Ariel Winter will debut in an adult starring role in Demi Lovato’s upcoming NBC sitcom “Hungry.” Lovato initially would be the lead role in the addition of producing the comedy series; however, they stepped down due to scheduling conflicts.
After appointing Winter, the singer and actor will remain as the executive producer alongside their manager, Scooter Braun. The New York Post reported that Suzanne Martin wrote the series, while James Burrows, known for “Cheers” and “Friends,” will be directing.
© GettyImagesThe publication informed that Winter would portray Teddy, a food stylist trying to have a healthy relationship with food while dating men. According to the show’s description, “Hungry” is a single-camera comedy that chronicles a group of friends who attend a food issue support group. They help each other as they look for love, success, and anything inside the fridge that will give them the comfort they are looking for.
Besides Ariel Winter, the show will include Valerie Bertinelli, Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias, Ryan McPartlin, Anna Akana, and Ashley D. Kelley.
In real life, the former “Modern Family” child star has battled depression and a public weight loss while gaining control over her career and firing her mom as manager. Meanwhile, Lovato has also openly discussed their body image issues and battle with anorexia and bulimia.
During an appearance on Red Table Talk: The Estefans, Winter spoke about the hate she received at an early age by some of the show’s fans who fat-shamed her on social media.
“I got called a fat slut when I was 13. That was rough,” Winter said. “Because I gained weight and my body changed, I had to wear different outfits and I wore a dress that had a cutout here. And it was like the headlines were dark. Fat slut was rough for me, and it continued. It was the fans, some of them, we have lovely, lovely fans, but some were also hard on me in the way they loved Alex Dunphy.”
© GettyImages“And because I wasn’t Alex Dunphy and didn’t look like Alex, I didn’t want to dress like Alex… I was just different in that way,” Ariel added. “I’m not my character. From them, they’re like, ‘How did you go from Alex Dunphy to being, like, a whore? You’re trying to be sexy, you’re 13, you’re a horrible role model. What are you showing people? You got so fat on TV, now you look so fat.’”
During the interview the actress also discussed how social media comments led her to constantly change her looks. “Having my body change so much, it also changed when I was in high school because I got on antidepressants. I gained 30 pounds. It was rough going to school, it was rough online, on my Instagram it was flooding comments, flooding comments. And so then I was like, ‘They hate this about me, I need to work on it.’”
© GettyImagesDespite years of cyberbullying, Ariel Winter continues to move forward.
