Melissa McCarthy only rises in fame as the years go on. It's almost impossible to dislike her. The former Gilmore Girls star has made herself a movie empire, and she's showing no signs of slowing down.
Just recently, she revealed her 75lb weight loss while on the red carpet, and it got us thinking...who is Melissa McCarthy? Sure, we know her from the screen, but what else is there for us to learn?
1. Shoplifting
We've all stolen something in our lifetimes. I used to steal cream cheese packets from my university cafeteria because it cost TWO DOLLARS for one small serving. That's a crime in itself.
McCarthy also admits that she went through a rebellious phase in her high school years, saying she "went slightly nights" after hitting puberty. She'd drink beer and wine coolers, then did some shoplifting.
"We'd wrap sweaters around ourselves and walk out," she said of her and her friends. I also stole something when I was five. In a dime store. A Chunky. I was trying to pound it, when my dad came around the corner. I said I found it in my coat, but my mom knew better. She had me go up to the counter and say, 'I stole a Chunky.' The kid says, 'It's OK.' My mom's like, 'It's not OK. Take the money!' I was bawling."
2. Big Break
While many people remember McCarthy's first role as Sookie St. James in Gilmore Girls, that's actually not the case. She made her very first TV appearance on The Jenny McCarthy Show, and then had a 50 second film role in Go.
3. Critics
Even though McCarthy has a lot of confidence in herself, there are still comments that get to her. One of the worst ones came from a user online, who wished ill upon her kids.
"What one post said was, 'I hate that fat pig, and I hope she drops dead of a heart attack in front of her children.' It was like from someplace in Ohio, at 3:43 a.m, and when I read it, all the air left my lungs," she recalled. "Like, wait a minute. My kids? Like who"”? What kind of a"”? I kind of wanted to go to Ohio and just be like, 'Hey, I have two girls, I do my best, and you hope I die in front of them? Like, what the f***?' I mean, you can hate my movies, find me boring or over-the-top, whatever it is. But when you move into that realm of the world..."
Another critic called out McCarthy's appearance in her film Tammy, which she felt the need to reply to.
"I hope you don't have a daughter," she told him. When he said he did, she replied "If she comes home and someone says you can't have a job because you're unattractive, are you gonna say, "˜That's right?'"
He responded, "No, I would never want that to happen. I would never in a million years want that to happen."
"I felt really bad for someone who is swimming in so much hate," McCarthy later said. "I just thought, that's someone who's in a really bad spot, and I am in such a happy spot. I laugh my head off every day with my husband and my kids who are mooning me and singing me songs."
4. Money, Money, Money
Comedy is generally a male-dominated industry, but McCarthy is doing her part to change that. Her films, such as Heat, Tammy, Bridesmaids, and Spy, have out-performed movies by Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Will Ferrell, who are all incredibly popular male comedians.
In addition to her films's success, McCarthy was also named the third highest paid actress of the year in 2015. The only people to finish ahead of her were Jennifer Lawrence and Scarlett Johannson. McCarthy pulled in $14 million for her role in Ghostbusters alone.
5. Guy Fieri
McCarthy was nominated for an Oscar her role as Megan in Bridesmaids, but some people may have noticed a familiar aura around the character. If you watch the Food Network, you'll know why. McCarthy admits that she modeled her character after Food Network host Guy Fieri.
"Every scene I would have my glasses on the back of my head," she confessed. "I tried for a long time to convince them to let me wear short, white, spiky hair, and they were like, 'You can't actually BE Guy Fieri.'"
6. She Doesn't Love Technology
Even though she may be in the public eye, McCarthy has gone on record saying she doesn't like using technology.
"My voice mail says, "˜Please don't leave a message.' I don't check email," she confessed. "I don't want to be that person who has their face buried in a screen. It makes me feel bad when people do it to me. I'm like, "˜You literally have something in front of your face; I feel awkward talking to you.'"
7. Sandra Bullock
In what was arguably one of McCarthy's best movies to date, she starred with Sandra Bullock as a set of unlikely heroes. They had undeniable chemistry in the film, and still are best friends to this day. The duo is often seen around Los Angeles together getting lunch and having fun.
8. Fashion Forward
While at university, McCarthy got her degree in fashion design. You may not think someone went into acting started in fashion, but she later used her knowledge to her advantage. McCarthy has lost and gained weight over the years, started her own clothing line in 2015. It's something she's wanted to do for a while, and it finally came true.
"I've been every size in the world, but after I was a size 12, it was, like, apparently I'm 'done' dressing," McCarthy said in an interview with Chelsea Handler. "Women don 't stop at size 12. I feel like there's a big thing missing where you can't dress to your mood above a certain number. My line is all sizes, because I was like, 'Women don't stop' "” I don't know why I would stop at a certain size; that seems odd to me."
9. Memory Game
When celebrities host Saturday Night Live, they often rely on cue cards to get them through the live show. Not McCarthy, though. Each time she's hosted the show, the actress has memorized all of her lines. She has hosted the show five times, and has appeared as former press secretary Sean Spicer. Her incredible dedication to her hosting responsibilities lead her to four Emmy nominations.
10. Weird Habits
In an interview with her and her husband, Ben Falcone, McCarthy was asked if she has any weird habits. Falcone quickly jumped in.
"She's been known to tap on my teeth before she goes to bed," he said. "And then, before sleeping, she'll say, 'I just need to hook it,' which means she has to jam her hand into my armpit," he says with a sigh. "I'll say, 'Well, no, don't put your hand there. It's not comfortable.' See, she wants to tickle me, and I don't want her to do that. She'll say, 'I won't move it. I won't move it.' And so finally I let her hook it "“ and then, of course, she tickles me."
McCarthy defended herself, saying she just does it for the laugh.
