Lauren Manzo admitted to using a diabetes drug to lose 30 pounds but feels she has a right to do so — and not any of the “already skinny” “Real Housewives” stars.
“I have been considered morbidly obese,” the “Real Housewives of New Jersey” alum, 35, told Pvnew’s “Virtual Reali-Tea” podcast co-hosts Danny Murphy and Evan Real during a live taping at City Winery in New York City Thursday night.
“I do think that people shouldn’t abuse [Ozempic]. I think it’s being abused because I see people, ‘Housewives,’ that are posting, and you literally see their ribs, and it’s sad because you were already skinny.”
Manzo revealed she turned to Mounjaro, a brand name of tirzepatide, because she once weighed 280 pounds and it had taken a toll on her mental health.
She said she suffered from anxiety, depression and high blood pressure.
The former Bravo personality shared that she shed 50 pounds after going on a gluten- and dairy-free diet but “couldn’t lose any more,” so her pharmacist recommended Mounjaro for the next 30.
“I get it, people don’t like it, people don’t applaud it … but it’s a shot in your stomach once a week; it’s the same as Ozempic,” she said.
“You guys have seen me struggle with this since I’m 20 years old, and it’s been really hard for me, and I’ve lost a lot of weight from being on that whole ‘Ozempic’ thing.”
The former reality star, who is the daughter of “RHONJ” alum Caroline Manzo, opened up about her weight issues on the Bravo series and in the press at the time.
In 2012, Lauren told Us Weekly that it was “hard” seeing herself on TV because she felt like the camera added “800 pounds.” She also admitted at the time to getting lap band surgery to assist with her weight loss.
However, Lauren said on “Virtual Reali-Tea” that there were attacks on her confidence not just on-screen but also behind the scenes.
She alleged that a Bravo publicist once said she was “just not marketable” and that she was not invited for a visit to Z100’s “The Morning Show,” which she thought was “really messed up.”
“Now I’m in therapy,” the mother of one quipped.
Caroline, for her part, said she witnessed her daughter battle to get to a healthy weight for years.
“She had the lap band — we had to have emergency to remove it because her stomach was all twisted,” the “Food, Love and Chaos” host, 61, explained.
“Then she goes and gets the sleeve, which I was so against because she’s got half a stomach now. … I have never seen somebody work so hard to try and be healthy than this kid right here.”
Lauren concluded that she has no regrets about using Mounjaro, adding, “This is the one thing, even above weight-loss surgery that has helped me a lot and cured me and mentally made me so much better. I’m really grateful for it.”
Other Bravolebrities are becoming more transparent about using Type II diabetes drugs, primarily Ozempic, to help them lose weight.
Dolores Cantina recently admitted to using the drug to slim down in time for the “RHONJ” Season 13 reunion taping, and “Shahs of Sunset” alum Golnesa “GG” Gharachedaghi shared she lost more than 10 pounds on it.
However, while some are owning up to it, others still maintain they are using traditional methods to get fit, like working out and eating healthy.
“Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Kyle Richards slammed numerous claims that she used Ozempic, calling them “offensive,” and “Real Housewives of Orange County” star Gina Kirschenheiter clapped back at a follower who accused her of taking the jab.
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