Jonah Hill Returns: Weight Loss, Marriage, and Comeback

Almost four years ago announced he was taking a step back from the limelight and taking a shock acting hiatus. 

The actor, now 42, had just finished directing his second film, Stuntz, a mental health-focused documentary that he shot in secret with his therapist, but made the choice not to promote the film and instead take a step back to protect his health and work on his anxiety. 

And now, after some time out of the spotlight during which he both got married and welcomed his second child, the 21 Jump Street star has revealed he is back and 'ready to be funny again'. 

Returning to the public realm, Jonah has shocked fans with his slimmed down frame, with experts estimating he has lost nearly 200 pounds in recent years. 

Celebrating his growing family, the star confirmed he has now tied the knot with his partner Olivia Millar and that the pair recently welcomed their second child. 

However, his hiatus wasn't all so rosy as the star also faced claims of 'misogyny' and 'emotional abuse' after his former girlfriend Sarah Brady shared alleged text messages she received from Jonah that documented their arguments. 

The lengthy initial text apparently from Jonah included a list of unacceptable behaviors from Sarah if they were to be together romantically, including 'surfing with men' and posting pictures in her bathing suit. 

Speaking at the Hollywood Palladium on Saturday, Jonah made his return to the spotlight as he said: 'I’ve been gone for a while, so I’m kind of coming back and I’m like excited because I got all, like, serious for a while and I wasn’t as happy.

'And then I had my family and I got happy, and now all I want to do is be funny again. That’s why I said yes [to being on his new show Smartless]. I’m, like, I want to go f*****g be funny in front of a crowd and that’d be awesome.'

While away from the spotlight Jonah made the decision to leave , and he and his wife Olivia Millar are now raising their two children in San Diego. 

He left his hometown three years ago to live in 'a very small town' with 'incredible' neighbors, according to an account from People.

'They never treat me weird or ask me about my job or anything,' the actor effused. 'And my neighbor is one of my great friends, Dr Sean...he's here tonight. He never bothered me or was like, "Oh, what's this person like?"'

Jonah and Olivia, daughter of 1980s supermodel Esmé Marshall, were first spotted together in Santa Barbara in September 2022 and had their first child in June 2023.

Earlier this month, he dropped a major bombshell during a conversation with Martin Scorsese, spilling a slew of personal milestones.

As he revealed his marital status, confirming the pair had secretly tied the knot as he exclaimed: 'Shout out to my beautiful wife, Liv' during the show, he also noted, 'And I have two kids now. The only thing that could separate me from my family is the editing room.'

Yet not all of his time away from the spotlight has been so positive and in July 2023, Jonah's ex Sarah Brady branded the actor a 'misogynist' as she shared alleged text messages from the star that appeared to reveal their past arguments - including his parameters for a 'romantic partnership'.

Jonah never publicly addressed or responded to the allegations.  

The rollout of damning statements against the movie producer began with an Instagram Stories post Brady shared with the caption, 'F*** it.'

The screenshot showed two messages alleged to be from Jonah on December 2, 2021.

The lengthy initial text apparently from Jonah included a list of unacceptable behaviors from Sarah if they were to be together romantically.

He allegedly mentioned things including 'surfing with men,' 'inappropriate friendships with men,' and 'posting pictures of yourself in a bathing suit' that were off limits for his then-girlfriend.

He additionally stated that if Sarah 'needed' to 'model,' 'post sexual pictures,' or maintain friendships with women who were part of her 'wild recent past' then he was 'not the right partner' for her.

In another post of his alleged messages, Sarah claimed that Jonah only wanted her to socialize with friends whom he had 'personally approved.'

The entertainer, whose documentary Stutz came out on Netflix last year, added, 'If these things bring you to a place of happiness I support it and there will be no hard feelings. These are my boundaries for romantic partnership.'

He then clarified, 'My boundaries with you based on the ways these actions have hurt our trust.'

Sarah wrote online to her nearly 80,000 followers, 'See the misuse of the term "boundaries"?' as she said her posts were a 'warning to all girls.'

'If your partner is talking to you like this, make an exit plan,' she captioned a screenshot that appeared to show Jonah complaining about social media photos featuring her 'a** in a thong.'

'Call me if you need an ear,' she added. 

After Sarah appeared to have signalled that she had deleted some of the supposedly offending photos, the Wolf Of Wall Street star appeared to tell his then-girlfriend it was a 'good start' but that she didn't 'seem to get' his point.

'But it’s not my place to teach you. I’ve made my boundaries clear,' he affirmed. 'You refuse to let go of some of them and you’ve made that clear and I hope it makes you happy.'

Sarah maintained that her ex-boyfriend's critiques were made in an attempt to control her.

She explained that she agreed with his requests in an attempt to keep him from experiencing 'crippling anxiety.'

Sarah chose to share the messages after Jonah's now wife had given birth to their first child, as she explained the timing of her posts was out of respect toward Olivia's pregnancy.

She could be heard saying: 'I didn’t want [Millar] to have to see all of this while she was pregnant because I didn’t know what kind of stress that would cause her and her baby physically.'

Meanwhile Jonah has also undergone a huge physical transformation during his time out of the spotlight. 

Throughout his career the star has been open about his struggles with , having reportedly weighed around 375 pounds at his heaviest.

Yet he left fans shocked by his 'unrecognisable' appearance in the first look at his upcoming film Outcome. 

The actor showed off his slimmed-down figure in a snap taken with his co-star, Keanu Reeves, who portrays Hollywood icon Reef Hawk opposite Jonah's crisis lawyer, Ira.

In the snap, Jonah donned a bald head and a bushy grey beard, which was a stark contrast to his usual curly brown locks and brown beard.

He candidly shared how he had battled body issues since his teen years, in a piece he wrote in his magazine Inner Child back in 2018.

The Moneyball star admitted he spent most of his young adult life being called 'gross and unattractive', adding: 'I really believe everyone has a snapshot of themselves from a time when they were young that they’re ashamed of.

'For me, it’s that 14-year-old overweight and unattractive kid who felt ugly to the world, who listened to hip-hop and who wanted so badly to be accepted by this community of skaters.'

After speaking to a nutritionist and adjusting his diet, Jonah went on to lose 40 pounds.

He told ABC News in 2012: 'I wish there was some crazy thing I did, like a pill or a genie, but I went to see a nutritionist, and he told me what to eat to change my habits. I found that Japanese food was very helpful to me.'

The star also started running to ease himself into exercise. Appearing on Kidd Kraddick's radio show he said he 'started physically running instead of emotionally running' as well as doing push ups.

After beginning with just ten push ups a day he eventually worked his way up to 100 reps per day.

The star admitted he struggled to cut out beer, confessing a pint is his 'Achilles heel'.

Jonah has also been vocal about how his weight was linked to his identity as a comedic actor despite how important it was for his career and health to not be so big.

Speaking to Vulture in 2011 after losing 40 pounds, he said: 'Being healthier came along with maturity and it's hard because a lot of times people want you to be the guy you were when they met you.

'And I love doing funny movies but I want to mature, literally, in how I treat myself. I'm not living in a frat house with a bong plastered to the table.

'But all this stuff [points to his body] is just part of maturing in body and in mind. I just want to be a good man and to make my family proud. And, you know, I want to live a long time.'