- Melissa McCarthy begins her daily routine at 4:30 a.m., according to a New York Times profile.
- As one of Hollywood’s highest-paid women, McCarthy is busy, but her daily routine is a little more normal than one might expect.
- She makes time for TV, reading, baths, and her family – but she doesn’t make a whole lot of time for technology.
Melissa McCarthy is living the life – beginning at 4:30 a.m every day.
That’s what time McCarthy, who made $12 million in 2018, wakes up every day to begin her “carefully curated” routine, according to a recent New York Times profile by Taffy Brodesser-Akner.
As a celebrity and one of the highest-paid women in Hollywood, McCarthy’s daily routine doesn’t look like the everyday person’s, but it’s actually more normal than one might expect. Although she’s often on-the-go and on set, she begins her day with TV reruns and ends it with a nightly bath. On the weekends, she spends time with her husband, Ben Falcone.
One thing McCarthy doesn’t have a lot of time for? Technology. While she indulges in some reading and browsing on her iPad, she often disconnects from her phone and never makes time for emails.
From reading the newspaper to working out, see how the 47-year-old fits it all in.
McCarthy's days are "carefully curated," as well as "carefully organized" so she can take her children to school and gymnastics.
Source: New York Times, Good Housekeeping
Whether she's in her Los Angeles or Atlanta home, McCarthy rises at 4:30 a.m. That may be early, but she eases into her mornings.
Source: New York Times
If she wakes up too early, she'll watch HGTV, which she calls "mind-blowingly relaxing."
Source: Good Housekeeping
She tiptoes around the house to avoid waking up her family and makes a cup of Joe.
Source: New York Times
At 5 a.m., she usually wakes up her two daughters.
Source: Good Housekeeping
McCarthy then watches TV reruns — typically, an episode of "Knight Rider" or the "The Incredible Hulk." "I treat myself right," she told the New York Times.
Source: New York Times
McCarthy reads The Los Angeles Times and National Geographic the old-fashioned way — in print. Both get delivered to her home.
Source: New York Times
She makes an exception for The New York Times, which she reads on her iPad.
Source: New York Times
McCarthy said she hates a world revolved around efficiency, but she also hates boredom.
Source: New York Times
"I don't like to be bored," she told Rolling Stone. "All this fun stuff could be over in a flash, so I'm constantly burning it as fast as I can. I have freaky energy."
Source: Rolling Stone
"I'm a doer! I'm a builder! I'm a worker bee!" she told Rolling Stone.
Source: Rolling Stone
It's a good thing, then, that McCarthy's days are often busy on set. So far, she's released three movies in 2018.
Source: New York Times
If she's on set, McCarthy only uses her phone when it's necessary, she said.
Source: New York Times
As part of McCarthy's "careful curation," her sets often look the same and employ the same crew.
Source: New York Times
She also makes time in her day to read movie reviews. "She sees that when a drama doesn't work, it was 'a good effort' and gets a thoughtful review, but when a comedy doesn't work, it's a crime against humanity and gets taken outside behind the shed," wrote Brodesser-Akner.
Source: New York Times
One thing McCarthy doesn't have time for is email. "She won't even do email. People can text her or they can call her. Email will drown her," wrote Brodesser-Akner.
Source: New York Times
In order to get into shape for her upcoming movie, "The Kitchen," McCarthy has reportedly been following the celebrity favorite Keto diet, which focuses on high protein and low carbs.
Source: Hollywood Life
She's reportedly ditched junk food and processed food in favor of organic vegetables, lean protein, and lots of fiber.
Source: Hollywood Life
She's also swapped soda for water, and her hot beverage of choice is green tea.
Source: Hollywood Life
According to a source who talked to Hollywood Life, McCarthy also does cardio and weight training workouts a minimum of five days a week, including circuit training, walking and rowing, and regular kickboxing sessions.
Source: Hollywood Life
At night, she unwinds by perusing Pinterest and Etsy on her iPad while taking a bath. "She buys bullheads and wallpaper and Moroccan rugs and duck heads and a moose head," wrote Brodesser-Akner.
Source: New York Times
During her nightly bath time, she thinks about originality and the movies she watched growing up and her dreams of being in them, according to Brodesser-Akner.
Source: New York Times
She also loves to make her husband, Ben Falcone, laugh at night. "She’s been known to tap on my teeth before she goes to bed," he told Rolling Stone. "And then, before sleeping, she'll say, 'I just need to hook it,' which means she has to jam her hand into my armpit." McCarthy then proceeds to tickle him.
Source: Rolling Stone
McCarthy usually calls it a night around 9 or 9:30 p.m., but said she never gets continuous sleep. "Luckily, I've convinced myself I don't need that much sleep, but I don't know if that's actually true," she told Good Housekeeping.
Source: Good Housekeeping
On weekends, McCarthy and Falcone put their phones away for even more technological disconnect.
Source: New York Times
Every Sunday, they have friends over for dinner. "Falcone makes meatballs and sauce or McCarthy makes meatloaf," wrote Brodesser-Akner.
Source: New York Times
She and her husband often put on different characters and voices. "She will one minute be a tough-talking Midwestern person, and then in a second she'll be a too-literal scientist," wrote Brodesser-Akner.
Source: New York Times
These weekends are a respite from a busy schedule. "I know somewhere in there, I'm incredibly tired, but I just keep going," she told Good Housekeeping. "I'm afraid that if I stop, I'll just disintegrate."
Source: Good Housekeeping
McCarthy doesn't plan to wind down any time soon. She says she wants to add more culture in her life, such as learning Italian and French, living in Paris, and seeing "whatever great vistas are around the next corner" with her family.
Source: AARP
And once she hits 70, "It's going to be all caftans and turbans and big wacky glasses," she told AARP.
Source: AARP