Raven-Symoné Says Body Shaming Led Her to Have Breast Reductions and Liposuction Before Turning 18

"I was like, 'Yeah, if I get lipo, will people stop calling me fat?'" the "That's So Raven" star recalled in a podcast

Raven-Symoné achieved success as a teen star through hit Disney projects like The Cheetah Girls and That’s So Raven. Now, the actress, 37, is getting candid about how some of the negative effects of young fame led her to pursue cosmetic surgery.

“I had two breast reductions and lipo before I turned 18,” Symoné said during the fifth episode of The Best Podcast Ever with Raven and Miranda, which she co-hosts with her wife Miranda Pearman-Maday. The episode was released on Monday.

Symoné explained that the body shaming she experienced while appearing on TV was part of what prompted her decision — but claimed that her father, Christopher Pearman, also supported the surgeries. "There was paperwork involved. My dad suggested strongly that I should get my breasts reduced. He was like, 'So you don’t feel bad, is there anything that you want?' I was like, 'Yeah, if I get lipo, will people stop calling me fat?' So I got a two-fer."

Reflecting, Symoné said the entire situation "was just a mess, just being that young and the pain of it all."

Making things even more complicated, Symoné said during the episode that she suffered a seizure after she woke up from the first breast reduction surgery. “And I remember waking up and seeing everything . . . I started having this dry mouth and couldn’t breathe and went back under and they were like ‘You have a seizure,' " she recounted.

Asked by Pearman-Maday about her recovery period, Symoné said she dissociated for much of it. “The recovery was a little painful,” she recalled. “I still have scar tissue to this day. I gained weight after and had to go back for a little bit more out because they were still too big . . ."

Unfortunately, Symoné said the body shaming didn't stop. During the podcast, she noted that she "still got reamed through social media because I wasn't skinny as everybody else and they still called me fat. You get that done and it's still not what everybody wanted to see."

Related: Raven-Symoné Says She Doesn't Want People to Use Ozempic for 'Glamazon Purposes'

Symoné's revelations follow recent comments she made about the type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic. Use of the drug has become a weight loss trend. In a July interview with E! News, Symoné spoke about the drug being used for reasons beyond its intended function. "I have pre-diabetes and diabetes in my family. If I'm not careful with my intake of types of foods, I am more susceptible to getting diabetes," she told the outlet.

“So, I think it's very important we understand certain medications are made for certain people and to not take that away just for glamazon purposes,” she added.

“Do what you gotta do,” Symoné later said. “Just make sure you save some medication for the people that actually need it.”

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Symoné has previously credited her wife  Pearman-Maday, whom she married in 2020, for her 30-pound weight loss in 2021. "This was because we want to have a life together,” the actress told E! News in 2021 about her motivation at the time. "She doesn't want to take me to an early grave and I want to make sure I am there for her in the best health possible."

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