The Diary Of A CEO
The Australian actress sacrificed lucrative comedy roles and overcame severe childhood trauma to prioritize her long-term health and fertility goals.
AI-assisted summary of Rebel Wilson: I Used My Weight To My Advantage! — original source. Check the original for full context.
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Detailed notes
## Background This episode of The Diary Of A CEO, hosted by Steven Bartlett, was published on YouTube on May 6, 2024. According to the page description, Australian actress and producer Rebel Wilson—known for her roles in Bridesmaids, Pitch Perfect, and Jojo Rabbit—shares the story of her life, career, and personal evolution.
## TL;DR Rebel Wilson reflects on her journey from a painfully shy childhood plagued by family dysfunction and physical insecurities to building a lucrative Hollywood career playing comedic roles. She details how she strategically leveraged her body image for comedy, the health and personal costs of her intense career focus, and her decision to address her emotional eating and prioritize starting a family. Wilson also opens up about late-in-life personal milestones, her experience with weight-loss medication, and processing past trauma through her memoir Rebel Rising.
## Atmosphere & style The conversation carries a deeply candid, intimate, and introspective vibe, balancing lighthearted humor with vulnerable reflection. Host Steven Bartlett guides the discussion with empathetic curiosity, creating a safe space for Wilson to pivot effortlessly between discussing intense childhood trauma and recounting hilarious career anecdotes. The emotional arc transitions smoothly from early isolation and self-doubt to personal empowerment, delivering a grounded and inspiring listening experience.
## Key takeaways - [02:14](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=134s) Rebel Wilson's childhood was marked by extreme social shyness, family financial instability, and emotional and physical abuse from her volatile father. - [17:08](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=1028s) Driven by feelings of unworthiness, early academic pressure, and childhood trauma, Rebel channeled her insecurities into an intense drive for external achievement. - [22:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=1320s) At age 14, Rebel systematically transformed herself into an extrovert by studying self-help books and forcing herself to talk to five new people every day. - [32:32](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=1952s) While hospitalized with a severe case of malaria in South Africa, Rebel had a life-changing hallucination of herself winning an Oscar, prompting her to pursue an acting career. - [39:54](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=2394s) Diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) in her early twenties, Rebel intentionally used her weight gain as a unique comedic asset to carve out a multi-million-dollar niche in Hollywood. - [47:34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=2854s) Despite achieving massive global career success with roles like 'Fat Amy' in Pitch Perfect, Rebel struggled with low self-esteem, emotional eating, and stayed single and a virgin until age 35. - [50:07](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=3007s) For her breakout role in Bridesmaids, Rebel was paid only $3,500—which went directly to union dues—forcing her to live on $60 a week before securing major film deals. - [54:06](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=3246s) A blunt reality check from a fertility doctor at age 39 pushed Rebel to embark on a 'Year of Health' to improve her chances of becoming a mother, despite pushback from her team who warned it would ruin her career niche. - [01:02:13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=3733s) Through intensive emotional therapy, Rebel realized she used her weight as a protective shield against personal intimacy and childhood trauma. - [01:06:54](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=4014s) To catch up on missed personal milestones, Rebel went on a 'Year of Love' where she dated roughly 50 people, and later experimented with Ozempic for weight management. - [01:13:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=4415s) Losing 35 kg transformed her career opportunities by opening doors to serious dramatic roles, while revealing a stark shift in how society treats women based on physical appearance. - [01:20:28](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=4828s) Rebel published accounts of abusive work conditions in her memoir, Rebel Rising, to release lingering personal shame and demonstrate her growth in self-worth. - [01:29:11](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=5351s) By sharing her experience as a 'late bloomer', Rebel aims to destigmatize delayed romantic and personal timelines for others.
## Detailed walkthrough ### [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=0s) Intro & Context The episode opens with a dramatic sequence of excerpts highlighting key themes from Rebel Wilson's life story. Rebel addresses her worst professional experience prior to the #MeToo movement, describing feelings of humiliation and degradation. She candidly recounts growing up alongside family dysfunction—including her father's harsh verbal abuse toward her mother—and how low self-worth led her to emotional eating and trashing her body. Her trajectory shifted after discovering motivational tapes that urged her to move forward despite fear. After realizing audience dynamics—specifically that people laughed at larger actors—she strategically used her weight to build a multi-million-dollar career playing "the fat funny girl" in Hollywood.
Despite achieving immense public success, Rebel discloses the hidden personal costs: remaining a virgin into her thirties, never dating properly, and eventually confronting a fertility doctor who bluntly warned her that her weight was putting her health and future family goals at risk. When she expressed a desire to get healthy, members of her professional team discouraged her, warning that losing weight would sabotage her lucrative niche.
---
### [02:14](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=134s) Being a Very Shy Kid Host Steven Bartlett asks Rebel about her earliest context to better understand the person behind the public image. Rebel explains that while people often view her on screen as an extraordinarily confident, sexually brazen, or brash persona, her true nature as a child was the exact opposite.
She grew up in a standard suburban Australian household, but suffered from extreme social shyness bordering on a disorder. For anyone who knew her back then, a career in entertainment would have seemed completely unimaginable. Her family ran an unconventional business: selling pet accessories out of a yellow caravan at dog shows across Australia.
- Her family traveled around selling pooper scoopers, brushes, and dog leashes. - Ironically, Rebel was severely allergic to dogs during these years—a fact she only discovered after being tested as an adult, which explained her constant childhood physical discomfort. - Writing her memoir, *Rebel Rising*, served as a way to expose this lesser-known dimension of her personality and explain how her childhood shaped her adult self.
---
### [04:06](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=246s) My Family and Their Struggles Rebel shifts to discussing her parents' backgrounds and personalities. Her mother was a dedicated state school kindergarten teacher who worked with many refugee children who spoke no English. Rebel describes her mother as a warm, bright light who helped countless young people, though she also spent periods as a stay-at-home mom—a role Rebel now views as extremely demanding after becoming a mother herself.
In contrast, her father experienced severe emotional trauma early in life when his own father died suddenly during his final year of high school at age 18. This tragedy threw his life off course and left him with unaddressed emotional wounds that prevented him from achieving his full potential as an aspiring businessman.
- Her mother taught primary school kindergarten in low-income Australian state schools. - Her father lost his father unexpectedly at age 18, altering his life trajectory. - Her father struggled to build a successful career despite his ambitions, leaving him feeling unfulfilled.
---
### [05:19](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=319s) My Dad's Anger Issues Rebel explains how her father's frustration manifested at home, primarily through chronic anger and financial stress. She recalls visiting race tracks where her father owned tiny shares—such as a 1/12th syndicate share—in racehorses. He would look envy-filled at the wealthy, high-flying owners whose names were known, desiring that level of status and recognition for himself.
``` "I think cause he was so angry all the time and money was a source of fighting in the household... he'd look at the other High Flyers, rich people who had a lot of money... and I definitely saw that he wanted to be that, but he wasn't that." ```
Rebel details discovering a gym bag in the back of her father's car packed with self-improvement and motivational cassettes, including Dale Carnegie’s *How to Win Friends and Influence People*. She realized these tapes were his private effort to learn sales skills and better himself, though he lacked the emotional tools to overcome his grief. In mid-20th-century Australia, therapy was not normalized, leaving his trauma to erupt in sudden, explosive fits where his face would turn bright red like an expanding balloon.
---
### [08:41](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=521s) Doing "Weird" Things as a Child To illustrate her father's volatile temper, Rebel recounts an incident from when she was roughly eight years old and her sister Liberty was six. Returning home from a dog show on an intensely hot Australian summer day (around 36°C / 97°F), the children poured water directly onto their mattress so they could lie down in the damp coolness.
When her father walked in and saw the soaked bed, he assumed they had wet the mattress out of deliberate misbehavior. Without asking questions, his anger instantly triggered.
- He flew into a rage and began physically hitting them. - Rebel describes herself and her siblings as exceptionally well-behaved children who lived in fear of setting him off. - The experience left her with intense guilt, internalizing the idea that she was a "terrible person" for attempting to stay cool. - Though physical punishment with belts or hands was relatively normalized in her community at the time, the unpredictability made her childhood home feel unsafe.
---
### [10:29](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=629s) Emotional Abuse and Her Parents' Divorce The abuse extended directly to Rebel's mother in the form of relentless verbal and financial toxicity. Her father routinely hurled insulting remarks at her mother, calling her a "fat lazy cow" and telling her that no one would ever love her. He also maintained tight control over the family’s finances, only to gamble away their money and leave the family financially strapped.
These dynamics fundamentally damaged Rebel's perspective on romantic relationships. Witnessing her mother become a "shell of a woman" made Rebel resolve never to marry or form a partnership.
``` "I saw my mom kind of became a shell of a woman and had to have every ounce of strength in order to get out of that relationship... and that left me thinking I will never get married." ```
Her parents eventually separated when Rebel was around 16 or 17, but the divorce dragged on for seven excruciating years. The lengthy legal battle wiped out her mother's savings, leaving all the money in the hands of lawyers. After a brief teenage romance ended in her boyfriend cheating on her, Rebel avoided dating throughout her entire teens and twenties, believing romance would only drag her down and prevent her from achieving independent success. (She notes happily that her mother later remarried a kind, loving man).
---
### [14:06](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=846s) How Her Dad's Trauma Impacted Her Steven and Rebel discuss the relationship between childhood darkness and adult drive, citing performance coach Tim Grover's work with athletes like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. Rebel notes that many colleagues in the entertainment industry who grew up in stable, loving homes often produce work that feels somewhat "vanilla."
Rebel views her own personality as a blend of two distinct family lines: - **Her Mother's Side:** Bright, warm, comedic, and lighthearted. - **Her Father's Side:** Dodgy, marked by a history of convict heritage, addiction, alcoholism, and a combative, dark edge.
She credits this darker lineage with giving her comedy an extra edge and intensity. While she does not experience clinical depression, she acknowledges occasionally feeling an aggressive, "mafia-like" impulse to seek revenge against those who slight her—a dark trait inherited from her father's side that fuels her artistic voice.
---
### [17:08](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=1028s) Where Her Darkness and Drive Come From Steven shares his own experience of being driven by childhood shame as the only Black child from a poor family in his neighborhood, prompting a discussion about whether high achievers are driven or "dragged" by their unresolved insecurities. Rebel agrees that she falls into the "dragged" category, identifying as a workaholic who ties her core self-worth directly to external achievement.
``` "I definitely get self-esteem and self-worth from achievements." ```
She reflects on how her early feelings of inadequacies drove her to constantly prove herself, seeking validation through awards, academic success, and career milestones to compensate for the instability and emotional trauma of her home life.
[18:23](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=1103s) Feeling Not "Good Enough" and the Roots of Low Self-Worth
Rebel Wilson reflects deeply on the underlying reasons for her complex relationship with food and self-worth. She explains that during her school years, anything less than a 100% score on an exam made her feel like trash. This deep-seated belief—that she wasn't inherently good enough—translated into treating her body poorly, as if she didn't deserve proper care. Searching for the origin of these feelings, she traces them to both subtle cultural dynamics and her family environment. Growing up in a conservative household where emotions were rarely discussed or expressed, Wilson felt that love and validation were conditional, tied directly to achieving top marks, winning prizes, or receiving academic trophies.
``` ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ROOTS OF LOW SELF-WORTH │ └──────────────────────┬───────────────────────┘ │ ┌────────────────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────┐ ▼ ▼ ▼ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ │ Gender Norms │ │ Family Dynamics│ │ School Environment│ │ & Culture │ │ & Validation │ │ & Comparison │ ├──────────────┤ ├──────────────┤ ├──────────────┤ │ Boys praised │ │ Conservative │ │ Academic │ │ over girls; │ │ family home; │ │ success tied │ │ better │ │ emotions not │ │ directly to │ │ facilities │ │ discussed │ │ self-worth │ └──────────────┘ └──────────────┘ └──────────────┘ ```
She also recalls how gender expectations in her community quietly reinforced her sense of inferiority. Even in dog shows during her childhood, the "Junior Handling" events routinely awarded wins to boys simply because it was unusual to see a boy competing, whereas girls were largely overlooked. Furthermore, while she attended an all-girls high school, the neighboring boys' school was regarded as far more prestigious and boasted a multi-million dollar theater. These accumulated micro-experiences left her with a persistent sense of being sidelined and invisible.
- **Academic Pressure:** Believed achieving anything less than a 100% exam score meant failure. - **Dog Show Handling:** Competed in "Junior Handling" dog shows where boys were routinely favored over girls. - **School Disparity:** Attended an all-girls high school adjacent to a more prestigious boys' school equipped with a multi-million dollar theater.
> "I felt like I was not good enough—I was like trash, and that's why I would trash my body, because I just felt like, well, I don't deserve anything different."
---
[22:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=1320s) Shy Years, the Snaggletooth, and the 15-Year-Old Turning Point
Describing her early teenage years as one of her darkest periods, Wilson paints a vivid picture of a painfully introverted 13- and 14-year-old. She remembers being average-looking and self-conscious about a "snaggletooth"—a single deformed fang-like tooth that made her feel unattractive—and experiencing intense physical anxiety, such as blushing bright red whenever a teacher called on her. Convinced no one would want to be her friend, she spent her lunch breaks sitting entirely alone in the school library.
``` ┌────────────────────────┐ │ SHY & ISOLATED ERA │ │ (Ages 13–14) │ └───────────┬────────────┘ │ ▼ ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Reads article in library: │ │ "Your personality at 15 will be yours for life." │ └────────────────────────┬─────────────────────────┘ │ ▼ ┌────────────────────────┐ │ DECISION TO ACT │ │ Forced transformation │ └────────────────────────┘ ```
The turning point came while reading an article in the library asserting that a person's personality at age 15 becomes their personality for life. Fearing she would remain isolated and emotionally unexpressed forever, she resolved to radically transform herself before turning 15. Realizing she couldn't wait for friends to find her, she sought out self-help and motivational tapes, including Dale Carnegie’s *How to Win Friends and Influence People*, to map out a clear strategy for becoming extroverted and popular.
- **Physical Insecurity:** Struggled with a single "snaggletooth" before eventually getting it fixed later in life. - **Library Article Catalyst:** Read that personality freezes at age 15, sparking her urgency to break out of her shell. - **Motivational Reading:** Adopted strategies from self-help sources and Dale Carnegie's *How to Win Friends and Influence People*.
> "I read this article in the library that said that what your personality is at 15 will be your personality for life... I went, 'I'm so close to 15—if I don't change, this is going to be me forever.'"
---
[24:39](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=1479s) Executing the Popularity Plan and Getting Dragged to Drama Class
To overcome her extreme shyness, Wilson executed a deliberate daily routine inspired by her reading: she forced herself to speak to five new people every single day. She would initiate conversations with girls on the bus, approach peers at the school gates, and join various sports teams and extracurricular clubs. Realizing that negative attention could also establish a reputation quickly, she intentionally engaged in outrageous, "naughty" behaviors at school—a sharp departure from her naturally good-mannered personality—to build visibility, comparing the tactic to rapper Eminem's early controversial persona.
``` ┌─────────────────────────────────┐ │ TRANSFORMATION STRATEGY │ └────────────────┬────────────────┘ │ ┌──────────────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┐ ▼ ▼ ▼ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ │ The 5-Person│ │ Outrageous │ │ Drama Class │ │ Rule │ │ Behaviour │ │ Intervention│ ├──────────────┤ ├──────────────┤ ├──────────────┤ │ Talk to 5 │ │ Act out to │ │ Forced by │ │ new people │ │ gain initial │ │ mother to │ │ daily │ │ attention │ │ build confidence│ └──────────────┘ └──────────────┘ └──────────────┘ ```
Noticing her social isolation, her mother stepped in to help by forcing her to attend community drama classes. Wilson vividly recalls clinging to the car door with her fingernails, crying and protesting as her mother literally dragged her out of the vehicle. Although her family had no background in professional entertainment, the creative arts provided an unexpected escape: stepping into a character's shoes allowed her to act confidently without feeling exposed as herself, eventually building genuine self-esteem that bled back into her real life.
- **Daily Goal:** Committed to speaking to 5 new people every day (on the bus, at school gates, in class). - **Behavioral Shift:** Intentionally acted out to gain attention and build a public persona, taking inspiration from controversial artists like Eminem. - **Drama Class Intervention:** Her mother physically dragged her to local community drama classes to help build her self-esteem.
---
[28:29](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=1709s) The South Africa Rotary Trip, Safety Hazards, and Contracting Malaria
Driven to achieve and escape her turbulent home dynamics, Wilson excelled academically, attended boarding school at age 16, and eventually entered a prestigious Rotary Youth Ambassador program after high school. Selected after serving as a witness in a major crime squad investigation—where authorities were impressed by her public speaking under pressure—she was assigned to South Africa just a few years post-apartheid. The transition from safe, suburban Australia to Johannesburg was an enormous culture shock.
``` ┌───────────────────────┐ │ GAP YEAR TRAJECTORY │ └───────────┬───────────┘ │ ▼ ┌───────────────────────┐ │ Witness in Major │ │ Crime Squad Case │ └───────────┬───────────┘ │ ▼ ┌───────────────────────┐ │ Rotary Youth │ │ Ambassador Program │ └───────────┬───────────┘ │ ▼ ┌───────────────────────┐ │ Assigned to │ │ South Africa │ └───────────────────────┘ ```
At the time, Johannesburg had among the highest murder and rape rates in the world. Wilson was confronted daily with razor-wire fences, attack dogs, and widespread firearms, forcing her to carry a wooden baton for personal safety. Host Steven Bartlett shares a parallel personal anecdote about catching malaria in Africa as a young boy and seeing a hallucinated "shadow man" by his bed—a vision his parents believed acted as a guardian angel that alerted them in time to save his life.
- **Program Selection:** Chosen for the Rotary Youth Ambassador program due to her debating skills and composure as a crime witness. - **Safety Precautions:** Carried a wooden baton daily for self-defense while navigating late 1990s Johannesburg. - **Host's Parallel Story:** Steven Bartlett recounts his own childhood malaria hallucination of a "shadow man" behind his father's shoulder.
> "Johannesburg had the highest rape and murder rate in the world at that time, and there were guns everywhere and barbed wire fences and attack dogs... I had to carry a little wooden baton."
---
[32:32](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=1952s) The Life-Changing Malaria Vision: From Law School to Acting
While in South Africa, Wilson contracted a severe, life-threatening strain of malaria that required a two-week hospital stay. Drugged and delirious, she experienced an extraordinarily vivid, life-altering vision: she saw herself as an accomplished actress walking down a red carpet and accepting an Academy Award, complete with the details of the crowd's attire. Rather than giving a traditional Oscar speech in her vision, she delivered an acceptance rap—a nod to a short-lived rap group she had formed with her sister during a phase when she admired the swagger of hip-hop artists.
``` ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ MALARIA HOSPITALIZATION (2 Weeks) │ └────────────────────────┬────────────────────────┘ │ ▼ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ HALLUCINATED OSCAR VISION │ │ - Walking red carpet as a famous actress │ │ - Winning an Academy Award │ │ - Delivering an acceptance RAP on stage │ └────────────────────────┬────────────────────────┘ │ ▼ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ CAREER DIRECTION CHANGE │ │ Leaves South Africa 1 month early to audition │ │ for Australian drama school. │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ```
The hallucination was so intense that upon leaving the hospital, Wilson announced she was cutting her stay short by a month to return to Australia and audition for drama school. Everyone around her assumed the malaria had damaged her brain, urging her to stick with her prestigious spot in law school instead. Undeterred, she auditioned for drama school (and was promptly rejected), embarking on what would be a five-year journey to turn acting into a viable career. She often questioned whether the vision was a fever-induced delusion, a manifestation of her suppressed childhood dreams, or divine intervention guiding her toward her life's true purpose.
- **Hospital Stay:** Spent 2 full weeks hospitalized treating a severe strain of malaria. - **Vision Details:** Saw herself winning an Oscar and delivering an acceptance rap on stage. - **Initial Rejection:** Cut her African trip short by 1 month to audition for an Australian drama school, where she was initially turned down. - **Timeline to Success:** Took 5 years from the initial vision until she began making a living as an actress.
> "People go, 'No, the malaria has affected your brain.' They thought I was nuts... I go, 'No, I've seen it, and I think I need to be an actress now.'"
[36:14](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=2174s) Pursuing Law and the Burden of Parental Expectations
Rebel Wilson reflects on her choice to study law at the University of New South Wales alongside a business and arts degree. Because entry into law school required near-perfect exam scores, she felt that since she was smart enough to qualify, she ought to do it. Steven Bartlett asks whether she was trying to impress one of her parents more than the other. Wilson shares that her mother’s primary wish for her was simply to be "normal"—to have friends, enjoy relationships, and avoid the public eye. Bartlett suggests that as the eldest of four siblings, Wilson may have carried her parents' unfulfilled desires, acting as a vessel for their ambitions.
Wilson agrees that her parents viewed a law degree as the ultimate validation for their hard work and financial sacrifices. To afford her elite high school education and uniforms, her father worked grueling hours at a gas station overnight in addition to selling dog grooming products. Getting into a top law school meant that their sacrifices had paid off.
Despite pursuing acting simultaneously, Wilson eventually qualified as a lawyer, though the double degree took her 10 years instead of the standard five. The law school strictly enforced an 80% in-person attendance rule. When filming schedules conflicted with classes, she was forced to repeat entire subjects. She recalls a grueling schedule where she would wake up at 4:00 AM in another Australian state where she was filming, fly to Sydney to attend classes, and fly back the same evening to resume shooting.
- **Law degree duration:** 10 years (combined Law/Arts degree). - **Mandatory class attendance:** 80% in-person attendance required by UNSW Law School. - **Father's extra hustle:** Worked overnight gas station shifts alongside his dog-product business to afford high school tuition.
---
[38:39](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=2319s) Late Start in Acting and Writing Her Own Roles
Wilson began her acting journey around age 18 or 19, which she considers quite late compared to peers who started as child actors. By age 21, she wrote her very first play over two nights. The play won a playwriting competition, and a television network unexpectedly granted her $90,000 to stage it professionally.
This initial success brought a stark realization: the industry did not view her as a conventional leading lady like Nicole Kidman. To create a career for herself, she needed to write her own material. Despite early recognition, she did not earn a full-time living from acting until she was cast as a regular on an Australian television series at age 23.
- **Age at acting debut:** 18–19 years old. - **First play grant:** Received $90,000 from a TV network after winning a playwriting contest at age 21. - **First regular TV gig:** Age 23.
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[39:54](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=2394s) PCOS, Weight Gain, and the "Science" of Comedy
Around age 21 or 22, Wilson was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). While she had previously been athletic and average-sized, the condition triggered rapid weight gain, causing her to put on 30 kilograms (around 66 pounds) alongside other physical symptoms such as body hair.
While staging her first play, Wilson observed that an actress on stage who was larger than her consistently got bigger laughs, even though the dialogue had been written evenly. This sparked an epiphany, which was later reinforced when she studied a university course titled *Comedy and Power*. The academic concept posited that romantic attraction and comedic laughter stem from different psychological impulses: people generally do not want to laugh at someone they find sexually attractive. Conversely, audiences laugh more readily at individuals with distinctive or irregular physical traits—whether tall, short, possessing a large nose, or carrying extra weight.
Recognizing this dynamic, Wilson strategically chose to lean into her weight as a "tool" in her comedy toolbox rather than viewing it as a handicap. Leaning into comedic roles yielded bigger laughs, better casting opportunities, and higher pay. During this period, she earned a scholarship funded by Nicole Kidman to study at The Second City comedy theatre in New York City.
> "Normally if you want to sleep with somebody you're not wanting to laugh at them... the science of it is more people want to be your friend rather than they don't want to be your lover."
- **Weight gain from PCOS:** 30 kg (~66 lbs). - **University course:** *Comedy and Power*. - **Scholarship:** Funded by Nicole Kidman to study at The Second City in New York.
---
[43:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=2597s) Internal Conflict and the Demeanor of "Fat" Characters
Looking back through her teenage diaries while researching her memoir *Rebel Rising*, Wilson was surprised to find that even at age 16—when she was athletic and played sports—her primary goal was already to lose two kilograms. This obsession stemmed from offhand comments made by her mother, who struggled with her own weight issues.
As her professional career took off, a deep internal conflict developed. On one hand, her weight served as a career catalyst, landing her roles on popular Australian television shows like *Fat Pizza*, where she played "Toula," the obese girlfriend whose partner was embarrassed to be seen with her. On the other hand, she knew her eating habits were deeply unhealthy. While attending comedy school in New York, she frequently ate a whole pint of ice cream or a large bag of chips for dinner.
Playing characters defined by their physical appearance created a divide between her professional persona and her personal feelings. Off-camera, her co-stars were respectful, but interactions with the public proved hurtful. She recalls an instance at a post office where a fan of *Fat Pizza* recognized her and began making derogatory, in-character jokes directly to her face in real life, unable to separate the actress from the role.
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[47:34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=2854s) Professional Triumph vs. Personal Stagnation
As Wilson’s career exploded globally with her role as "Fat Amy" in *Pitch Perfect*, she began making millions of dollars playing the "fat funny girl." However, this career success masked severe deficits in her personal life. She compares her singular focus to that of an Olympic athlete: achieving extraordinary, million-to-one professional success left other aspects of her life severely stunted.
While she could sit courtside at LA Lakers games and attend prestigious industry events, her emotional and romantic development lagged far behind. She had not gone on a single date or experienced physical intimacy until her early 30s.
- **Milestone delayed:** Did not go on her first date or experience physical intimacy until her early 30s. - **Career vs. Health:** Prized professional success and financial security over health and personal relationships throughout her 20s.
---
[50:07](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=3007s) The "Bridesmaids" Gamble and Surviving on $60 a Week
Wilson details the financial realities of her breakout Hollywood role in *Bridesmaids* (2011). Despite the film's massive success, she was paid just $3,500 for her role. That entire paycheck immediately went toward paying dues to join the SAG-AFTRA union. After buying a dress and paying for transport to attend the movie's red carpet premiere, she actually lost money on the job.
Because feature films typically take a full year from production to theatrical release, the period following *Bridesmaids* was financially desperate. Living in Los Angeles, she had to survive on a strict budget of just $60 a week for groceries and personal expenses after paying rent and car rental fees. Once *Bridesmaids* premiered and became a smash hit, her trajectory changed overnight: she booked six feature films in rapid succession, including *Pitch Perfect*, which went on to become the highest-grossing musical comedy franchise of all time.
- **Pay for *Bridesmaids*:** $3,500 (completely offset by union dues and premiere expenses). - **Weekly living budget in LA:** $60 per week during the year waiting for *Bridesmaids* to release. - **Post-*Bridesmaids* boom:** Booked 6 movies off its success.
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[53:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=3190s) The Ticking Clock and the Desire for a Family
In her late 30s, despite having built a lucrative Hollywood career, Wilson experienced a sudden and intense shift in priorities. Having spent her 20s and early 30s entirely focused on work, she had never envisioned herself having a family or finding a long-term partner.
However, as she approached her late 30s, her biological clock began ticking loudly—a feeling she describes as akin to the ticking clock inside the crocodile from *Peter Pan*. Seeing friends with children and encountering families made her realize that if she wanted to become a mother, she needed to take action before it was too late.
<ElicitationsGroup message="Explore more from this interview:"> <Elicitation label="Read about Rebel Wilson's weight loss journey" query="Summarize the next section of Rebel Wilson's interview covering her health transformation and weight loss journey."/> <Elicitation label="Learn about her experiences in Hollywood" query="What details does Rebel Wilson share about her contract restrictions and career after losing weight?"/> </ElicitationsGroup>
[54:06](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=3246s) "You're Not Healthy": The Blunt Wake-Up Call From a Fertility Doctor
Around age 39, Rebel Wilson felt a deep, undeniable urge to become a mother, despite not having a partner at the time. She visited a fertility doctor to check her egg reserve, at a point when she was medically obese but living what felt like an incredible life—traveling the world, earning success, and singing along to Lizzo's *"It's Bad O'Clock"* with complete self-confidence. During the consultation, however, the physician looked her up and down and delivered a unfiltered assessment: *"Yeah, but you're not healthy."* He bluntly informed her that her chances of conceiving would improve dramatically if she lost weight.
Coming from a total stranger who resembled "Doc Brown from *Back to the Future*" and clearly wasn't part of the *Pitch Perfect* fanbase, the comment hit Wilson with unexpected force. In Hollywood, people constantly praised her success and celebrated her character "Fat Amy," never calling out her eating habits. While she had long considered herself a beacon of body positivity who truly believed beauty exists at any size, the doctor's blunt delivery pierced through her denial. She realized that while she lacked chronic medical conditions, she was engaging in deeply unhealthy behaviors that she could no longer ignore.
- **Age at fertility consultation:** 39 years old. - **Initial reaction to the doctor's tone:** Surprised by his disdain, yet instantly aware that his critique was accurate. - **Decisive pivot:** Planned to take the entire year of 2020 off from acting—unaware a global pandemic was imminent—to dedicate herself entirely to her health.
---
[57:12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=3432s) Breaking the Weight-Loss Plateau and Facing Team Pushback
Reflecting on her past, Wilson noted how difficult it is to transition from knowing you are obese to taking permanent action. Over the years, she had tried numerous quick-fix diets and health retreats—losing 5 to 7 pounds in a week only to regain it immediately. She had come to accept that her body's natural "set point" or homeostasis was around 102 kilograms (approx. 225 lbs). It frustrated her that she could earn two university degrees and become an international film star, yet felt powerless to change her physical weight.
When Wilson shared her plan to get healthy with her professional team, she met immediate resistance. They cautioned her against altering the very image that made her famous, warning that she was throwing away her lucrative niche.
> "They're like, 'Oh no, no, no, why would you want to lose weight?... You lose your multi-million dollar pigeonhole that you've so successfully created.'"
Faced with a stark choice between protecting her Hollywood career or prioritizing her health and potential future child, Wilson chose her health. Her acting contracts—including those for *Pitch Perfect*—frequently contained standard appearance clauses prohibiting cast members from losing or gaining more than 10 pounds (or altering their hair color/style) so they remained identical for potential reshoots or sequels. The pandemic's arrival in 2020 ultimately proved to be a blessing, giving her the quiet, non-work environment necessary to focus entirely on her physical transformation.
- **Weight set point before transformation:** Approximately 102 kg. - **Hollywood contracts constraint:** Could not change her physical appearance by more than 10 lbs while under contract. - **Estimated earnings sacrificed/risked:** Over $20 million in film offers to pursue her health goal.
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[01:02:13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=3733s) Processing Emotional Baggage and Unpacking Weight as a Shield
Wilson's path to lasting change required going far beyond diet and exercise. Introduced by Anne Hathaway—who noticed Wilson struggling during the filming of *The Hustle*—to a doctor specializing in the link between emotions and physical health, Wilson began biweekly therapy calls. At first, opening up about her private life felt uncomfortable, but she soon recognized that she was an emotional eater holding onto a "bag of groceries" filled with childhood traumas, including the complicated relationship with her late father who had passed away shortly after the release of *Pitch Perfect*.
Through this work, Wilson realized her weight had served as a protective barrier against emotional and physical intimacy. Adopting the role of the "fat funny friend" kept people at a distance so they wouldn't discover her true vulnerabilities or see how she really lived. Host Steven Bartlett referenced a study cited by author Johann Hari (*Lost Connections*), which noted that some women who lose weight regain it after receiving romantic advances because the excess weight previously shielded them from unwanted attention or trauma responses—a dynamic Wilson strongly related to.
- **Key professional introduction:** Anne Hathaway connected her with the emotional health specialist. - **Therapy structure:** Biweekly phone sessions aimed at processing emotional triggers and past trauma. - **Daily health routine in 2020:** 2 to 2.5 hours of daily workouts, self-cooked high-protein meals, and processing internal stress.
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[01:06:37](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=3997s) Navigating Late-in-Life Dating and Losing Her Virginity at 35
Before her focus on physical health, Wilson undertook a self-described "Year of Love" to push herself out of her comfort zone regarding dating. Having been extremely shy and feeling "invisible" in terms of romantic attractiveness throughout her twenties, she experienced almost no romantic attention until she became famous. She recalled a moment at the Château Marmont after *Pitch Perfect* when a waiter slipped her his phone number—a gesture that left her completely shocked while her friend and roommate Matt Lucas urged her to pursue it.
Host Steven Bartlett candidly brought up that Wilson was a virgin until age 35, asking if that created anxiety when going on dates. Wilson explained that she lost her virginity to an amazing guy she was set up with at 35, someone she genuinely liked and saw as potential marriage material.
> "I'd waited so long at that point, I really wanted to lose my virginity to someone who I was really, really into... I don't think I could have done [the year of dating] if I was still a virgin going on all those dates."
After that milestone, Wilson felt far more confident putting herself out there. She joined exclusive dating apps like Raya—joking with Bartlett, who recalled being left on Raya's waitlist as a teenager, that it was the platform's loss—and went on numerous dates to catch up on the relationship experience she had missed in her youth.
- **First major romantic attention:** A Château Marmont waiter slipping her his number while hanging out with Matt Lucas. - **Virginity milestone:** Lost her virginity at age 35 to a man she genuinely liked and respected. - **Dating approach:** Used Raya and mutual setups during her "Year of Love" to overcome decades of romantic anxiety.
[01:11:34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=4294s) Dating Experiments and Using Ozempic for Weight Management
Rebel Wilson candidly breaks down her path toward romantic and physical health, revealing that by 2019 she had made a conscious push to catch up on personal relationship experiences. Feeling "behind the eight ball" because she had never dated properly in her youth, she embarked on a self-imposed challenge and dated around 50 people in a single year to acquire dating experience and search for "the one." Switching topics to physical health, host Steven Bartlett asks about her experience with Ozempic. Wilson openly admits that she experimented with the GLP-1 weight-loss medication for a few months for weight maintenance after shedding approximately 35 kilograms (77 lbs).
She reflects that she wishes she had known about Ozempic during her dedicated "Year of Health" in 2020, stating she would have tried it without hesitation. After losing significant weight through intense physical activity, she found it impossible to sustain that extreme level of workout focus indefinitely, especially after welcoming her baby daughter and spending long, sedentary days on set directing her film. The physical toll and stress caused her to regain about 10 kilograms. For her, Ozempic served as a useful tool against her "unlimited ability to eat sweets and chocolate and ice cream," helping her brain register fullness in a way it never had naturally. While she is not currently taking it, she defends its utility for people facing similar emotional and physical eating struggles, stating she would gladly use it again under a doctor’s prescription.
- **Dating Push:** Dated roughly 50 people in 2019 to overcome feeling inexperienced in relationships. - **Weight Loss & Regain:** Lost around 35 kg during her health drive, but regained about 10 kg due to lifestyle shifts, parenting, and directed movie stress. - **Ozempic Trial:** Used Ozempic for several months specifically to curb an "unlimited ability" to overindulge in sweets and regulate satiety.
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[01:13:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=4415s) Fan Backlash, Public Bias, and Evolving Acting Roles
Addressing the public reaction to her physical transformation, Wilson addresses the audience backlash that often accompanies dramatic weight loss in famous figures, comparing her experience to singer Adele's. When fans expressed concern that shedding weight would ruin her comedic identity, Wilson proved skeptics wrong with her hit Netflix comedy *Senior Year*, which garnered 89 million unique views in its first 10 days. She analyzes the psychological reaction of disgruntled fans through an astute family metaphor: when a person makes a self-improvement breakthrough, it can act as a mirror that makes others feel bad about their own lack of progress, causing them to lash out.
Wilson poses a provocative question to those critics: would they prefer she follow the tragic path of late comedians like John Candy, who died prematurely from health complications? She references her own father, who died from a heart attack tied to diabetes complications, emphasizing that she was heading down a dangerous medical path herself. She asserts that comedy rests on a performer's personality and toolkit rather than a single physical trait. Losing weight transformed her career options, opening doors to serious dramatic roles—such as starring in *The Almond and the Seahorse* and playing Lady Capulet in a feature film—allowing her to return to her classical Shakespearean roots. On a societal level, she notes the stark shift in how the world treated her: going from feeling virtually invisible to receiving overwhelming positive bias, door-opening chivalry, and superficial validation.
- **Netflix Success:** *Senior Year* achieved 89 million unique views in its first 10 days, disproving claims that she wouldn't be funny after losing weight. - **Health Realities:** Pointed to her father's fatal heart attack from diabetes complications as the scary trajectory she was actively avoiding. - **Dramatic Roles:** Expanded into dramatic acting with *The Almond and the Seahorse* and playing Lady Capulet. - **Societal Treatment:** Experienced "pretty privilege" firsthand, noticing a jarring contrast in how attentive and helpful strangers became once she lost weight.
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[01:17:58](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=4678s) The Driven Workaholic and Balancing Motherhood
Despite reaching immense financial security, owning luxury homes worldwide, and finding deep personal contentment with her partner Ramona Agruma, Wilson admits that she remains an admitted workaholic. Bartlett notes that at age 42, after going through IVF and welcoming her daughter Royce, she spent a grueling nine months working seven days a week—filming the action movie *Bride Hard*, directing her directorial debut *The Deb*, and writing her memoir *Rebel Rising*. When asked what still drives her to push so hard, Wilson traces her unyielding work ethic back to her childhood.
As a young girl at dog shows, she used to forage inside garbage bins for aluminum cans to recycle for spare cash because her family was broke. That primal fear of scarcity implanted an enduring motivation to earn money and conquer ambitious targets. However, achieving initial targets—like breaking into Hollywood—simply shifted the goalposts to larger ones, such as winning an Academy Award. Bartlett questions whether pursuing an Oscar will bring actual fulfillment or if she risks regretting her priorities later in life. Wilson acknowledges this danger, revealing that her daughter Royce has completely shifted her center of gravity. Being a mother makes her want to pull back from the relentless hustle, embrace family time, and relinquish her lifelong need to constantly strive.
- **Non-Stop Workload:** Completed a 9-month marathon of working 7 days a week across *Bride Hard*, directing *The Deb*, and publishing her book. - **Root Motivation:** Traces her intense money drive to collecting cans from trash bins as a poor child at dog shows. - **Shifting Priorities:** Credits her daughter Royce with inspiring her to break the workaholic cycle and choose family life over relentless career expansion.
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[01:20:28](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=4828s) Redacted Pages, Defamation Laws, and the Sacha Baron Cohen Chapter
Bartlett pulls out a physical copy of Wilson's memoir, *Rebel Rising*, highlighting pages heavily redacted with thick black ink lines. Wilson clarifies that the UK publisher enforced these blackouts due to strict British defamation laws, which impose a significantly higher legal burden than the First Amendment protections in the United States. As a qualified lawyer herself, Wilson understood the publisher's desire to avoid litigious battles over the chapter titled "Sacha Baron Cohen and Other A**holes," which recounts what she describes as the worst professional experience of her career on the set of the 2016 film *Grimsby*.
Wilson elaborates on why she felt compelled to write about the experience, which left her feeling deeply humiliated and degraded. Clarifying that it was not an allegation of sexual assault, she describes it as an abusive work situation where she lacked the self-esteem to walk away. At the time—prior to the #MeToo movement—she felt bound by professionalism to stay, do re-shoots, and keep quiet, especially since both she and Cohen shared the same talent agency. She explains that publishing the chapter was not about "canceling" anyone, but rather about releasing the internalized shame she harbored for going along with scenes that crossed the line from character comedy into personal humiliation. Writing it was an act of personal processing, illustrating how far her self-worth has come from the person she was a decade ago.
- **Legal Redactions:** UK publishers redacted text in her memoir due to strict local libel laws, whereas the US edition contained the full chapter. - **The *Grimsby* Incident:** Details her degrading experience working with Sacha Baron Cohen 10 years prior, explaining how a lack of self-worth kept her on set. - **Motivation:** Published the account to shed years of personal shame, raise standards for workplace treatment, and show her growth into a woman who now stands up for herself.
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[01:25:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=5115s) Darkest Childhood Memories and Advice to Her 13-Year-Old Self
Reflecting on the toughest chapters of her life, Wilson pinpoints her early adolescence around age 13 as her absolute darkest era. Hitting puberty while living isolated out in the Australian bush—surrounded by snakes on the back porch and bush rats—left her feeling utterly unlovable, unworthy, and invisible. Though she was academically intelligent, she felt average, lonely, and convinced that her life would never amount to anything meaningful.
When Bartlett asks what advice she would offer to her 13-year-old self—or to any young person currently feeling isolated and invisible—Wilson emphasizes the power of personal agency and creative expression. She insists that no one is trapped in their current circumstances and that active steps can alter one's life path. She passionately advocates for the creative arts—whether acting, writing, painting, or simply journaling in a bedroom notebook—as the ultimate tool for finding one's voice. Creative outlets provide a safe harbor for self-expression when a person feels unheard by the world, serving as the bridge that allowed her to transform from a deeply shy child into an empowered creator.
- **Darkest Phase:** Age 13, living in isolation in the Australian bush, struggling with deep feelings of unworthiness and loneliness. - **Core Advice:** Message to young people that they have the agency to actively change their lives and build a better reality. - **Creative Outlets:** Highlights writing, music, and art as crucial tools for isolated youth to discover their identity and voice.
Here is the detailed walkthrough covering the final portion of the interview.
[01:29:11](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=5351s) Being a "Late Bloomer" and Destigmatizing Personal Timelines
Rebel and Steven reflect on how personal choices and delayed milestones affect life trajectories, particularly for those who prioritize their careers early on. Steven notes that many people reach their late 30s, hear their biological clock ticking, and begin to re-evaluate two decades of choices. He praises Rebel’s memoir, *Rebel Rising*, for its raw honesty regarding her internal realization that significant life changes were required to pursue new priorities, proving that it is never too late to change. Rebel shares that she included her vulnerable virginity story—losing her virginity at age 35—specifically to remove the shame for other "late bloomers." While sharing it felt initially embarrassing, she hopes it reassures others that timing doesn't dictate a successful or fulfilling life.
- Rebel admits she was clearly avoidant toward romantic relationships in her earlier years and acknowledges a slight regret, though she maintains her career success stemmed from that intense singular focus. - She emphasizes that there should be no shame in blooming later in life, stating that all that truly matters is that happiness and fulfillment eventually arrived. - A slight lighthearted moment occurs when Rebel laughs at herself for repeatedly using the word "come" while explaining her point.
[01:31:24](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=5484s) The Last Guest Question: Balancing Career Success and Family
Steven introduces the podcast’s signature closing tradition, reading a prompt left by the previous guest without knowing who would receive it: "Those people that you love the most, what is preventing you from spending enough time hugging them? Are you able to change this?" Rebel answers immediately, pointing to her immediate family—her partner, Ramona Agruma, and her young daughter. She explains that the main barrier is physically being separated across different cities or countries due to demanding work schedules, book promotion tours, or filming sets unsuitable for a baby.
- Rebel recognizes that she has full power to change this imbalance by refusing to take on excessive work commitments and intentionally prioritizing her family time.
[01:32:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=5555s) Life Trade-offs, New Projects, and Final Words
Steven commends the memoir for authentically addressing core life questions around romance, fertility, self-worth, and the heavy trade-offs required of workaholics and high achievers. While discussing these trade-offs, Rebel agrees with the sentiment that while you might be able to have everything, "you can't have it all at the same time." Steven highlights her effortless humor and mentions her upcoming film, *The Almond and the Seahorse*, a drama focused on traumatic brain injury releasing in UK cinemas on May 10th. Rebel mentions that this movie marked a pivotal moment in her personal life, as kissing her co-star Charlotte Gainsbourg on set served as the catalyst for exploring her sexuality and ultimately meeting her partner. Rebel concludes by sharing that putting her most intimate, vulnerable thoughts into the world is nerve-wracking, but knowing it could positively impact even a handful of readers makes it completely worth it.
- *The Almond and the Seahorse* features her first onscreen and real-life romantic kiss with a woman, co-star Charlotte Gainsbourg. - Rebel reiterates that if even ten people relate to her story and take away something positive, publishing her memoir fulfills its purpose.
## Notable quotes > [05:19](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=319s) I think cause he was so angry all the time and money was a source of fighting in the household... he'd look at the other High Flyers, rich people who had a lot of money... and I definitely saw that he wanted to be that, but he wasn't that. — Rebel Wilson
> [10:29](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=629s) I saw my mom kind of became a shell of a woman and had to have every ounce of strength in order to get out of that relationship... and that left me thinking I will never get married. — Rebel Wilson
> [17:08](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=1028s) I definitely get self-esteem and self-worth from achievements. — Rebel Wilson
> [18:23](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=1103s) I felt like I was not good enough—I was like trash, and that's why I would trash my body, because I just felt like, well, I don't deserve anything different. — Rebel Wilson
> [22:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=1320s) I read this article in the library that said that what your personality is at 15 will be your personality for life... I went, 'I'm so close to 15—if I don't change, this is going to be me forever.' — Rebel Wilson
> [28:29](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=1709s) Johannesburg had the highest rape and murder rate in the world at that time, and there were guns everywhere and barbed wire fences and attack dogs... I had to carry a little wooden baton. — Rebel Wilson
> [32:32](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=1952s) People go, 'No, the malaria has affected your brain.' They thought I was nuts... I go, 'No, I've seen it, and I think I need to be an actress now.' — Rebel Wilson
> [39:54](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=2394s) Normally if you want to sleep with somebody you're not wanting to laugh at them... the science of it is more people want to be your friend rather than they don't want to be your lover. — Rebel Wilson
> [54:06](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=3246s) Yeah, but you're not healthy. — Fertility Doctor
> [59:24](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=3564s) They're like, 'Oh no, no, no, why would you want to lose weight?... You lose your multi-million dollar pigeonhole that you've so successfully created.' — Rebel Wilson
> [01:06:37](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs&t=3997s) I'd waited so long at that point, I really wanted to lose my virginity to someone who I was really, really into... I don't think I could have done [the year of dating] if I was still a virgin going on all those dates. — Rebel Wilson
## Mentioned Rebel Wilson, Steven Bartlett, Rebel Rising, Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People, Tim Grover, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Eminem, Rotary Youth Ambassador program, University of New South Wales, Nicole Kidman, The Second City, Fat Pizza, Pitch Perfect, Bridesmaids, SAG-AFTRA, Lizzo, Anne Hathaway, The Hustle, Johann Hari, Lost Connections, Matt Lucas, Raya, Ozempic, Adele, Senior Year, John Candy, The Almond and the Seahorse, Ramona Agruma, Royce, Bride Hard, The Deb, Sacha Baron Cohen, Grimsby, Charlotte Gainsbourg
[Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xjneW1XZBs)