Justin Hartley Sends Love to ‘This is Us’ Co-Star Chrissy Metz After Her Candid GLP-1 Health Journey Reveal
The cast of “This Is Us” has remained remarkably close in the years since the beloved NBC family drama wrapped its six-season run in 2022, with co-stars regularly showing up for one another both publicly and behind the scenes. That bond has been on full display again this month, as one Pearson family member’s personal health journey has prompted a heartfelt reaction from her former on-screen sibling.
That journey belongs to Chrissy Metz, who played Kate Pearson throughout the series’ entire run. Metz recently opened up about a major shift in how she’s approaching her health, revealing details that have generated plenty of conversation among fans who followed her character’s own relationship with body image across the show’s emotional storylines.
Speaking with Extra TV on August 17, Justin Hartley, who played Kate’s on-screen brother Kevin Pearson, was asked to respond directly to Metz’s disclosure that she’s been taking GLP-1 medication as part of a broader health journey. Hartley didn’t hesitate in showing his support, saying, “She’s wonderful. She knows what I think of her. She’s terrific. And anytime I hear her doing well in any way, shape, or form is a great thing for me because I love her. I love her dearly,” as he told Extra.
Metz first detailed her decision during an August 10 appearance on the “TODAY” show, explaining that she’d been “very skeptical of GLP-1s for like years” before a friend gave her what she described as a thorough breakdown of the medication that ultimately changed her mind. She also cited concerns tied to her father’s health as part of what pushed her to act.
That decision has since made her a paid brand ambassador for Ro, the telehealth company offering access to GLP-1 treatments, joining other celebrity ambassadors like Serena Williams. According to Ro, Metz has lost 63 pounds since beginning treatment, though she’s been careful to frame the medication as just one piece of a larger picture rather than a cure-all.
Speaking about her broader approach, Metz has emphasized that she’s working with a trainer, lifting weights, and building muscle alongside the medication, deliberately avoiding fixation on a specific number. “I know it’s not a magic wand, and I need to change other things, so I’ve been working with a trainer, and I’m lifting and putting on muscle… I really try not to have a number. I just want to feel strong and not have my morning ruined because I stepped on a scale,” she explained in comments shared with People.
Metz has also spoken candidly about the personal motivations behind her decision, telling E! News that she’d long felt shame tied to being in a bigger body and wanted to make clear the choice wasn’t purely about appearance. “There’s so much shame around being in a bigger body, so just knowing that I wasn’t doing it purely for vanity’s sake, but because people are pressuring me, or I should, or shouldn’t, do that,” she said, framing her decision instead around long-term health priorities tied to family history with obesity and her own experience with perimenopause.
That vulnerability has clearly resonated with her former co-star, whose supportive comments reflect the genuine camaraderie the “This Is Us” cast has maintained well beyond the show’s finale. For a series that spent years thoughtfully exploring Kate Pearson’s own complicated relationship with weight and body image, seeing Hartley publicly celebrate Metz’s real-life health journey feels like a fitting continuation of that same empathy.
Metz has acknowledged she expects mixed reactions to her openness about using the medication, but her focus has remained on framing the decision as one rooted in self-care rather than external pressure.
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