Response lessons from a ‘fat suit’ controversy
Chris Sullivan plays heavyset Toby on NBC’s ‘This Is Us.’ He uses prosthetics to bulk up for the role, it was recently revealed, eliciting fans’ outcry. We examine his handling of the brouhaha.
A multifaceted response to a controversy can meet with varied levels of success.
Consider the Chris Sullivan “fat suit” brouhaha.
On Tuesday nights, my wife and I look forward to concluding our evening with the latest episode of NBC’s “This Is Us,” a tender drama that tells one family’s story over two generations.
One of the most lovable characters is Toby (Chris Sullivan), who plays the partner to Kate, one of three siblings. In case you haven’t seen the show, you should know that Kate and Toby are overweight—and their struggles with weight make up a big part of their characters’ narratives.
When some fans learned that Chris Sullivan isn’t as heavyset as he appears and that he wears a so-called “fat suit,” a mini-storm ensued on social media. Here are a few tweets, via BuzzFeed:
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