Oprah Winfrey’s body has been a topic of discussion for over 30 years now. She dieted in the public eye, she wheeled out that wagon of fat, she became a shareholder in WeightWatchers. The 70-year-old’s appearance has been up for discussion again recently, as tabloids began speculating about whether she was on Ozempic. In a People cover story, Winfrey revealed that she has been using a prescription weight-loss drug in addition to a regimen of diet and exercise.
“The fact that there’s a medically approved prescription for managing weight and staying healthier, in my lifetime, feels like relief, like redemption, like a gift, and not something to hide behind and once again be ridiculed for,” Winfrey told the magazine. “I’m absolutely done with the shaming from other people and particularly myself.”
While she did not disclose which medication she takes, Winfrey said she had an “aha moment” around the use of drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy in July while hosting a panel called “The State of Weight.”
“I realized I’d been blaming myself all these years for being overweight, and I have a predisposition that no amount of willpower is going to control,” Winfrey said. Soon after, her doctor prescribed a weight-loss drug, which she now uses “as a tool to manage not yo-yoing.”
Winfrey emphasized that her use of medication was not the only factor in her weight loss. “I know everybody thought I was on it, but I worked so damn hard,” she said. “I know that if I’m not also working out and vigilant about all the other things, it doesn’t work for me.”
In addition to revealing her use of a weight-loss drug, Winfrey also recently told Drew Barrymore she has never been to therapy. By the time she’s finished promoting The Color Purple, she may not have any secrets left.