Billy Gardell Shares Health Update After Dramatic 170 Pounds Weight Loss

Martin Holmes December 9, 2025, 8:38 am

What To Know

Billy Gardell lost 170 lbs after facing serious health risks, including type 2 diabetes and the threat of COVID-19, prompting him to undergo bariatric surgery in 2021.
He attributes his past unhealthy relationship with food to emotional struggles from his youth and says he had to change his mindset.
Now maintaining a weight between 210 and 215 lbs, Gardell reports improved health, increased energy, and credits weight loss with saving his life.

Actor and stand-up comedian Billy Gardell has been opening up about his dramatic weight loss over the past few years, revealing how shedding 170 lbs “saved his life.”

Speaking in an interview with People, the Bob Hearts Abishola actor noted that in 2020, he weighed around 370-380 lbs, and it took a series of medical conditions, including the risk of COVID-19, for him to finally take his weight seriously.

“When the first wave hit, and they punched up that list of high-risk conditions, I had all of them,” Gardell told the outlet. “Overweight, sleep apnea, smoker, type 2 diabetes, asthma… It was really the perfect storm.”

After taking a blood test and his numbers “not coming back good,” the former Mike & Molly star decided he needed to do something. “It was enough stuff to scare me to say, ‘Come hell or high water, I’ve got to make a change,'” he said.

Bob Hearts Abishola - A Bird May Love A Fish - Billy Gardell

On July 17, 2021, Gardell underwent bariatric surgery, which involves making changes to the digestive system to help a person lose weight. Since then, Gardell has changed the way he thinks about food, describing it as “fuel” and not a “reward.”

“I had to get beyond my emotional relationship with food,” he shared, noting how his unhealthy eating habits started in his early teens after his parents divorced and he found himself with a lot of responsibility.

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“The second stepfather that we had in the house was not a kind person,” he revealed. “I think I put on this extra weight as some kind of safety armor… I was medicating my emotions and my fears with food, and I was also celebrating my victories with food.”

Gardwell tried various diets and exercise routines over the years, sometimes losing a lot of weight. However, he always ended up putting it back on and eventually got “so big and so stationary that it hurt to stand up.”

The 56-year-old actor admitted he began to worry about being there for his wife, Patty, and their son, Will (22).

These days, Gardell keeps up with regular workouts and pays more attention to his diet. After dropping a massive 170 lbs, he revealed, “I [now] fluctuate between 210 and 215. And that’s comfortable for me… My diabetes is gone. I feel strong. I have energy. Losing weight saved my life.”