Richard Osman, 51, is a well-known British show host, comedian and author and is 201 cm tall. In an interview for the podcast „Diary of a CEO“ he spoke about the problems with his height and how the comments about it have been a big problem for him since his youth. So much so that he sometimes didn’t go out because he was ashamed of his height.
The bestselling author said, for example, that he constantly gets comments about blocking the audience’s view when he goes to the movies or performs.
«Manchmal twittere ich etwas wie „Oh, ich liebe diesen Film“ oder „Ich war bei diesem Konzert“, und zehn Leute schreiben: „Oh, ich bin froh, dass ich nicht hinter Dir war“.
“Sometimes I tweet something like “Oh, I love that movie” or “I was at that concert,” and ten people write, “Oh, I’m glad I wasn’t behind you,” he said.
“It’s a completely harmless joke. I understand why people make it and I get it every time. But do these people question themselves for a second? Has this guy heard this before? Is it really funny to say that to him?”
“For me, it’s a nightmare when I go to a concert or a movie because I don’t want to spoil anyone’s view. I try to sit as far back as possible, even though I have very bad eyesight. Or I sit in the aisle at the movies.”
Others‘ reactions to his size are mixed: “A lot of people are nice and chatty, but a couple times a day there’s someone who just wants to make you feel small with their jokes. And you just think: “Why? Someone is a bit different from you and you have to make hurtful comments to make yourself feel a bit better?
Because of his size, he started to hold himself back when he was younger. “When I went to university at 18, I was a guy who was way too tall and uncomfortable being tall,” he says.
«“I wasn’t living the life I wanted to live because I was insecure about my size and kind of hid from things..»
For example, he always thought he would look stupid on a rollercoaster because of my height. Or always worried about how he would fit into seats with his legs.
“The world is not shy when it comes to letting you know you’re weird. And I felt weird. Your behavior changes,” Osman said.
For him, hateful comments now fall under “body shaming”. He is grateful for the term as it put into words a feeling he has suffered from his whole life.
«People have been insulting me about my body for 30 years. Now I tell them it’s ‚body shaming‘ and they should stop the comments!»
Richard has a simple wish: “If you see someone who is different, you don’t have to point it out to them. I know that many people think it’s just a comment I made. It’s true. From you and five others. Every day. The whole life.”
Here is the whole interview with Richard Osman about his height .
This could also interest you:
- „Girls, enjoy being tall and enjoy standing out!
- 550 Celebrity Heights: How tall are the stars really
- Giantess Art – How super tall women look like in film, advertising and art
Bild: TimDuncan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
