Jennifer Love Hewitt Heartbreakingly Reveals She Doesn’t Know if She ‘Ever Recovered’ From This 2007 Paparazzi Moment
Jennifer Love Hewitt has been in the spotlight for decades; and heck, fans have practically grown up with her! We’ve seen her as a child actor turned teen “it” girl into a beloved TV actor we can’t get enough of. She’s been seen as a sex symbol for so long, but recently, she’s opened up about the dark side of that status, and how it gave her the one instance she felt insecure about herself.
In a recent interview with Vulture, the I Know What You Did Last Summer star said, “Before I even knew what sex was, I was a sex symbol. I still don’t know that I have that fully defined for myself because it started so weird.” But along with grappling that, there was a popular 2007 cover story that hurt her: the one where we see her in a bikini with the caption reading “Stop Calling Me Fat!”
“I was having the time of my life. I had made up the dumbest song about eating snacks and playing in the ocean, and I was singing it to my boyfriend out loud, doing some weird dance move, and they got the picture and then it was on the cover,” Hewitt remembered. “I don’t think I was ever really insecure until that cover.”
She added, “And then when it happened, I don’t know that I’ve ever recovered from it. Because there’s a part of me that’s always like, ‘Is this version going to be good enough, or is that going to happen again?’ Where somebody’s going to be like, ‘Hey, this is her without makeup at the cleaners. She looks 59.’ I think that’s why the insecurity carried on. I don’t know if I’ve even ever put that together for myself other than right now.”
Hewitt has always been gorgeous, and we hate that she had to deal with such intrusive headlines throughout the years. But in recent years, she’s learned to laugh off the criticism, especially from haters who claim she’s changed her face or body.
Back in 2022, Hewitt posted a beautiful no-filtered, no-makeup selfie on her Instagram. She captioned it, talking about all the criticism: “I posted this pic earlier and have heard a lot of positive thoughts. It means so much to me because aging is weird. And growing up with you guys over 33 years has been amazing, but the filters of it all can be tricky.” She added, “You can’t help but want to look better or even perfect to keep up. They are so fun but they also can be really hard because you can forget to feel good about your real face. Maybe I just need to be better at the balance. Anyway, thanks for letting me share and feel good as just me today. Love to you all.”
Haters can stay quiet, and we’re happy to know Hewitt has continued to thrive, despite it all (including that 2007 cover shoot).
Before you go, click here to see all the celebrity women who have spoken out about ageism.