Jim Gaffigan Pokes Fun at His 50-Lb. Weight Loss in New Comedy Special (Exclusive)

Jim Gaffigan isn’t afraid to say what everyone’s thinking — but he brings humor, of course.

For the star’s latest comedy special, Hulu’s SkinnyThe 58-year-old addresses his 50-lb. frontal weight loss.

The hour-long show opens with rumors that Gaffigan is using Ozpemica — he clarifies that it’s actually on Mounjar, “which is better, because it sounds like an Italian restaurant,” he says.

“Of course, I may never find true joy again, but I can finally fit into my clothes that went out of style 30 years ago. So it’s not a bad deal,” he adds.

Jim Gaffigan in 2019 (left) and 2024.

Nicholas Hunt/Getty; Kristina Bumphrey/Getty

All kidding aside, Gaffigan previously told PEOPLE that he’s grateful for the drug, which has given him a “better life.”

After struggling with weight gain throughout his adult life, his doctor asked him last year if he had considered taking medication. “She was like, ‘Well, some people are against it.’ And I say: ‘I don’t care, I’ll try.’ My knees hurt and my cholesterol was kind of bad,” Gaffigan says. – I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.

In the Hulu special, he addresses critics who think using weight-loss drugs could be “cheating.” “I don’t play Major League Baseball,” he says.

To those who say it’s “not fair,” he jokes, “Neither baldness nor being born without pigmentation, but I’ve learned to deal with it.”

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Also in the special, Gaffigan humorously tackles another health issue — his wife Jeannie has been diagnosed with Lyme disease. She explains that the family adopted the dog during the pandemic despite Jeannie’s allergy and that she ended up with Lyme (“which you get from ticks, and that’s something dogs nurse,” she says). Although she had recovered in the meantime, he still joked about it

“There are so many elements of it that are just wrong,” he tells PEOPLE. “But the humor of it and the challenge or the task of making it funny and accessible to everybody — whether they’re dog lovers or someone who’s allergic who has to deal with this or has to deal with the interest of a spouse who really makes them uncomfortable in some way — the challenge of making it funny was really exciting for me.”

Jim Gaffigan and Jeannie Gaffigan in 2018. Mike Coppola/FilmMagic

Of course, the star touches on other topics that his fans have come to expect from his comedy, including parenting and religion. “I think we all have that relationship with food, or faith, or a personal belief system and our own vanity. It’s really the human condition, it’s always moving,” he tells PEOPLE. “We think we’ve got it all figured out and we’re just falling short – but with good intent.”

When it comes to making fun of his children (he shares Marre, 20, Jack, 18, Katie, 15, Michael, 13, and Patrick, 12, with Jeannie), he rarely specifies which child he’s referring to in his material. “The goal is not to embarrass them,” he explains.

Instead, he is “more sensitive” to the “burden” they have as children of comedians. “Whenever any of my kids are funny at school, their peers or teachers will say, ‘You did that because your dad’s a comedian.'”

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One thing that gave him a little more street cred at home was his role as Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz Saturday night live. “One of the funniest things [doing] SNL knew I was going to come home after I did it and my younger kids, my 12 and 13 year olds and 15 year olds were watching it. By the time I got home, they might have been asleep, but over the next few days it would be revealed that they watched it with my wife and had a blast.”

“I’m still kind of processing it,” Gaffigan says, reflecting on his time in the show. “SNL has obviously had an impact on us all our lives because it’s been around for so long. As for me, there were moments where I realized that I was part of this remaining part of comedy. So, in other words, I’ve been involved in something that’s touched comedy for 50 years, so I think it was the fact that I got to participate in this level of comedy legacy that’s hard to describe.”

He never auditioned for the show when he first started – something he calls a “mistake”. “The whole traditional form of the track in SNL it’s often the writer and then you join the performers. I didn’t really engage in writing work there because the performance was so fulfilling for me.”

But he clarifies: “I don’t regret where I got to.”

Jim Gaffigan and Jerry Seinfeld.

Kevin Mazur/WireImage

Next up for Gaffigan is a 10-stop North American tour alongside friend Jerry Seinfeld. He also has a solo tour with dates through October 2025.

As for any other goals further down the line, he’s considering writing and directing a film, but says he’s happiest spending time on tour: ‘I love those days.’

Skinny now streaming on Hulu. Tickets for his tour can be purchased at JerrySeinfeld.com and JimGaffigan.com.

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