Ross The Intern Loses Half a Nicole Richie

If actresses keep their weight down for the sake of their job, is being a comedian a reason not to loose weight?

Ross Matthews, aka Ross The Intern from Jay Leno's The Tonight Show, is the latest quasi-celeb to go on a press tour about losing weight. He hosted The View on Monday, and now he is featured in People Magazine.

After first appearing on VH1's Celebrity Fit Club, the chubby comedian lost 41 lbs. on the show, and has since lost another 10. People interviewed Matthews and asked some pretty hard hitting questions... kidding.

Matthews is most known for his quirky interviews. His weight seemed like part of his schtick. If he lost weight, would he still be funny? First the magazine told him that his look was a part of his act. Then they asked The Intern if he thought people wanted their funny people larger? He replied, "I did think of that. Is the fact that I am pudgy part of my relatability? But then I told myself to shut up and stop thinking about it."

Seriously though, I have wondered why people go on that show. They don't seem to lose much weight, and if you have the money and determination, why not hire yourself a personal trainer and nutrition coach? Matthews, who isn't really a celebrity in my opinion, told the mag, "My father had passed away. It made me take inventory of my life, to say, it's now or never. I had a gym membership for six years before Fit Club and I had gone eight-and-a-half times." (FYI, the 1/2 time is because he went to the gym but the equipment smelled so he left.)

Here are some of his responses...
"I was a fatty way before the Tonight Show. I was 230 lbs. at the end of college. I got it down 16 lbs. by making decisions like eating a bag of baked Lays as opposed to a bag of Cheetos. But I didn't attack the real issue: Why do you have an entire bag of anything, you fatty?"
"Exercise sucks. It will never not [suck]. The reason it feels good when you're done, is that you're done. Also, I learned how to treat food as fuel, as opposed to the thing that accompanied television. "

So what is his next goal you ask? "Toning up. I lost half a Nicole Richie [in weight]. Now I really want a muscle. Wouldn't that be nice?"