Former ‘Late Late Show’ Head Writer Ian Karmel Talks Losing 200 Pounds in New Memoir and Writing Jokes for Ellen’s Farewell Tour
variety.comLexi Carson Ian Karmel, comedian and Emmy-winning former co-head writer for “The Late Late Show With James Corden,” describes his journey from childhood to working through internal struggles that led him to drop 200 pounds in his recent memoir “T-Shirt Swim Club: Stories from Being Fat in a World of Thin People.” The cover of the book echoes the title, portraying a kid at the beach.
Karmel says he was inspired to use that image because he “thought that anyone who was a fat kid would know that feeling.” He explains, “When you go to the pool, and all of a sudden your big fat body is hanging out there and you’re like, ‘OK, I know how I’ll fix that.
I’ll put on a T-shirt,’ which immediately gets wet, and clings to every curve of your torso. It’s a very silly act of desperation by children.” Karmel spent nearly two years writing the book with his younger sister Alisa Karmel, who is a clinical psychologist.
They both have gone through weight issues, have dealt with bullying and struggled with self-confidence. “This book, it’s not just for fat people, it’s also for anyone who has been bullied or anyone who has family members or loved ones or anything like that, who have been fat at any stage of their life, or even anyone who wants to understand them better,” Karmel says. “I think everyone’s been bullied.
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