# Morgan Spurlock Dies at 53 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 24, 2024, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morgan-spurlock-dies-at-53/1002033 "2024-05-24T18:02:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morgan-spurlock-dies-at-53/1002033/1 "2024-05-24T18:02:05Z")
The director/star of “Super-size me” Complications of cancer. > **[Morgan Spurlock dead: Super Size Me director dies at 53](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4nnz3ze3l7o)** > > The film-maker famously lived on a diet of McDonald’s food for an entire month for the 2004 movie. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morgan-spurlock-dies-at-53/1002033/2 "2024-05-24T18:05:13Z")
Or maybe the McDonald’s ninjas finally got to him. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morgan-spurlock-dies-at-53/1002033/3 "2024-05-24T18:11:26Z")
It’s sad but he doesn’t sound like the greatest of humans. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morgan-spurlock-dies-at-53/1002033/4 "2024-05-24T18:12:34Z")
The dude JUST died… Someone shared his “Me too” mea culpa, which I had never heard about before. It was interesting and a pretty decent (not perfect) way toown up to past actions and frame it in the broader context of society and culture. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morgan-spurlock-dies-at-53/1002033/5 "2024-05-24T20:21:03Z")
I’m just waiting for someone to claim the month he spent eating McDonald’s is what caused his cancer. After all, according to the documentary, his doctor asserted he was such a perfect physical specimen before he did that. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morgan-spurlock-dies-at-53/1002033/6 "2024-05-24T20:37:18Z")
He seemed like a troubled person. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morgan-spurlock-dies-at-53/1002033/7 "2024-05-24T20:44:24Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](#): > > I’m just waiting for someone to claim the month he spent eating McDonald’s is what caused his cancer. Nah, obviously he got Turbocancer from The Poke. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morgan-spurlock-dies-at-53/1002033/8 "2024-05-24T21:01:37Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](#): > > I’m just waiting for someone to claim the month he spent eating McDonald’s is what caused his cancer. Someone kind of did in the Death Pool thread. I didn’t hate him and his 30 Days show was good, as was Super-Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! He lied about his McDonald’s diet, though, which really makes him unreliable. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morgan-spurlock-dies-at-53/1002033/9 "2024-05-24T21:02:57Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](#): > > After all, according to the documentary, his doctor asserted he was such a perfect physical specimen before he did that. In all seriousness, he was an alcoholic and that was the primary reason for the health problems in the documentary. At one point even in the documentary itself, the doctor said that his liver looked like it was “pickled”, and looked like an “alcoholic’s after a binge”. Because it _was_ an alcoholic’s liver, and he was drinking heavily the entire time. He confessed to being a heavy drinker since age 13, and at one point said he hadn’t been sober for more than a week in 30 years. So if you are looking for theories, I’d say that decades of heavy drinking might be one place to look. I’m not saying this all to shame the man. Alcoholism is a disease and I don’t wish his struggles on anyone. I’m not sure if his drinking was responsible for the lying and sexual misconduct attributed to him, and of course it’s not like alcohol completely takes over your brain; he owned what he did. He did eventually sober up, making his journey public. Here is an example. [https://x.com/MorganSpurlock/status/1231318605612097538](https://x.com/MorganSpurlock/status/1231318605612097538) > Sober day #800 - celebrating in WV by going to planetfitness & getting mom’s car inspected. Even if it was based on lies, his documentary did likely contribute to some positive changes in the fast food industry (if minor ones) where healthier choices became available. Clearly his life was a controversial one, and he is now at peace. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morgan-spurlock-dies-at-53/1002033/10 "2024-05-24T21:14:56Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > In all seriousness, he was an alcoholic and that was the primary reason for the health problems in the documentary. At one point even in the documentary itself, the doctor said that his liver looked like it was “pickled”, and looked like an “alcoholic’s after a binge”. Because it _was_ an alcoholic’s liver, and he was drinking heavily the entire time. He confessed to being a heavy drinker since age 13, and at one point said he hadn’t been sober for more than a week in 30 years. > > So if you are looking for theories, I’d say that decades of heavy drinking might be one place to look. Yep, it is what killed my Mother at about that same age. Living 30 days on McDs food is not very healthy-but if it is McDs food+ a fifth of whiskey every day it is REALLY bad for you. Many people replicated his 30 day McDs diet- and none had the same health issues. Some even lost weight! Of course- none were heavy drinkers also. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morgan-spurlock-dies-at-53/1002033/11 "2024-05-24T21:39:13Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > He lied about his McDonald’s diet, though, which really makes him unreliable. But it was entertaining, and ultimately the entertainment is the only reason anyone watched it. Nobody eats at McDonald’s because they think it’s healthy. We weren’t really learning anything new. The premise was basically just testing their marketing by taking it literally, which nobody does. It only worked because he was a talented filmmaker/documentarian, which is how he should be remembered, professionally at least. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morgan-spurlock-dies-at-53/1002033/12 "2024-05-24T21:39:59Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Many people replicated his 30 day McDs diet- and none had the same health issues. Some even lost weight! Of course- none were heavy drinkers also. When the movie came out, people wanted to see his calorie journal and he would not share it. I speculated he drank a ton of soda. It was probably the alcohol, though. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morgan-spurlock-dies-at-53/1002033/13 "2024-05-24T21:55:42Z")
Eating nothing but McDonalds for 30 days was just a framing gimmick for an otherwise accurate and informative documentary. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morgan-spurlock-dies-at-53/1002033/14 "2024-05-24T22:13:22Z")
I remember hearing about him being asked to speak at a high school assembly, and he got stage-hooked when he started using profanity, and made fun of the special-ed kids. I’m guessing he was also drunk at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2024, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morgan-spurlock-dies-at-53/1002033/15 "2024-05-25T00:51:28Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Many people replicated his 30 day McDs diet- and none had the same health issues. Ah, Tom Naughton’s _Fat Head_ documentary, for example. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2024, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morgan-spurlock-dies-at-53/1002033/16 "2024-05-25T01:34:06Z")
Apparently, Osama Bin Laden was a fan. Spurlock’s documentary, _Where in the World is Osama bin Laden_, was found amongst his possessions when he was killed. > **[The crazy film Osama Bin Laden kept in his Pakistan hideout](https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/osama-bin-laden-pakistan-hideout-film/)** > > Now here’s a question to ask in the pub this weekend: Which bizarre DVD did Osama Bin Laden spend his days in Pakistan hiding from the world watching? ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2024, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morgan-spurlock-dies-at-53/1002033/17 "2024-05-25T02:45:37Z")
The “positive” changes being reduced serving sizes and increased prices, and further legislating away people being able to make informed (instead being served misinformation) choices about their diet/purchases. As far as “healthy” options go, there is some subjectivity and individualization and the food pyramid people were probably never that great. McD’s had things like salads and grilled chicken long before his stunt, and in moderation (like most things) a single hamburger or a Big Mac isn’t that terrible and things like Egg McMuffins are probably superior to most at-home breakfasts in the USA. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2024, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morgan-spurlock-dies-at-53/1002033/18 "2024-05-25T02:51:28Z")
I could easily lose weight on a McDonald’s 3x a day diet. I could lose weight on a large pizza a day or 10lbs of potatoes or whatever gimmick diet. And have. But composition matters more than weight and there are other considerations like my colon, skin, and other organ health. I drink rarely, but more than I used to. There’s probably no positive reason to drink alcohol or sodas. I’m surprised by the number of adults who seem to get the majority of their calories from either or both. A few threads here have revealed a large number of Coke addicts. I do feel fortunate that I can quit either cold turkey. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2024, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morgan-spurlock-dies-at-53/1002033/19 "2024-05-25T06:09:59Z")
> [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](#): > > The “positive” changes being reduced serving sizes and increased prices, and further legislating away people being able to make informed (instead being served misinformation) choices about their diet/purchases. I don’t think anything you wrote here has any basis in truth aside from the removal of the “super size” option. I doubt Spurlock is to blame for inflation, and restaurants now make nutrition info more readily available. Ironic that you speak of serving misinformation… ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2024, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morgan-spurlock-dies-at-53/1002033/20 "2024-05-25T13:43:06Z")
That documentary had a lot of gross fat-shaming. I didn’t realize it at the time but it’s reviewed in an episode of the podcast _Maintenance Phase._ Cringe. Between that and the rape he confessed to, I think he was a pretty douchey guy. I think he aspired later in life to be less douchey, but I often wonder if his “confession” was trying to get ahead of the story before it broke. I still feel kinda bad for him. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morgan-spurlock-dies-at-53/1002033.md?page=2)