Entertainment

Shonda Rhimes Weight Loss: ‘Scandal’ Creator Explains How She Did It

Published on: October 1, 2015 at 9:00 AM ET
Jonathan Franks
Written By Jonathan Franks
News Writer

Show creator Shonda Rhimes decided to shine a spotlight on herself in recent months, especially when it came to losing a lot of weight.

Extra reports that the Scandal showrunner was apparently ready to talk about during an interview last weekend at a special event promoting her Thursday night hit shows on ABC.

“I just decided I was gonna get it together and get healthy; I have some little kids and I want to be around for them. Once I decided it wasn’t gonna be fun, like, I lowered my expectations; it got kind of easier.”

How did Shonda Rhimes manage to lose over 100 pounds?

Shonda Rhimes attend the 66th Annual Directors Guild Of America Awards held at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza on January 25, 2014 in Century City, California.

The 45-year-old television producer squashed any rumors or speculation that she had surgery by confirming that she achieved her goal by doing things that she hated to do — diet and exercise.

“I changed everything I ate — and I hated all of that — and then I hate exercising and I did that, too, and I hated it the whole time. I try to make it much less and smaller portions, but you change what your palate wants. I’m suddenly craving fish and salad.”

For years, Shonda Rhimes has worked hard to shine a spotlight on the hit television series that she developed for ABC, including Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice .

Actress Shonda Rhimes attends the celebration of ABC’s TGIT Line-up held at Gracias Madre on September 26, 2015.

With this particular headline, though, Shonda finally gets a chance to shine a little light on herself away from the set, and quite a few people on Twitter have noticed.

Shonda Rhimes adopted her first daughter Harper back in June 2002 and her second daughter, Emerson Pearl, nearly 10 years later in February 2012, according to Essence .

During an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2002, Shonda explained how the tragedy of 9/11 inspired her to focus on finally taking a journey into motherhood.

“So I was sitting in the middle of nowhere, watching the whole thing unfold on CNN. When I finally turned off the television, I thought, ‘Well, if the world’s going to end, what are all the things I’ve ever wanted to do?’ I went home and hired an adoption attorney.”

While balancing the responsibilities of raising a family, Shonda Rhimes also has to juggle her responsibilities with ABC, especially after signing such a lucrative deal with the network last year.

According to Deadline , Shonda negotiated an eight-figure, four-year extension last May that keeps the longtime producer and showrunner with ABC at least until May 2018.

That was before her newest series, How to Get Away with Murder , made headlines and turned actress Viola Davis into a leading lady and Emmy winner. What is up next for Shonda Rhimes? Multiple reports confirm that she sold a new comedy series, Splitsville , to ABC in August.

Even though she is primarily known for developing drama series, this is not the first time that she has dabbled in the world of comedy television.

Betsy Beers, one of the show’s executive producers, opened up to Entertainment Weekly about how her and Shonda’s past experience with comedy will pay off in a big way for Splitsville .

“We can definitely make it work. I started my career in comedy and Shonda also wrote comedies and started when she was a screenwriter. We’re really, really looking forward to the prospect of having one on a network sometime soon.”

Chances are that Splitsville is just the tip of the iceberg, though. Based on her past track record, Shonda Rhimes will more than likely reveal a few more aces up her sleeve while continuing her longtime relationship with ABC Studios.

[Image Credit: Jamie McCarthy, Frazer Harrison and Mark Davis/Getty Images]

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