Reggie Hayes is well known for his role as William in the earl 2000’s sitcom Girlfrinds.
In a recent sitdown with Comedy Hype the actor opened up about his health struggles and responded to critics online who have made fun of his weight gain over the years.
“When the news came out that I was heavy, people really came out and put me down for like two days,” he remembered. The 54-year-old said he would initially respond by telling folks online, “Y’all are some ugly people. I guess they were surprised that I wrote them back.”
“Most people are overwhelmingly positive. You have like 100 people that like you then six people have something nasty to say. … And it hurts. Everything hurts.”
“You watched the show, you enjoyed the show and that’s what your first instinct is? To call me and tell me how bad I look?” he questioned. “F–k you and f–k anybody like you too.”
He also made it clear that he is blocking anyone on Instagram that says anything negative.
“You say something negative to me on Instagram I’m gonna block you, feel bad about it, and then I’ll forget in two days.
About his health
According to Atlanta Black Star the 54-year-old admitted to having issues with his heart, breathing, and diabetes that landed him in the hospital twice since 2015, including his 2020 when he shared a selfie from the hospital.
“I was just having trouble breathing and a lot of chest pains. I had diabetes for a while and that went away,” Hayes explained.
But he’s since beaten the condition, lost 60 pounds from using a calorie counter on his phone, and exercising.
“I put the calories in there everything I eat every day and I’m walking and stuff. I got a weak heart so it’s kinda hard to work out,” Hayes shared. “But I do.”
“I think I feel probably like a 50-year-old dude feels who doesn’t really have an actual job,” he joked again.
Aside from the negative commentary, a few fans also came to Hayes defense.
One said, “People are so cruel. How would you feel if someone was being mean to you while you battled health issues? We need to be kinder to people because no one is exempt from life. Wishing him the best
A second wrote, “It’s a cruel world. What’s new. He could probably lose that massive neck in about 2-3 months of hardwork in the gym.”