Rapper Fat Joe Shows off His 250-Pound Weight Loss While Cheering on the Knicks
Fat Joe is looking happy and healthy while cheering on the New York Knicks, as he shows off his 250-pound weight loss.
The talented rapper, 55, best known for hits like "Lean Back" and "What's Luv?", previously weighed as much as 470 pounds. But after undergoing a lifestyle transformation, the musical icon is looking like a new person. Luckily, there's no better time to show off his weight loss journey than the NBA finals, because the rapper is a huge Knicks fan. On Sunday, Fat Joe showed off his smile during a practice and media availability at Madison Square Garden in New York. Naturally, the star dropped some awesome quotes about how much the NBA Finals mean to him as a native of The Bronx.
"I've seen Hasidic Jews breakdancing with Black kids outside the stadium. This is the greatest unification you've ever seen of this New York City in your life since 9/11," Fat Joe told Associated Press. "If you want to know what we felt like in 9/11 after the tragedy, it's what you're seeing around New York City: everybody together. This is insane."
What Made Fat Joe Decide to Lose Weight?
The loss of his best friend, Big Pun, from a heart attack in his 20s was a shocking revelation for Joe about how his future could end up if he didn't change his habits.
‘ "I went to his funeral and I felt like Ebenezer Scrooge. Like, I seen me," he told Men's Health in 2023. "And I'm looking at his little daughter. She was the same age as my daughter. I said, ‘You gotta lose weight; otherwise you outta here.'"
It also kicked off a period of major depression for the rapper.
"That's what depression was like to me," he continued. "When you're fighting yourself, there isn't a wall high enough that you can build. There isn't an island you can go to. There isn't a place you can go to where you get away from it, because you're fighting your mind. You wake up, and then the minute you think about it, your brain sends you a message to say, ‘We're not supposed to be happy.' And then you fall right back into depression."
How Did Fat Joe Lose the Weight?
When Joe decided to make changes, he knew he had to overhaul his habits.
"We just try to eat everything with the least carbs as possible," Joe told Us Weekly last year. "So we try to stay away from the bread, the pasta, the rice. That's the smartest way to eat."
He went on to say that portion control is the most important lesson, so he still eats carbs in moderation.
"Like this morning, I ate breakfast, I had this toast. I cut the corner off, ate it and kept it moving," he shared. "Normally I would've ate the whole thing. But you know, that's what we do. We cut carbs and try to be smarter."
He also takes Ozempic to treat his diabetes, which helps keep him in check.
"Ozempic says you may only have two pieces of your favorite stuff," he continued.
Will Fat Joe Finally Change His Name?
Don't expect Fat Joe to be changing his name to "Slim Joe" anytime soon. The rapper says that a switch-up wouldn't be okay with his wife, Lorena Cartagena.
"My wife would kill me. She likes me being a big boy," Joe added. "She hallucinates like I'm still that big boy. She loves that."
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This story was originally published June 8, 2026 at 2:36 PM.