Oprah Winfrey has revealed that taking weight-loss medications helped her understand the truth about “thin people” and challenged her initial beliefs on the subject.
Back in 2023, the 70-year-old media mogul admitted to using an undisclosed GLP-1 medication—commonly prescribed for type 2 diabetes yet also effective for losing weight, to shed close to 50 pounds after decades of yo-yo dieting.
Oprah’s admission came as a surprise to many fans, as she had previously criticized the use of such drugs, and even labelled them an “easy way out.”
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Oprah is now nearing her goal weight of 160 pounds (72 kg) and chose to open up about her experience with GLP-1 medications and what it taught her about weight and willpower.
In a recent episode of her podcast, the 70-year-old spoke with Dr. Ania Jastreboff about the function and safety of these drugs, and it changed her perspective on the matter.
“One of the things that I realized the very first time I took a GLP-1 was that all these years I thought that thin people had more willpower,” Winfrey said. “They ate better foods. They were able to stick to it longer. They never had a potato chip.”
However, after she began the medication, Winfrey says what she had perceived as “willpower” was actually an absence of intrusive hunger thoughts, in what people often call “food noise.”
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GLP-1 medications, such as Ozempic and Wegovy, can reduce cravings and slow digestion and help to eliminate these constant urges to eat.
“They’re eating when they’re hungry and they’re stopping when they’re full,” Winfrey said. “It doesn’t work that way if you struggle with obesity, which is a disease.”
Winfrey also reflected on her past experiences with weight and how she managed to deal with public scrutiny.
“Every week, I was exploited by the tabloids. Anytime any comedian wanted to make a joke about it, they would make a joke about it. And I accepted it because I thought I deserved it,” she said. “Now I realize my size did not make me ‘less than’ others, and I didn’t deserve that treatment.”
Although she initially denied using weight-loss drugs, Winfrey publicly acknowledged that she was on a GLP-1 medication in December 2023.
Oprah Winfrey shared that it helped her avoid a significant amount of weight gain during the holiday season, and credited the drug for only causing her to gain half a pound rather than eight.
She also went on to emphasize that her fitness routine in regular hikes and the WeightWatchers program has been key to her health success.
“I had an awareness of [weight-loss] medications, but I felt I had to prove I had the willpower to do it. I now no longer feel that way”, Oprah said.
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In reflecting on her journey, Winfrey said it frustrates her anytime she remembers the societal shame that surrounds weight gain.
“This is a world that has shamed people for being overweight forever. And I am Oprah Winfrey, and I know all that comes with that,” she said. “There is a condescension. There is a stigma.”
The Media Mogul concluded by encouraging people to come to a place where they realize everyone is different and also respect all body types. “Shouldn’t we all just be more accepting of whatever body you choose to be in? That should be your choice.”
