Internet Calls for Marie Claire Boycott After Writer Slams 'Fatties'

 

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A spokeswoman for Marie Claire echoed Coles' sentiments in an email statement to ABCNews.com today:

"Maura Kelly is a provocative blogger. She has been extraordinarily moved by the thousands of responses she has received following her post about 'Mike & Molly.'"

'Mike & Molly' Stirs Controversy

Since it debuted on CBS this fall, "Mike & Molly" has stirred controversy. Fat jokes are the bread and butter of the show, which stars Billy Gardell as Mike, a cop, and Melissa McCarthy as Molly, a school teacher.

In a scene in the premiere episode, Molly's skinny mom eats a huge slice of freshly baked chocolate cake in front of her daughter, who's been described as a "big-boned" girl, even as she slaves away on exercise equipment.

Mike also takes his turn at the butt of the joke. In another scene from the debut episode, Mike's cop partner says he wouldn't have enough chalk to outline Mike's outsize corpse. When he later embraces Mike, he says, "It's like hugging a futon." On a more serious note, Mike is asked how he can be a cop while being so fat.

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While some of the dialogue can be played for quick laughs, the slings could come at the expense of viewers desperately trying to shed pounds.

"The show is offensive," said Bonnie Taub-Dix, a registered dietitian in New York and author of "Read It before You Eat It." "I couldn't believe how insensitive the jokes were, especially the cake scene. With 17 percent of children obese in this country, what relative wouldn't keep in mind the needs of her child, even an adult one, who's trying to lose weight? It was a perfect example of what not to do."

But while Taub-Dix worries that the show will offend the overweight and contribute to the nation's burgeoning obesity problem, for Marion Nestle, a professor of nutrition and public health at New York University, "Mike & Molly" offers a stark tinge of welcome reality.

"These don't strike me as jokes," said Nestle, who also wrote the book "What to Eat." "These sound like a very accurate dead-on description of the ridicule, discrimination and rudeness that overweight people hear all the time, especially when the words undermine these people's ability to lose weight. I'm impressed."

ABC News' Coeli Carr contributed reporting.