9-1-1: Nashville star Hunter McVey is opening up about the “ever-changing” way his relationship with his body has shaped both his personal life and career.
“It’s been a very interesting and changing relationship with health and how I view my body over the years,” McVey, 27, told Us exclusively while discussing his wellness company, Bring Your Nutrition.
McVey said his struggles with body image began during childhood, when he was “always insecure.”
“Being heavier and bigger than everybody else, I always hated what I saw in the mirror. I was always self-conscious and never liked the way I looked. Even when I would get skinnier, get in shape or lose weight, I would still critique myself and think, ‘Oh, I need to be skinnier around the waist,’ or something like that,” he said. “It’s not something that a lot of men talk about.”
While many female celebrities have spoken publicly about eating disorders and body image struggles, more male stars are beginning to discuss their own experiences with weight and appearance. In March 2023, Ed Sheeran revealed that he had struggled with bulimia and spoke about the stigma men can face when dealing with eating disorders. “There’s certain […]
McVey said he has heard similar concerns from other men. “I’ve talked to a lot of men over the years who are in the gym and look good. The funny thing is, the more you work out and become attuned to your physique or fitness, the more body dysmorphia can sometimes increase, because you become pickier and pickier,” he explained.
After landing the role of Blue on 9-1-1: Nashville, McVey’s perspective on his health and physique shifted again.
“Before I started filming 9-1-1: Nashville, I was about 225 pounds, and most of that was solid muscle. Because the 9-1-1 season was so busy, I wasn’t able to eat as much. Instead of training six days a week, I could maybe train twice. I dropped to about 200 pounds,” he told Us. “I lost around 25 pounds of muscle overall. If you had told me that two years ago, I probably would have freaked out, because I tied much more of my value and self-worth to how I looked on the outside.”
He added, “Through experience and many, many years, I’ve been able to remind myself that I’m valuable even without that extra 25 pounds of muscle. I still want and need to stay in shape, obviously not only for the camera but also for my peace of mind. The gym and fitness do a lot for my mental health. But I don’t tie my self-worth, identity or confidence to how big, muscular or ripped I am, because comparing yourself to other people — especially in the age of social media — is a losing battle.”
McVey has also drawn on his own health and wellness journey in building his professional life.
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“It’s what I attribute some of my success, discipline and transferable skills to. That started when I was 12, the first time I lost 40 pounds, began counting calories and macronutrients, and started going to the gym,” he said. “I had gone up and down multiple times throughout my youth and college. After school, when I began using social media to show people how I lost weight and built muscle, I was transparent about hormones, peptides and coaching people on ways to improve their lives. I wanted to create a business that offered value and helped people. That was one of my biggest goals, because you can only post shirtless on Instagram for so long.”
Alongside his television career, McVey has been developing Bring Your Nutrition, which is preparing to launch a line of nontoxic food-storage containers made from platinum silicone.
“The vulcanization process used for the silicone allows these containers to heat food in the microwave or oven without leaching toxins or microplastics into your food,” he told Us. “Most Americans are consuming about a credit card’s worth of microplastics every week from many different sources. We’re now finding that microplastics can act as endocrine disruptors, and we’re seeing issues in younger and younger people — including diseases, cancers, neurological disorders and other problems — that he believes may be linked to exposure.”
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He continued, “They’re meal containers you can travel with and use to store food. The lid seal is secure and keeps everything inside. You can take them to the gym, and they won’t break or weigh as much as glass. That way, you’re not exposing your food to toxins or microplastics when heating it in the microwave or oven at temperatures of up to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.”
McVey said he is proud of this latest career milestone as he manages acting alongside his other commitments. “I’m focused on doing the best job I can on 9-1-1: Nashville, being the best husband I can be and running the businesses as well as possible,” he said.
The model and actor also acknowledged that maintaining that balance can be challenging.
“I’ve always thrived in a little bit of chaos. I’m fortunate that, at this point in my life and in my 20s, I have the energy, drive and ambition to start my own business. The most important things I prioritize are time and family, so I figured that if I spent much of my 20s building what I want to build, I could set myself, my wife and my family up,” McVey told Us. “I credit my wife, Julia, with helping me maintain that balance. I don’t know or haven’t met anybody else who could handle what my schedule is like every day. The support I get from my partner is how I’m able to keep going and do all of this. I couldn’t do it alone. She understands our goals around time and family, and she knows that creating is something I enjoy and that makes me happy. I’m passionate about it and love what I do, so that makes her happy too.”
Bring Your Nutrition launches November 2, with early access beginning November 1.