Mean Girls' Daniel Franzese Reveals Epic 135-Pound Weight-Loss Transformation in Viral Photos

Mean Girls star Daniel Franzese is showing off the results of his three-year weight-loss journey.

The actor, best known for playing Damian Leigh in the 2004 comedy, recently shared shirtless before-and-after photos revealing his transformation.

“Three years. Down 135lbs,” Franzese wrote in a September post on Threads.

He also revealed the lifestyle changes behind his progress, adding, “No booze, No sugar, workout 4 times a week (or more) now counting macros.”

The weight-loss update comes shortly after Franzese opened up about nearly passing out during a stand-up comedy performance at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles in August.

The comedian was performing alongside Chelsea Handler, Tiffany Haddish and Jay Leno when he suddenly began feeling unwell.

“Turns out doing stand-up on 30 minutes of sleep with no food or water is not the wellness journey I thought it was,” he said in an interview on August 13, reassuring everyone that he was doing fine.

Franzese recalled how he “suddenly got lightheaded” and his vision “started flashing,” prompting him to leave the stage before things got worse.

“I thought, ‘Passing out in front of Jay Leno would be a little thirsty, even for me,’ so I got off stage before I became the evening’s surprise finale,” he explained.

The 48-year-old also used the experience to highlight the importance of prioritizing personal well-being, even when work and other responsibilities take over.

“Sometimes you get so busy working and taking care of everything and everybody that you forget your own body needs taking care of too,” he said.

“Consider this my reminder to you kids — sleep, eat and hydrate or die-drate," he added.

Beyond his personal health journey, Franzese has also been vocal about the challenges he has faced as a queer actor in Hollywood.

In 2022, the star questioned the decision to cast Brendan Fraser in The Whale, in which Fraser portrayed Charlie, a reclusive English teacher living with severe obesity.

Franzese argued that larger queer actors were being overlooked for roles that reflected their own experiences.

“I love Brendan Fraser, [so] I'm very conflicted,” he said in an interview at the time.

“Seeing him get up so modest in Venice and have that moment, I was very happy for him. He's a lovely man. And it's great. But why? Why go up there and wear a fat suit to play a 400-lb. queer man?” he added.

The Looking alum also pointed to the challenges LGBTQ+ performers face in securing leading roles, arguing that concerns about international audiences can limit their opportunities.

“The biggest problem we have right now in our industry is that people like me and my colleagues can't really sell movies overseas if we are actually queer because the world is homophobic,” Franzese said.

“But it's going to take risk-takers and real trailblazers to let us cut our teeth in these roles as actors so we, too, can have a shot at a full career in Hollywood,” he added.

Franzese has also been open about his own journey toward accepting his sexuality.

In April 2014, he publicly came out in an open letter addressed to his Mean Girls character, Damian, to mark the film's 10th anniversary.

He later revealed that a heartfelt message from a fan thanking him for his positive portrayal of an LGBTQ+ character helped inspire him to come out.