Whitney Cummings To Tackle Eating Disorder In New Memoir

A new memoir by comedian Whitney Cummings is set for release in the fall of 2017, she told People exclusively. In it, she discusses overcoming her disordered eating and fluctuating weight. The 33-year-old comic and co-creator of the CBS sitcom 2 Broke Girls said she "almost exclusively ate sugar-free Twizzlers and Diet Sunkist," before realizing she had a problem.

Last year, during an appearance on Today, Cummings joked that "people think I got a face lift" just because she had put on 20 pounds. Now, she tells People that she's ready to lay it all out in her upcoming memoir—eating disorder and all.

"I always told myself I would wait to write a book until I had accumulated enough humiliating mistakes to actually make the read worth your time," said Cummings. "I've dated a gay guy, had my hair fall out from not eating enough fat, put family members in rehab, and come very close to spending my life in a Guatemalan prison. I've also accumulated a compendium of knowledge that can save you a lot of time."

Cummings previously opened up about her mental health issues with co-dependency last December for Lena Dunham’s feminist newsletter Lenny Letter. She clarified that her co-dependency extended beyond romantic relationships and even carried into casual dating and platonic friendships, where simple acts like driving a friend to the airport became a ploy for people to continue to like her.

“I couldn’t say no to save my life. I even found myself in sexual situations I had no interest in. I’ve slept with people because ‘they drove all this way,’” she wrote. “If someone gave me a gift, I viewed it like a grenade. I would have to wait until you left to open it because I was so worried I wouldn’t receive it well enough.”

She eventually underwent therapy and a 12-step program to address these issues. Although it’s something Cummings is still conscious of, she believes she has overcome her tendencies to be co-dependent.

“I’m proud to say that today, when someone gives me a gift, I can receive it with grace. I can say no and not be wrought with guilt,” she wrote. “When I say no, I don’t over-explain or apologize profusely. I understand on a soul level that I can’t give what I don’t have.”