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---
title: Melissa McCarthy Addressed Those The Little Mermaid Rumors
description: Melissa McCarthy fueled rumors that she is playing Ursula in The Little Mermaid on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
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author: Melissa Locker
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article:published_time: 2019-07-30T14:56:17.000Z
article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:47:05.936Z
og:title: Melissa McCarthy Addressed Those The Little Mermaid Rumors in the Most Charming Way Possible
og:description: McCarthy fueled the rumors in the most on-brand way.
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twitter:description: McCarthy fueled the rumors in the most on-brand way.
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# Melissa McCarthy Addressed _The Little Mermaid_ Rumors in the Most Charming Way Possible

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| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
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| Metric | Value | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 |
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#### What newsletters does TIME publish?

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<!-- video src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/bxJOrIhj.m3u8" -->
## Video: 5 Disney Classics That Became Modern Hits

[Watch (HLS stream): 5 Disney Classics That Became Modern Hits](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/bxJOrIhj.m3u8) (3:58)

![5 Disney Classics That Became Modern Hits](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/bxJOrIhj/poster.jpg?width=720)

_Published 2019-07-19. 5 Disney Classics That Became Modern Hits_


by 

[Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/)


## Melissa Locker


Jul 30, 2019 2:56 PM UTC

by 

[Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/)


## Melissa Locker


Jul 30, 2019 2:56 PM UTC

[Melissa McCarthy](https://time.com/4299845/melissa-mccarthy-2016-time-100/) knows how to keep a secret. The actor swung by _Jimmy Kimmel Live!_ on Monday night to promote her new film _The Kitchen_, and when host Jimmy Kimmel asked her about one of the rumors sweeping Hollywood, she used all her acting skills to play dumb.

“I’ve read that you’re going to be part of the live-action [_The Little Mermaid_](https://time.com/3589558/little-mermaid-disney-animation-renaissance/),” Kimmel asked.

“What’s that? Disney?” McCarthy joked about the forthcoming live action remake of the beloved Disney film, which recently cast Halle Bailey as its lead [mermaid](https://time.com/3586569/sexist-little-mermaid/).

McCarthy continued the charade, telling Kimmel: “I hadn’t heard about that. It seems like it will be an awfully fun thing to do. I’d love if Disney gave me a little ringy-dingy.”

“If it did (happen), it would be very wonderful,” she said, adding a very subtle, and not-at-all knowing wink.

While McCarthy would not spill the casting beans, she did admit that she was well-versed in the animated version of the film. “I was a nanny when that first came out, and one of the little girls I was watching, we watched it every single night for a year and a half,” she explained to Kimmel. “So I know it, I know it to my core. And I weirdly still love it.”


She also confessed that her own little girls would be watching her very closely if she did happen to get cast in the live-action [_The Little Mermaid_](https://time.com/4455348/lin-manuel-miranda-the-little-mermaid/). She told Kimmel than when she told her daughters about the potential role, “They were like, ‘Really?’ And then also I think there was a little whisper of, ‘Don’t embarrass me!’” Not that McCarthy knows anything about playing Ursula, of course.

_The Little Mermaid_ is the next film in Disney’s strategy of remaking its classic animated movies into live-action features. It follows the recent adaptations of _Aladdin_ and the current blockbuster, [_The Lion King_](https://time.com/5624607/the-lion-king-live-action-review/).

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