# Does anyone know the truth behind Desmond Harrington (Quinn on "Dexter") weight loss? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 12, 2011, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-the-truth-behind-desmond-harrington-quinn-on-dexter-weight-loss/581633 "2011-05-12T06:32:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![jgunnink2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e99b99/32.png) [@jgunnink2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jgunnink2)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-the-truth-behind-desmond-harrington-quinn-on-dexter-weight-loss/581633/22 "2014-01-08T01:20:48Z")
I never go on message boards…or forums…so sorry if I seem like a n00b. I am. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-the-truth-behind-desmond-harrington-quinn-on-dexter-weight-loss/581633/23 "2014-01-08T01:24:05Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > 17 comments and 135K views? What happened there? It’s a question nobody knows the answer to, but has prompted three zombification attempts. So four lots of people have read it, but nobody has had anything worthwhile to post. ---
**Author:** ![tottart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cc9497/32.png) [@tottart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tottart)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-the-truth-behind-desmond-harrington-quinn-on-dexter-weight-loss/581633/24 "2014-01-29T03:36:29Z")
> [@jgunnink2](#): > > Theres nothing wrong with him. He was a little chubby, and then he finally got toned. Why do people always think other people have an eating disorder when they finally start eating right and exercising. Is it jealousy? Do people not want to give up their gross eating habits? Quinn looks hot now. I’m glad he lost his baby fat and got into shape. I dont know whats wrong with everyone else. Are you kidding … baby fat ? My husband and I both noticed his gaunt look and his weight loss. I was guessing his age at somewhere around 50 … and was shocked to read he is only 37 years old. ---
**Author:** ![jgunnink2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e99b99/32.png) [@jgunnink2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jgunnink2)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-the-truth-behind-desmond-harrington-quinn-on-dexter-weight-loss/581633/25 "2014-01-29T08:22:05Z")
> [@tottart](#): > > Are you kidding … baby fat ? My husband and I both noticed his gaunt look and his weight loss. I was guessing his age at somewhere around 50 … and was shocked to read he is only 37 years old. 37? I would have guessed around 28 or 29… ---
**Author:** ![BiscuitMojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9de053/32.png) [@BiscuitMojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiscuitMojo)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2015, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-the-truth-behind-desmond-harrington-quinn-on-dexter-weight-loss/581633/26 "2015-06-13T03:16:52Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > It’s a question nobody knows the answer to, but has prompted three zombification attempts. So four lots of people have read it, but nobody has had anything worthwhile to post. Perhaps another zombification, but it isn’t great ettiquette to talk more about thread zombification than what the thread is originally about. (all of you who have done it) That being said, I noticed this the episode the change happened. Later in the series he looks completely famished. I’ve looked everywhere and still to this day, lmao, 6 years later, we’re still clueless. ---
**Author:** ![Private\_Bin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c0e974/32.png) [@Private\_Bin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Private_Bin)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2015, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-the-truth-behind-desmond-harrington-quinn-on-dexter-weight-loss/581633/27 "2015-06-13T19:09:40Z")
He has a painting in his attic that he occasionally dabbles with. ---
**Author:** ![AutumnAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@AutumnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AutumnAgain)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2015, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-the-truth-behind-desmond-harrington-quinn-on-dexter-weight-loss/581633/28 "2015-07-04T23:25:24Z")
This thread has been viewed so many times, and keeps getting resurected because it’s one of the first results in a Google search of “Desmond Harrington’s health” and Desmond Harrington weightloss." That’s how I found it. I hadn’t seen him since Dexter. I just saw an episode of “The astronauts wives club” and didn’t recognize him. I was trying to figure out why this character was so sick, and why the actor looked familiar. Wow. I don’t know how he looked when this thread was started, but no sane person would call him healthy-looking (or good-looking) now. He’s freskishly thin and sick-looking. His arms are bones with skin stretched over them. He looks terminally ill. I’m sure something is wrong, whether he recognizes or admits it or not. ---
**Author:** ![Sfranco8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@Sfranco8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sfranco8)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2025, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-the-truth-behind-desmond-harrington-quinn-on-dexter-weight-loss/581633/29 "2025-01-26T02:31:18Z")
The actor stated that the show asked him to lose weight and the show says that it did not ask him to lose weight so why would he be lying about the weight loss? interesting…… ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2025, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-the-truth-behind-desmond-harrington-quinn-on-dexter-weight-loss/581633/30 "2025-01-26T02:40:39Z")
Welcome here. You realize this is a very old thread. And you don’t have any new information to pass along. I see. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2025, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-the-truth-behind-desmond-harrington-quinn-on-dexter-weight-loss/581633/31 "2025-01-27T09:30:50Z")
Based on a cursory Google search, Harrington hasn’t acted since 2000, but is apparently still alive, at last as of last summer. Here’s a recent pic (X link; sorry): > [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-the-truth-behind-desmond-harrington-quinn-on-dexter-weight-loss/581633.md?page=1)