‘The New Face of Justice’ ‘Matlock’ Actress Kathy Bates, 76, Praised For Her ‘Iconic Behavior’ At 2025 Golden Globe Awards After Dramatic Weight Loss & Cancer Battles

Sawai, however, made sure to support Bates in her speech, saying, “I have so much people to thank but I’m gonna keep it short. Thank you to the voters for voting for me even though I would vote for Kathy Bates any day.”

Bates’ reaction to losing the award was dubbed as “iconic behavior” and “peak legendary behavior” from fans across the internet.

Another fan wrote, “Kathy Bates immediately ripping up her acceptance speech after she lost the Golden Globe LOL I love her.”

Aside from her noteworthy response to not winning the award, fans also commented on Bates’ “shakey” appearance as she presented the award for Supporting Female Actor with actor and singer Anthony Ramos—who Bates was holding onto during their presentation.

Bates walked out with Ramos onto the stage with her arm linked with his, and remained holding his arm throughout their time on stage.

As Ramos introduced the “legendary” and “beautiful” Bates, the actress does appear to be slightly “shakey” and possibly unsteady on her feet—which prompted fans to express their worries.

Despite her fans concerns for her health, others took to comment on the video clip shared on YouTube, “Kathy looks Stunning! I love her in the Matlock reboot,” and “Kathy is so glamorous this eve …… beautiful woman inside out.”

Regardless of Bates’ reaction and her apparent “shakiness” seen as her and Ramos presented the award, the star remained lively and joyful as she stood on stage.

It’s presumable Bates she needed to hold onto Ramos’ arm during the award presentation as she suffers from lymphedema [a chronic condition that causes swelling in the body due to lymph fluid buildup].

In an earlier interview with SurvivorNet, Bates spoke about her journey and her lymphedema, saying, “I didn’t want to have cancer … and I really don’t want to have lymphedema.”

She added, but “I feel blessed [to have the condition] because if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be in a position to use my celebrity to do something that can maybe help people.”

Bates credits Dr. Emily Iker, a lymphedema expert who Bates went to see in Santa Monica, Calif, with helping her cope. “I went to her, still angry, told her all of my tales. And she said, ‘Well, that’s all in the past, and now you’re going to begin the rest of your life.’ Some people just have light inside.”

She also previously spoke with Variety about how she’s refrained from overeating to shed pounds.

What You Need to Know About Survivorship

Bates, known for her iconic roles in “Titanic,” “Misery,” and “Fried Green Tomatoes,” spoke with the magazine in the weeks leading up to the Sept. 22 first episode date of the new drama series “Matlock” she’s starring in as Madeline Matlock.

She admitted, referring to her drastic weight loss and how it’s helped her maintain stamina for work, “It’s helped me tremendously that, over the last six or seven years, I’ve lost 100 pounds.

“I don’t think I’ve been this slim since I was in college.”

Meanwhile, in an earlier interview with Universal Studios, Bates, who was 70 at the time, commented on how she felt after losing 60 pounds.

“This is the best health I’ve been in in years and I’m so grateful — it’s a miracle,” she said, revealing she lost the excess weight by simply making lifestyle changes. Well, I was facing diabetes, it runs in my family, and I really didn’t want to live with that.”

Referring to a tip she learned from a family member, she added, “After you eat for 20-30 minutes, you experience an involuntary sigh. It’s communication between stomach and brain telling you you had enough. And what I discovered is if you listen to that sigh and push that plate away for just five minutes, you realize you’re satisfied and you don’t have to eat more.”

She also admitted that shedding the weight helped diminish her symptoms of lymphedema.

Bates, a who previously won an Emmy award, acts as an attorney named Madeline Matlock in the reimagined reboot of “Matlock” which ran from 1986 to 1995 on NBC, featuring Andy Griffith as Ben Matlock.

RELATED: Starring in Netflix Show ‘The Miracle Club,’ Kathy Bates Once Thought Her Career Was Over Due To Cancer

Bates also stars in the the revival series with actor Jason Ritter, the son of the late “Three’s Company” star John Ritter, and rising star Skye P. Marshall, known for her role in the medical drama “Good Sam” on CBS.

As per The Hollywood Reporter, citing VideoAmp media tracking, 22.8 million people watched the premiere episode of the “Matlock,” reboot.

Kathy Bates’ Ovarian & Breast Cancer Journey

Bates was diagnosed with stage 1 ovarian cancer 21 years ago in 2003. In a prior interview with SurvivorNet, the “Misery” star said the diagnosis “knocked the stuffing out of me,” but she was lucky to have caught it early, as it was just about to spread.

She underwent surgery and chemotherapy — all while working on the 2004 film “Little Black Book.” That’s something Bates said she struggled with.

“I lost patience with people when things would be draggy. You really can’t do that on a movie set because things are going to go at the pace they’re going to go and yelling about it isn’t going to help.”

The Memphis native described the extremely difficult experience she had after having chemotherapy, saying, “You come off of the steroids, and I just found that the hardest part. It was like detoxing. I was shaking, I couldn’t talk, and I remember I had to go do a voiceover and it was just so, so difficult.”

Despite what she was going through, Bates didn’t want to tell anyone, telling Yahoo Lifestyle, “I’m very open and direct so it was hard for me not to talk to people about it. But at the same time I withdrew from all of the activities that I had in my life.”

After her private health journey, Bates decided it was time to start opening up and try to help others going through the same thing. “I don’t think I really came out about being a cancer survivor until I developed breast cancer in 2012.”

When Bates was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer, she had a double mastectomy to remove both breasts, and she had 19 lymph nodes removed as well, a common treatment method when the cancer has spread beyond the breasts. The lingering pain this all caused her left her feeling worse than when she faced ovarian cancer.

Then Bates developed a condition that breast cancer patients are at higher risk for if they have lymph nodes removed from under the arm. She developed lymphedema, a swelling condition that can affect the arms, legs or other areas of the body near the lymph nodes removed.

“I was bitter, I was depressed,” she shared. “I thought my career was over, I thought, ‘There’s no way, I’m done, everything is done.’”

RELATED: Kathy Bates Says Even Holding Up a Book Is Hard Due to Lymphedema after Breast Cancer Surgery

Bates, who remains cancer-free, recognized her emotional response to her two diagnoses and lymphedema, and decided to take action, get vocal about her story, and not only raise awareness for early detection, but also help others who were going through similar challenges.

Hope for Treating Ovarian Cancer

With ovarian cancer, the standard of care (whether after surgery or before) is a “very, very effective” chemotherapy, says Dr. Dana Chase, a gynecologic oncologist at Arizona Oncology.

When ovarian cancer patients are diagnosed, according to Dr. Chase, they are usually given chemotherapy, which puts about 80% of patients into remission, at least for some time.

RELATED: What’s the Best Ovarian Cancer Treatment Path? That Depends on Several Factors

“The current treatment that we’re going to give you, the standard treatment, is in existence because thousands of women have participated in studies,” Dr. Chase notes to SurvivorNet.

After initial treatment which often involves surgery and chemotherapy, your doctor may recommend a form of maintenance therapy.

“We use some maintenance therapies with chemo and then continue them after chemo, such as Avastin while others we use after chemo, such as Olaparib,” Dr. Chase explains.

A growing number of women diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancer are eligible for treatment with a class of drugs called PARP inhibitors.These drugs help prevent cancer cells from repairing their damaged DNA (genetic material), causing them to die off. PARP inhibitors work best in women who have a genetic mutation called BRCA, but are now given to a larger group of women regardless of genetic make up.

Dr. Lynn Parker from Norton Cancer Institute previously spoke with SurvivorNet about the pros and cons in using this drug. “PARP inhibitors are expensive, but there are ways to access those medications.”

“Like with any medication, they have potential toxicities or side effects,” she said. So I think that as a patient being aware of what is possible is important.”

PARP Inhibitors for Ovarian Cancer Treatment: Weighing Risks and Benefits

As for PARP inhibitors, Dr. Parker explained that some women will be able to handle side effects better than other, but says “there are different doses that can be utilized and looking at the timing of when you’re using it … if you’ve just completed chemotherapy, you may be more fatigued or weak than you would [normally] be in a few months.”

She said she typically gives patients a lower dose of PARPs for the first few months after chemotherapy and then works them up to a higher dose, but it depends on the patient’s individual situation.

It is best that women discuss these treatment options with their own doctors.

Managing an Ovarian Cancer Recurrence

Helping You Live a Healthy Life

The general recommendations for a healthy lifestyle are similar whether you have cancer or not.

Dr. Ken Miller, the Director of Outpatient Oncology at the University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center, shared some guidelines for cancer survivors who are concerned about a recurrence with SurvivorNet:

• Exercise at least two hours a week, and walking counts.
• Eat a low-fat diet.
• Eat a colorful diet with lots of fruits and vegetables. The American Cancer Society recommends aiming for two to three cups of vibrant vegetables and fruits each day.
• Maintain a healthy weight. Studies have shown that being obese can increase your risk for several types of cancer.

“The more physically fit you are going through your cancer treatment, the fewer side effects you’ll have and the faster you’ll get back to your normal quality of life,” Dr. Sairah Ahmed told SurvivorNet.

Dr. Ahmed is an associate professor in the Department of Lymphoma/Myeloma, Division of Cancer Medicine, at MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Resilience After Cancer

Challenging oneself can certainly help people cancer survivors, or those facing cancer, chronic disease, or other problems to develop resilience, which is an essential coping tool.

That process of pushing oneself to try new things is one of the “three wellsprings of vitality,” according to Dr. Samantha Boardman. The other two are connecting with others and contributing to the lives of people around you.

Mental Health Understanding the Three Wellsprings of Vitality

Dr. Boardman explains, “Those are the cores of vitality, and the core pathways to enhance your everyday resilience.”

These three pathways can help someone develop the strength needed to survive or manage a difficult situation, but they all stem from having a positive outlook.

Dr. Zuri Murrell, an oncologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, previously spoke with SurvivorNet about the role of a positive outlook on the survival rates of patients battling illness.

“I’m pretty good at telling what kind of patient are going to still have this attitude and probably going to live the longest, even with bad, bad disease,” Dr. Murrell said. “And those are patients who, they have gratitude in life.”

Questions to Ask Your Doctor

• How can I go about improving my outlook/mental health?
• Are there any activities I can do to encourage positive feelings?
• When should I seek other interventions if I’m still struggling?
• How can seeking these connections help me in my day-to-day life?

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Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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