Heavy "Dancing with the Stars" news came from a former winner.
Former “Dancing with the Stars” winner Jordan Fisher recently opened up about a difficult period in his life that fans likely had been unaware of until now. Fisher has been an entertainer since he was a teenager, and now he’s the father of a little boy. He starred in numerous ABC Family and Disney hits, such as “The Secret Life of the American Teenager,” the “Teen Beach Movie” series, and “Liv and Maddie,” notes his IMDb page, and he has voiced quite a few animated characters as well.
Fisher is known for his stage work, too. According to Playbill, he joined the cast of “Hamilton” in November 2016,” portrayed Evan Hansen in “Dear Evan Hansen from January 2020 to February 2022, and is in the “Sweeney Todd” production that opened on March 26. On top of all of that, he joined season 25 of”Dancing with the Stars” in the fall of 2017. Fisher partnered with “DWTS” professional dancer Lindsay Arnold, and she earned her one-and-only mirror-ball trophy when she won that season with Fisher. As successful as Fisher’s career has already been, he has navigated difficult times as well. During an appearance on “The Drew Barrymore Show,” he opened up about one situation in particular that likely surprised his fans.
Here’s what you need to know:
Jordan Fisher Had an Eating Disorder
Fisher appeared on the April 11 episode of “The Drew Barrymore Show.” He talked about how he first met his wife, Ellie Woods, when they were just 13 and nine years old. They were at a Birmingham, Alabama dance studio, and they performed together as they grew up. When Fisher was performing in “Hamilton,” Woods attended a show and their long-term friendship turned romantic. In 2022, the couple welcomed their first child, Riley William Fisher, and the 10-month-old was even at the taping that day with Woods and Fisher. The actor referred to his son as “my best friend,” and added, “To me, that’s what sets my joy and my happiness… it’s easy for me to block out the noise when I’m with my family, and with my kid, with my wife.” Fisher then transitioned to admit during Woods’ pregnancy, he was diagnosed with an eating disorder.
“We were four months pregnant, five months pregnant, always wanted to be a dad, knew that I was about to achieve that goal, and take on the biggest and best project of my life with my partner and my best friend,” Fisher explained. “And I was diagnosed with an eating disorder that I did not know that I had.” The entertainer noted he had been experiencing difficulties eating, but “didn’t realize that there were all of these traumas from my childhood that I needed to work through in therapy” that were ultimately connected to the development of his eating disorder.
Fisher Lost 30 Pounds During His Illness
The actor detailed that the eating disorder diagnosis came toward the end of a contract he had, seemingly for “Dear Evan Hansen,” and those were “very, very difficult physical times for me.” He lost 30 pounds during that period, and opening up to Barrymore on her show was the first time he had shared his experience broadly. “And man, I’m so glad that I made it through that desert, ’cause here we are now talking to you, I am so much stronger,” Fisher declared.
After Fisher’s segment on “The Drew Barrymore Show” aired, he received a great deal of support across various online platforms.
“He had an eating disorder?! I didn’t know that! Bless his ever loving soul! He’s just a GEM!” commented one fan on YouTube.
“I appreciate that he spoke on his eating disorder, men also go through them and they barely get to talk about it and have support,” noted another YouTube commenter.
The Instagram page for National Alliance for Eating Disorders added a note on Fisher’s Instagram page too. “We are so grateful for your voice! The more we talk about it, the more we create important conversations and smash the archaic stereotypes surrounding eating disorders.”