Carnie Wilson (Courtesy Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Carnie Wilson (born April 29 1968 in Bel Air, California, USA) is an American singer and television host, best known as a member of the early-90s singing group Wilson Phillips. Then noted as being one of the few overweight female pop stars, she was later famed for having lost half of her weight. She is the daughter of American 1960s pop icon Brian Wilson and his first wife Marilyn Rovell.

Musical career

She co-founded Wilson Phillips with her younger sister Wendy and childhood friend Chynna Phillips when they were in their teens. They released two albums, Wilson Phillips and Shadows and Light and had six top 20 singles before breaking up in 1993.

Sisters Carnie and Wendy continued to perform together, releasing a Christmas album in 1993, and they joined with their father for a critically successful (yet commercially unsuccessful) 1997 album titled The Wilsons.

In 2004 Carnie regrouped with her sister Wendy Wilson and Chynna Phillips. Together again as Wilson Phillips, they released a third album, entitled California, which appeared on Sony Music's record label. The album covered songs primarily from the 1960s and 1970s, and specifically highlights the musical glory days of their parents' California-based musical groups: The Mamas & The Papas and the Beach Boys.

In 2006 she created a solo album of lullabies shortly after the birth of her daughter Lola. The album, entitled A Mother's Gift: Lullabies from the Heart contains several classic songs that are recreated in a dreamier tone.

In 2006 she will also be releasing a Christmas album, featuring a song written by her husband.

Television career

From 1995-1996, Carnie hosted her own short-lived syndicated television talk show Carnie!. The series was launched during the mid 1990's wave of popularity in "tabloid" talk shows, which followed the sudden successes of Ricki Lake and Jerry Springer.

She later guest-starred on episodes of That 70s Show in 2001 and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch before joining the fourth season of the VH1 reality show Celebrity Fit Club in 2006.

Wilson has also been a correspondent on Entertainment Tonight and in 2006 hosted a special on E! entitled 101 Celebrity Slimdowns.

Weight Problems

Wilson has had a lifelong problem with obesity and during her Wilson Phillips fame, she reached a lifetime weight peak of almost 300 lbs on her 5'3 frame. Her weight led her to be parodied on Saturday Night Live by Chris Farley and also publicly mocked by Howard Stern. In addition, she was frequently pushed to the background of most of Wilson Phillips' music videos behind the much slimmer Wendy and Chynna.

Dieting was ineffective; she would lose weight only to regain it later. Finally in August 1999, she famously underwent gastric bypass surgery, which she felt was a life-saving decision. The procedure was broadcast live on the internet. As a result, she went from a size 28 to a size 6 and lost 150 pounds. In 2003 she posed for Playboy to display her new body. Carnie later toured TV talk shows and hosted her own infomercial to publicize her satisfaction with the procedure. However, she eventually gained back some weight through her pregnancy, and ended up as a contestant on the fourth season of VH1's Celebrity Fit Club in 2006. She lost 22 pounds over the course of the show.

Personal life

Wilson married Rob Bonfiglio in 2000. In April 2005 they welcomed their first daughter, Lola Sofia Bonfiglio.

She has publicly acknowledged having a same-sex experience in her teens.

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