Anthony Anderson tells Jimmy Fallon he's getting a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame as his 50th birthday gift
'Black-ish' actor Anthony Anderson turned up on 'The Tonight Show' sporting a grown-out beard. "Just call me Black Moses," he said, further adding that it could also be branded as a quarantine beard. He said, "When we broke for hiatus this year, we actually wrapped a Friday before all hell broke loose. My intent was just to travel the world playing golf for 4 months and Covid happened and that nicks the golf and the traveling part so I am just growing my beard. I was just going to grow it until I went back to work in August."
"Golfing just opened back up in California so I am playing a couple of times a week," he said, confirming that growing his beard is not the only thing he's doing from his vacation bucket list. Speaking of golf, Anderson also held up a photograph of himself with Fallon on a golf course and turns out, that was the first time the two met each other, 12 years ago. Anderson made fun of Jimmy for wearing "the thickest cardigan" he'd ever seen a golfer wearing in 110-degree weather in the desert.
Later, Fallon asked Anderson if he's been working out, to which he revealed that he turned vegan three months ago, right before the outbreak, and has lost 20 pounds. He also revealed that he's going to keep losing weight while mentioning that he's a Type 2 diabetic and his glucose level was out of control. He had to increase his insulin two years ago and the actor revealed that doing so resulted in weight gain. "I picked up 30 pounds almost overnight," he said while revealing that this weighed heavy on him for the past year and a half. Speaking about struggling with his weight and people making mean comments, he added: "All of last season of 'Black-ish' I was just looking at myself just feeling disgusted. I had done so well, I got down to 215 pounds. So I was just looking at how I started to pick all the weight back again and people on the street were like 'Ah I see you gettin' fat again hahaha it must be livin' good'."
About going vegan as a solution to losing weight, he said, "Right before the NAACP Awards at the end of February this year that I hosted, I was like you know what let me try to lose 10 pounds before the show to offset the 10 pounds the camera is going to add. So I went vegan and lost 8 pounds before the show... I was like okay I am feeling good, I have been vegan before so I said let me continue till the end of the season. So that lasted for about a month and I was like I am feeling great so I will just stick with it. So here I am 3 months later, 20 pounds lighter, feeling great," said Anderson, who turns 50 this August. "50 could look better but it could look worse," he joked.
About turning half a century older, he added: "50, 40 years ago when we used to hear about it, (it) was not the 50 today. It's a different lifestyle and all of that so I am excited about it." Anderson also revealed that he will be receiving a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was about to receive it last year but he mentioned that he postponed it because he wanted it to be a gift for his 50th birthday. "It's a milestone birthday and I want more than 10 people around me while receiving my star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame," he said hoping that the pandemic blows over and conditions are better when August arrives.
His show 'Black-ish' has been on air for six years now and Anderson has been nominated every year for an Emmy but he's yet to win one. "I have been fortunate enough to have been nominated every year that we've been on the air, so 6 in a row. I get to work with a great cast, great producer, great showrunners, my partner in this Kenya Barris, we are just having a great time. 6 years strong, coming back for our 7th season and just looking forward to continuing to tell these great stories and have fun doing it."
