Kathy Bates Reveals She's in a 'Redemption Stage' Following Health Battles and 100-Pound Weight Loss

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Mere months after making Emmy history as the oldest person ever nominated in a lead drama actress category for her role in the CBS reboot of Matlock, Kathy Bates continues to live her best life and achieve spectacular feats at the age of 77.

In a recent candid chat with Variety, the actress was an open book, detailing how she’s currently in the “redemption stage” of her life and career, as she explains that after plenty of transformation, she finally feels “like I’m who I am.”

“I’ve fought my way through the rapids. I feel this is the best time of my life,” she tells the outlet, reflecting on her journey, which includes significant weight loss and surviving cancer multiple times. “I’m so glad I stuck around for it.”

And while many choose to retire at her age, or even earlier, Bates has found her next wind as the lead on the CBS legal drama that, upon its debut, became the number 1 TV series with a combined 17 million viewers across both broadcast and streaming. It even set a record for the second most-watched TV series of the 2024-2025 television season, per Deadline.

Further adding to her major honors, the Oscar winner was named the 2025 Career Achievement Award recipient by the Television Critics Association just last month.

Bates reflected on the many achievements during the interview, including the 100-lb weight loss, allowing her to slip into a dress brought by a stylist that she assumed wouldn’t fit.

“I just started crying and crying,” she said when it fit, adding, “I’m still figuring out what it’s like to be without all of that weight.”

As for the people who keep calling out Ozempic, she has a bold response, “F–k you, it was the Ozempic!”

“It took me years to do this. I got this diagnosis about diabetes — my father died of it; his mother died of it; one of my sisters is in peril. When they said ’diabetes,’ I figured out what to do to slowly, over years, to lose the weight. And then when Ozempic came along, I was able to lose the last 15 to 20 pounds and keep it off,” she explained.

Back in May, the Titanic star revealed that she prioritizes fitness throughout her weight loss journey, revealing that she likes to keep it simple by walking, even getting a treadmill at home.

In the past years, she’s also beaten both ovarian cancer and breast cancer. In a previous chat with Parade, she explained the aftermath of cancer changed her outlook on life, making her “less of a hermit” and prioritizing “travel more.”

“I really enjoy every moment of my life now,” she said at the time—and it’s clear the sentiment continues on to this day.

This story was originally reported by Parade on Sep 10, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.