. Her fiancé and my partner Salvador are very supportive of us, but when we get talking about Jenny, they just go off in the corner and have their own conversation. [Laughs] We can go on forever, like, "Oh my god, have you tried the cookies and cream cheesecake? What about the cheese curls?" [Laughs]

I do think you should corner Carrie Fisher though and convince her to don the Princess Leia bikini again when she reaches her goal.
That's kind of a brilliant idea if they did that. But nevermind -- that's gonna be my bikini moment. [Laughs]

What's the latest word on your show for E!?
Let me tell you this: It's called 'Love or Hate,' it's with Heather McDonald and I. It is just a pilot, but I think it's the best thing I've ever done. I think it's so fun, it's so well-written, I produced it as well ... not to toot my own tooter, but I really hit it out of the park. The thing with pilots is they pick up one out of 1,000, so chances are slim, but I'm so proud of it, and we'll hear soon. If it happens, it'll be amazing.

You should throw a Kardashian in there. E! will pick up anything with a Kardashian ...
That is actually true. You know what? Now that I think about it, we made a huge mistake. We should fire Heather and get one of those young Kardashians. [Laughs] They'll let them work.

I love you on Twitter. Who's your favorite, most random person you follow on Twitter?
I actually quite love following Lisa Rinna on Twitter, because she tweets like I tweet, which is like, "Just dropped off the kids!" Or "Hey, here's a great sale at the grocery store!" It's such real life, and to me she's like a celebrity -- she looks like Hollywood to me -- that following her makes me feel like, stars are just like us! [Laughs]



Follow Maggie on Twitter @TheTVShowGirl