Jane Leeves was forced to wear a fat suit on Frasier. 24 years later, she reveals why the controversial choice was normalized
A different time.
It is wild to think about how much television production has changed since the early 2000s. Jane Leeves, who captured hearts as Daphne Moon on Frasier, recently opened up about a choice that still sticks with her today. According to Entertainment Weekly, during season 8 of the hit show, her character was written to gain a massive amount of weight.
This happened because the writers wanted to hide the fact that Leeves was actually pregnant in real life. Looking back nearly 24 years later, Leeves admits she feels guilt over wearing that controversial fat suit. Leeves sat down with Jesse Tyler Ferguson for an episode of his podcast, Dinner’s on Me, to talk about her career and her new memoir, Daphne & Me: My Life on Frasier (And a Bit More).
The book, which was co-written with her daughter, Isabella Coben, gives us a real look at what it was like behind the scenes. During their chat, Leeves touched on the pressure of that specific time in Hollywood. She explained that simple tricks like using a laundry basket to hide her bump were not working. The production team ultimately decided to put her in a fat suit. She noted that those were different times, but it became quite controversial.
Daphne had only just confessed her feelings to Niles Crane on the show
The writers did not want her to be pregnant on the show because it was just the beginning of Niles and Daphne getting together. Leeves mentioned that the team probably thought it was too early for that kind of development. She did suggest it might have been interesting if they had actually written the pregnancy into the show.
David Hyde Pierce, her co-star, even marveled at the idea during a recent joint interview with The Guardian. He noted that he had never thought about how off the rails it could have been to have them run off together and come back with a baby.
The way the show handled her weight gain was by linking it to stress eating. The humor often turned on the idea that her frame was expanding while Niles, who was totally lovestruck, still saw the same old Daphne. When Leeves went on maternity leave, the show sent the character to a ‘fat spa’. When she returned, Niles made a joke that she lost 9 and 1/2 pounds. The National Desk states that the number was not random, as it was actually the birth weight of her daughter, Isabella.
Leeves was very clear about the culture of that era
The comedy icon explained that women’s bodies were dissected in the press all the time then. She said, “You’d go to an awards show and you’d look at pictures of [yourself] the next day saying, ‘Oh, too thin… too chubby.’ It was sort of normalized.”
Her daughter, Isabella, also weighed in on the issue in another interview. Isabella mentioned that she grew up seeing the horrible things written about women in tabloids.
She said, “It’s tough for you because you were coming up in a time where that was just rampant. It was everywhere, and then you know I’m growing up and I’m seeing you know walking through the grocery store and seeing the tabloids and the horrible things they say about women, and that’s being etched into my brain forever.”
Leeves did not hold back when describing the situation, calling it bullying. It is a tough reality to face when looking back at a show that so many love. Despite these difficulties, Leeves was lucky enough to bring her children to the set regularly. She mentioned that she did not miss a moment of their early childhood. Her daughter has many good memories from that time, even hanging out in the green room with the cast.
The podcast conversation also touched on the history of the show itself
According to PEOPLE, Lisa Kudrow, who played Phoebe Buffay on Friends, was originally cast as Roz Doyle but was fired after just one episode. Leeves mentioned how she ran into Kudrow on a plane recently. A flight attendant even walked up and asked if it was a 90s show reunion.
Leeves is glad she decided to write her memoir with her daughter. She did not want a ghostwriter because she wanted it to be her authentic voice. Her daughter pushed her to take the opportunity, and it sounds like the process helped them both learn more about each other. Leeves shared that the book covers a lot about her childhood, which was something of a mystery to her own children.
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