“I remember running into the bathroom and just sobbing”: Carnie Wilson recalls hurtful moment with record executive

Carnie Wilson shared a poignant memory from her first album recording, illustrating how a single comment can leave a lasting impression. Carnie Wilson said that during the making of Wilson Phillips’s 1990 debut, a record executive focused on her weight instead of the music. She shared this story on Billy Corgan’s podcast The Magnificent Others on April 30, 2025. Her account highlights how industry pressures around appearance affected her early career.

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Carnie Wilson was shocked by the executive’s comment

Carnie Wilson said the executive asked, “What are we going to do about this weight problem of yours?” during a session in 1990.

She recalled, “I remember running into the bathroom and just sobbing,”

Explaining how his words made her feel helpless and alone.

The question came while her group was riding high on the success of their first single, but all she heard was criticism of her body. That moment stayed with her for decades.

Carnie Wilson described feeling humiliated by production choices

Carnie Wilson also spoke about how videos were filmed to hide her body rather than show the trio together.

She said, “It was always, ‘Hide Carnie in the videos. I had to stay in this light for my chin,’” to keep attention away from her figure.

For the 1992 video “You Won’t See Me Cry,” she was required to wear a tight corset that caused her waist pain.

“I was bleeding. I had sores on my waist from cinching and trying to look skinny,” she recalled.

Carnie Wilson called those days “humiliating” but said she tried to use the experience to grow stronger.

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She confronted the executive and received an apology

Years later, the same executive reached out and apologized for his words.

Wilson quoted him saying, “I am so sorry. I just can’t believe I said that; it was unacceptable”.

She told him, “How you hurt me so badly when you did that,”

Making clear the harm his blunt remark had caused.

She asked, “Were you really afraid that my fat was going to make us not successful?”.

Musically, their debut went on to sell over 10 million copies worldwide, proving talent, not body size, drove their success.

She reflected on body positivity today

On the podcast, Corgan observed that if Wilson Phillips had debuted now, listeners might be less critical of appearance. Carnie agreed, calling it “ironic” that she helped lead body-positive conversations without planning to.

She said, “I never tapped into that negativity. I don’t like negativity. Everybody that made fun of me was just unhappy and it was an easy thing to do”.