Oprah Winfrey thinks using weight loss drugs, like Ozempic, is taking the easy way out
The talk show host subtly shaded the celebrity weight loss trend after admitting she almost used it herself once during a panel alongside obesity specialists on Wednesday’s episode of “Oprah Daily’s The Life You Want: The State of Weight.”
“When I first started hearing about the weight loss drugs, at the same time I was going through knee surgery, and I felt, ‘I’ve got to do this on my own.’ Because if I take the drug, that’s the easy way out,” she explained, per People.
Part of Winfrey’s pressure to turn toward the type 2 diabetes prescription drug was due to being “shamed in the tabloids every week for about 25 years” for lacking the “willpower” to shed some pounds.
“You all know I’ve been on this journey for most of my life. My highest weight was 237 pounds,” she said, according to Today.
“I don’t know if there is another public person whose weight struggle has been exploited as much as mine over the years.”
But Winfrey, 69, ultimately decided against hopping on the hottest celebrity trend.
“Shouldn’t we all just be more accepting of whatever body you choose to be in? That should be your choice,” Winfrey — who bought a 10 percent stake in Weight Watchers in 2015 — continued.
The TV host was reassured by Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, who furthered that “obesity is a chronic disease” that affects 2 million people around the world.
“It’s hard to see you ostracized in the way that you’ve been. Because this isn’t about willpower. It’s not your fault,” the obesity physician said.
“It’s how our bodies regulate weight and each of us is different, each of us is unique, not one is superior to another.”
The “Oprah Winfrey Show” alum has been transparent about her health journey over the years and especially since her double knee surgery in 2021, which made her appreciate her body more.
“When I came home the first time, I literally could not lift my leg. I couldn’t lift my heel off of the bed, and I vowed if I was ever able to get up, walk around, and move again — that I would take advantage of movement, exercise, and of being able to be fully in my body,” she said on her website at the time.
Winfrey furthered that she started to hike and move her body more as she was rehabilitating.
And while the media mogul decided to turn down the weight loss meds, other celebs have owned up to using the drug to slim their figure.
The “Real Housewives of Orange County” star Emily Simpson, 47, was one of the recent stars to credit her 40-pound weight loss to Ozempic and liposuction in a video posted to Instagram Wednesday.
As for comedian Tracy Morgan, 54, he revealed during a “Today” show appearance that he was hooked on taking Ozempic shots every Thursday.
“I ain’t letting it go,” he said. “It cuts my appetite in half. Now I only eat half a bag of Doritos.”
Sharon Osbourne, 70, also admitted last month that she dabbled with the meds after struggling with a “weight problem” and trying everything to be skinny.
