Itzik Cohen has never been a covert performer. With a fearlessness uncommon in the entertainment industry, he has continuously placed his body at the center of his work, from drag performances in the 1990s to portraying a morbidly obese man on screen in 2009’s A Matter of Size. Therefore, the fifth season of Netflix’s Fauda got into trouble when viewers started questioning the actor who plays Gabi Ayub, the rumpled, sharp-tongued Shin Bet handler, about his apparent weight gain.
These days, the discussion began on Reddit. Comments on a thread in the r/fauda community ranged from genuine concern to shock. A user acknowledged that they believed he was dressed in a fat suit. His fingers appeared noticeably swollen, according to another. Some expressed what felt more like concern than condemnation, while others were direct about it.
The fact that Cohen had a long history with his weight and that the process behind what they were seeing on screen was far more complex than a straightforward before-and-after photo was something that no one seemed to be aware of, or possibly remember.
Cohen had bariatric surgery back in 2013 and lost about fifty kilograms. That is a substantial amount. For a public figure, it signified a decision about his own health as well as a physical change that altered how viewers perceived him. He was noticeably thinner in the earlier seasons of Fauda, the Gabi Ayub that viewers had grown accustomed to. Something changed between then and Season 5.
Cohen’s character’s appearance was treated as a recurring joke in the dialog, and the show itself appeared to acknowledge that the weight had returned—visibly, significantly. When his handler jokes that he’s “too old for this,” in a way befitting a man who has come to terms with his limitations, it strikes with a self-awareness that is almost too real.
It’s important to consider the benefits and drawbacks of bariatric surgery. It is not a long-term solution. Individuals who experience it may put on weight again, especially during times of prolonged stress, disruption, or emotional hardship.
That might just be conjecture. However, it’s the kind of conjecture that stems from compassion rather than cruelty. Another viewer pointed out that Gabi’s character smoked a lot in previous seasons, but by Season 5, he seemed to have given it up. Many people are familiar with the pattern of quitting smoking and then gaining weight.
Cohen’s remarkable versatility has been the foundation of his career. In addition to playing Edna Turnblad in Israeli Hairspray and Roger De Bris in The Producers, he started a drag performance band in the 1990s that contributed to the mainstreaming of drag in Israel.
He continued to work creatively and personally with his ex-wife after coming out as gay in 2002, and he has been a well-known figure in Israeli theater and television for thirty years. He was nominated for the Israeli equivalent of an Academy Award for his portrayal of Herzl, a man whose weight determined how the world treated him, in the film A Matter of Size. Whether or not he ever stated it in public, that movie was, in a way, his most direct artistic response to the issue of body image. It was also very personal.
Therefore, it’s ironic to see how fans of Fauda respond to his appearance in Season 5 in ways that mirror the dynamics his 2009 movie was examining. The astonishment, the obvious double-takes, and the lighthearted remarks about how large he appeared in comparison to co-star Lior Raz are all human. Still, they also remind us how easily complex individuals can be reduced to a number on a scale.
Cohen, a 57-year-old working actor, is navigating a career in one of the world’s most politically charged entertainment environments. He is currently performing in a show that is directly addressing the fallout from one of the most horrific events in contemporary Israeli history. The context is important.
Whether Cohen has discussed his weight in public in recent years is still unknown. It’s evident that his performance in Season 5 has garnered attention, and not just for his appearance. Cohen’s portrayal of Gabi Ayub is still captivating, humorous, and rooted in a world-weariness that feels wholly genuine. The work itself is still present, sharp, and worthwhile to watch regardless of what is going on off-screen. That may be the most crucial lesson to learn from it.
