No one expects you to look the same at your 30th high school reunion as you did in your senior prom picture – unless, of course, you’re a Hollywood actress. Just ask Lela Rochon. With roles in films like “Boomerang” and “Waiting to Exhale,” she was known in the 1990s for her scene-stealing good looks.
Yet in recent years, Rochon has caught some criticism for gaining weight, with some even citing it as the reason director Antoine Fuqua, her husband of 26 years was caught hanging around with Eddie Murphy’s ex, Nicole Murphy.
But it looks like the star has been living her best life lately, and after years of being trolled online for gaining weight Rochon has a message for the haters – “How you like me now?”
In 2019 and 2020, Rochon received some online criticism for looking less like the object of their desire 25 years ago.
“She does not look the same,” someone wrote in the comments of a January 2020 Instagram photo she posted of herself and Tina Knowles.
Rochon recently sat down with Sherri Shepherd to discuss her latest project, playing crime boss Big Shirley Duncan on the BET+ drama, “The Family Business: New Orleans.” During their February 19 conversation, Shepherd asked Rochon about the possibility of a “Waiting to Exhale” reboot in honor of the film’s 30th anniversary this year. The actress said she couldn’t guarantee fans would get their wish, but she also took the time to clap back at people who have come at her for her looks.
“So all y’all that be saying, ‘She don’t look the same.’ Don’t expect me to look the same,” Rochon told Shepherd. “It’s been 30 years.”
After the interview, fans defended Rochon fiercely online, pointing out that men rarely receive the same criticism for putting on a few pounds.
“It’s been literally 30 years. And the sad part is these industry men grow old and nobody bothers to treat them this way but let one of the women grow old and she has to deal with this every few days. MOST PEOPLE don’t look the same way they looked 30 years ago,” wrote someone on Instagram.
Rochon hasn’t seemed to let any of the online chatter get the best of her. In fact, she’s looking happier than ever in her latest social media posts, including a gorgeous February 17 Instagram photo dump she tagged, “Never give up on u! 💙”