EXCLUSIVE: How Russell Crowe Lost More Than 50Lbs After Years of Being 'At Death's Door' Following Massive Weight Gain — As Hollywood Star Turns 62
Russell Crowe has a history of yo-yo diets.
April 7 2026, Published 6:29 p.m. ET
Russell Crowe may be skipping a birthday cake this year, as the Hollywood icon turns 62, RadarOnline.com can report.
The actor previously feared he was "at death's door" after ballooning past 350 pounds, before changing his habits and achieving a nearly 60-pound weight loss.
Crowe's Yo-Yo Weight Control
He topped out at over 300 pounds last year.
Crowe has a history of ravaging his body with yo-yo dieting for roles — losing, then gaining back, significant amounts of weight over short periods.
The former Gladiator hunk, who turns 62 on April 7, famously packed on the pounds for his 2019 turn as Fox News late boss Roger Ailes. But even after that, he continued to let himself and his waistline go.
For years, Crowe shunned diet or exercise, while close pals were too afraid to say anything.
"Russell has been in denial for years about his weight, even though he’s clearly a walking heart attack," an insider previously told Radar. "But any time it comes up in conversation, he flips out and has a strict 'three strikes and you’re out' rule for people who mention it."
Crowe Admits to Eating Crow
Crowe had gained weight for multiple movie roles.
Crowe was eating himself out of leading man roles, but refused to diet or exercise.
"He hates working out and seems to have given up," one pal sadly confessed in 2023. He hires trainers and then blows them off when it’s time to work out. He just can’t be bothered.
"It's the same with his eating habits. He could have his chef make anything but all he wants is burgers and fried food."
Crowe admitted on The Joe Rogan Experience that his health spiraled while filming Nuremberg.
Crowe admitted to podcaster Joe Rogan last year his health had spiraled out of control while filming Nuremberg, and said it took a serious wake-up call to turn things around.
A close friend of the actor told us: "Russell knew he was in trouble – his weight was putting him at serious risk. He was exhausted, constantly in pain, and struggling to move the way he used to. That's when he realized something had to change before it was too late."
Crowe's Weight Loss Regime
Friends were worried he was headed to a heart attack.
The Oscar-winning actor revealed to Rogan that he started working with health services platform Way2Well to tackle inflammation and chronic pain from decades of physically demanding roles.
"I'm not really across the science, but the real benefit I'm getting from these into my shoulders, my knees and also IVs, is that it's calmed down my body's inflammation," he said.
The new fitness routine helped him shed 57 pounds last year alone.
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Crowe Gives Up His Vices
He successfully lost 57 pounds through diet and exercise.
The Les Misérables star says he has since changed other aspects of his life as well, and spoke candidly about cutting down his alcohol intake, admitting moderation has become a key part of his new lifestyle. When Rogan asked which was more addictive, alcohol or gambling, Crowe replied society tends to make light of both vices.
"We normalize both drinking and wagering," he said. "But we never look at the damage they cause."
He added with a laugh: "I'm a big proponent for having a drink – it's my cultural heritage and as a working class man, it's my goddamn right, Joe. But as you get older, there are certain things you start to learn about your capacities."
