Rosie O’Donnell is taking aim at Jay Leno, blasting the former late-night host over his treatment of a Biggest Loser contestant more than a decade ago.
The 63-year-old comedian shared her frustration Tuesday on Instagram after watching the new Netflix docuseries Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser. In her post, O’Donnell called Leno, now 75, a “mean a--hole” and included screenshots from both the series and The Tonight Show.
The series revisits a 2009 appearance by Season 8 contestant Tracey Yukich on Leno’s show. During the segment, Leno read aloud a string of hateful emails sent in by fans of The Biggest Loser. One called Yukich “just pure evil,” while another said, “I would not step on the brake if I saw you cross the street. I want to accelerate.”
After reading that comment, Leno quipped, “She wants to kill you, but she won’t use a swear word.”
In the documentary, Yukich grew emotional recounting the moment. “These are emails that people actually sent to the show,” she said through tears. “It was so bad. I was like, ‘Wow.’ My feelings were so hurt. They were. I didn’t know that I was a villain until the show aired.”
O’Donnell’s criticism comes as the docuseries shines a harsh light on the culture of public shaming and exploitation that surrounded the hit reality show at its peak.