Scrubs star Eliza Coupe shocked fans when she stepped onto the red carpet last week for the premiere of Netflix‘s The Residence, sparking widespread curiosity about her dramatic physical transformation.
The 43-year-old actress, who is best-known for her role as Dr. Denise Mahoney in the medic-comedy Scrubs, arrived in Hollywood last Wednesday sporting a look remarkably different from her earlier years in the industry.
The striking garb, which featured a metallic gold gown and bold smoky makeup, was in a stark contrast to the look she embraced nearly a decade ago while portraying Dr. Denise.
Eliza scored swathes of fans for her performance in the comedy sitcom, where she played a stunning blonde with a perfectionists streak and punchy wit.
Nearly 15-years since she last appeared on the show, Eliza arrived to the premiere last week donning a notably edgy look, pairing the shimmering dress with a dark fur jacket, knee high boots and a choppy shag haircut.
During the glamorous event, which was held The Egyptian Theater, the actress also debuted a plethora of tattoos, pulling down her stylish fur coat to reveal the new ink.
The contrasting look sparked curiosity among fans, with many pointing to her struggles with eating disorders and openness about having experimented with the psychedelics drug ayahuasca.
Scrubs star Eliza Coupe made waves with a surprising red carpet appearance in Los Angeles last Wednesday
Eliza scored swathes of fans for her performance in the comedy sitcom, where she played a stunning blonde with a perfectionists streak and punchy wit (seen in Scrubs)
Appearing in the new Netflix mystery drama, which hit screens this weekend, Eliza plays Margery Bay Bix set inside the White House staff residence
She first rose to fame after captivating audiences in scrubs, which quickly became a hit when it first debuted in 2001 and lasted nine years before having the plug pulled.
Last year the show’s creator, Bill Lawrence even teased that a comeback for the cult-comedy show may be on the cards soon.
Later, the blonde beauty continued to make waves in television after going on to star as Jane Kerkovich-Williams in ABC’s Happy Endings, which first aired in 2011 and lasted for three seasons.
Since then, she has also made appearances in various TV and film, including starring alongside The Hunger Games actor, Josh Hutcherson, and Seth Rogen in Future Man.
Her latest role in The Residence, created by Paul William Davies marks one of her biggest roles career roles since the finale of Scrubs.
Despite having been cast in the new Netflix production, Eliza’s recent successes follow a string of personal struggles, some of which owe to the drastic change in her appearance.
The actress has previously opened up about her journey with wellness, spirituality, and her addiction to food – some of which served as markers for the darker periods in her life.
Last month, on The Funny Thing Is podcast, she was candid about her struggles with food and body image.
Later, the blonde beauty continued to make waves in television after going to to star as Jane Kerkovich-Williams in ABC’s Happy Endings, which first aired in 2011 and lasted for three seasons (pictured)
Since then, she has also made appearances in various TV and film, including starring alongside The Hunger Games actor, Josh Hutcherson, and Seth Rogen in Future Man (pictured)
Pictured in 2020 attending the 28th Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party
‘I was so broken, I couldn’t get fixed enough for the relationship because I had damaged it with my own s***,’ she said on the podcast, reflecting on how these struggles affected her personal life.
‘Some may call it an eating disorder, I just call it my life,’ she continued.
‘My drug of choice was always food. The reason I stopped drinking was because I got into a 12-step food program.’
For seven years, she meticulously weighed out every meal as part of the program.
‘I am grateful for all the tools I learned from it,’ Coupe acknowledged, but admitted her past struggles went beyond food restriction.
‘I would over-exercise, and there was a sprinkle of bulimia in there.’
It’s not the first time the actress had shared insight into her relationship with food, which changed drastically when she was 23.
Having struggled with food intolerances for many years, Eliza decided to make a drastic change, adopting a vegan lifestyle and ditching sugar in an effort to heal her body.
Despite having been cast in the new Netflix production, Eliza’s recent successes follow a string of personal struggles, some of which owe to the drastic change in her appearance (pictured at the 47th People’s Choice Awards in 2021)
The actress said she had made the discovery that she was allergic to a plethora of ingredients, including garlic and anything with a seed – including avocados, chia seeds, quinoa, and coconut.
‘I have the digestion of an infant as a 36-year-old, and I want to know how I can remedy that,’ she added.
In an interview with Bon Appetit in 2017, she detailed a busy day of wellness related pursuits, including waking up at 4am to do yoga, taking ice cold showers and eating an ultra clean diet.
In the interview she claimed that her favourite food was rice cakes, insisting it wasn’t ‘some actor diet thing’.
In the same interview, she opened up about her struggles with body image, explaining that growing up with athletic older brothers had put pressure on her to exercise.
‘I think, as a young girl, that can really kind of screw with your head,’ she said.
‘I’m in such a high-stress job where women have to wear tight dresses all the time, and if I eat something that messes me up, I’ll be so cripplingly uncomfortable that I can’t go 12 more hours of shooting without freaking out,’ she shared.
In an interview with Bon Appetit in 2017, she detailed a busy day of wellness related pursuits, including waking up at 4am to do yoga, taking ice cold showers and eating an ultra clean diet
In 2023, she paid tribute to her partner, professional skateboarder Billy Marks, with a heartfelt Instagram post
Coupe also released Journal It the F** Out*, a guided journaling book designed to help readers process their thoughts and emotions
‘I’m trying to heal that part of myself and also handle my physical issues naturally by putting the best things into my body,’ she said.
Elsewhere, the actress has previously opened up about her experiences having become involved in spirituality, having now tried the powerful hallucinogenic drug, ayahuasca, in numerous occasions.
The experimental drug, which is often taken in the form of a brew and is purported to bear powerful healing capacities.
Speaking on The Funny Thing Is podcast last month, she revealed that she turned to the plant-based psychedelic to cleanse ‘toxic energy’ following her 2018 divorce from Darin Olien.
Eliza was married to the superfood advocate, also the founded of Shakeology smoothie powders, between the years of 2014 and 2018 – with their painful divorce having led the actress to experimenting with the drug.
She revealed she had taken ayahuasca twice, noting that during her second experience, she consumed four cups of the brew.
‘I started sobbing, and it was nuts,’ she recalled. ‘And then I got to see all the inner workings of myself.’
Though she described the experience as transformative, she has no plans to revisit it.
‘I look back at it now and am so grateful I did it, but it doesn’t call for me to do it again.’
She tagged the post, ‘#ayahuasca #yoga #soulfragments #mezcal #coyote #elizacoupe #medicine #healing.’
Despite insisting that she was not in a hurry to re-attempt the drug, the impact of the spiritual awakening appears to have been significant, with the actress having now written her own book on self-healing.
In the book, Coyote Woman and the Odyssey of Soul Contracts, the actress writes about into themes of personal development, healing, and self-discovery.
The actress recently revealed that she had moved to Joshua Tree with her new husband, professional skater Billy Marks
In 2023, she paid tribute to her partner, professional skateboarder Billy Marks, with a heartfelt Instagram post.
‘Husband love post… This majestic wizard is my best friend and the love of all my lives,’ she wrote. ‘Everything he is has reminded me who I truly am.’
Scrubs star Eliza Coupe shocked fans when she stepped onto the red carpet last week for the premiere of Netflix ‘s The Residence, sparking widespread curiosity about her dramatic physical transformation (pictured)
The couple made the move in January earlier this year in search of a slower lifestyle.
Writing on Instagram, she captioned a slide show of sweet pictures: ‘We moved to Joshua Tree nearly a month ago. I’ve lived so many places in this life….It’s such a far cry from the White Mountains of New Hampshire, the N train from Queens, the L train from Brooklyn, the seascape of Malibu, the neighborhoods of Brentwood, the stunning terrain of Topanga and the hills of Corona. (Those are only a few places I’ve lived).’
She said the pair had made the decision to move to embrace a more sedentary lifestyle, writing on Instagram in January earlier this year that she finally felt ‘at home’.
‘Out here in the calm desert with my love and our animals and my sister Bex, I finally feel I’m home. For the first time in this entire human experience,’ she mused.
‘It is pure magic out here. There are no words for the volume of gratitude I have for my guides telling me to come here … And for my ability to hear them.’
Since then, the actress has shares a number of snaps of the pair enjoying their new and slower lifestyle.