Did Oprah use Ozempic for weight loss? Yes, Oprah Winfrey confirmed she takes a GLP-1 medication to help manage her weight. She has not named the exact brand, but GLP-1 drugs include Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro. In a recent episode of “The Oprah Podcast”, she said that she took a GLP-1 agonist, which is a specific type of weight-loss medication.
Oprah went public with this news in December 2023 after fans noticed her slimmer figure at The Color Purple movie premiere. She told People magazine she now uses the medication “as a tool to manage not yo-yoing.”
What Drug Does Oprah Actually Take?
Oprah takes a GLP-1 agonist, but she has not shared the exact brand name. Winfrey began taking an undisclosed GLP-1 receptor agonist (well-known ones include Wegovy and Zepbound or Ozempic and Mounjaro) after she hosted a panel in collaboration with doctors called The State of Weight.
GLP-1 stands for glucagon-like peptide-1. These drugs work by copying a hormone your body makes after you eat. The drugs work by mimicking the hormones the body releases when a person eats food. People have reduced appetite, and when they do eat, they feel full sooner.
Common GLP-1 medications include:
- Ozempic (approved for Type 2 diabetes)
- Wegovy (approved for weight loss)
- Mounjaro (approved for Type 2 diabetes)
- Zepbound (approved for weight loss)
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How Much Weight Did Oprah Lose?
Oprah Winfrey has been turning heads this year after revealing that she’s lost nearly 50 lbs (22.7kg) through a combination of fitness, lifestyle changes and an undisclosed type of GLP-1 medication.
In a recent interview with CBS News, Winfrey revealed that she is now down to 155 pounds. Her starting weight before medication was around 211 pounds, which she described as her body’s “default weight.”
Oprah’s weight history shows decades of struggle:
- 1988: Lost 67 pounds on a liquid diet, then gained it back
- 1992: Reached her highest weight at 237 pounds
- 2017: Lost 42 pounds with Weight Watchers
- 2023: Started GLP-1 medication
- 2025: Now weighs 155 pounds
Why Did Oprah Decide to Take Weight Loss Medication?
“I couldn’t work out anymore. I can’t climb any faster or run any faster. I was down to eating one meal a day. There’s nothing else I can do.”
Oprah explained that she tried everything before turning to medication. She hiked daily, ate one meal a day, and still could not keep weight off. Her body kept returning to around 211 pounds no matter what she did.
The discussion taught her that obesity, she said, is not a state of mind, but a disease. “I came to understand that overeating doesn’t cause obesity. Obesity causes overeating.”
Before starting the medication, Oprah was pre-diabetic and had high cholesterol. Winfrey revealed that her “default weight,” at 211 pounds, was not healthy, as she was pre-diabetic and had high cholesterol.
What Happened When Oprah Stopped Taking the Medication?
Oprah tested what would happen if she quit the drug. Winfrey, 71, began taking a GLP-1 medication in 2023, but attempted to quit after six months to see if she could lose weight without it. Even when sticking to her diet and exercise routines, the media mogul said she gained back 20 pounds after stopping the drug.
This convinced her that the medication will be a permanent part of her life. “It’s going to be a lifetime thing,” she shared. “I’m on high blood pressure medication, and if I go off the high blood pressure medication, my blood pressure is going to go up. The same thing is true now, I realize, with these medications.”
Does Oprah Still Exercise and Diet?
Yes. The medication is not her only strategy. “The combination of the medication and hiking every day and resistance training has given me the body that I had when I was running a marathon,” she said.
Her current routine includes:
- Hiking daily (3 to 5 miles on weekdays, 10 miles on weekends)
- Resistance training 6 days per week
- Eating her last meal at 4pm
- Drinking a gallon of water daily
- Following Weight Watchers point counting
She exercises six days a week, switching it up from hiking to cardio to resistance training, and cut out alcohol completely.
What Side Effects Does Oprah Experience?
Winfrey has experienced some mild side effects. Her minimal symptoms have included some digestion issues. “So I have to drink enough water, and I have to take magnesium,” she said. “You need to start slow and gradual. If you start by taking too much at one time, you have more of a chance of messing yourself up.”
Research shows side effects from GLP-1 drugs are common. Gastrointestinal symptoms — nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation — are by far the most common side effects of GLP-1 drugs.
About half of adults who use GLP-1 agonists reported having experienced nausea, and about one-third of adults who use GLP-1 agonists reported having experienced diarrhea. The majority of those who reported having side effects noted that they are mild and not serious.
How Effective Are GLP-1 Drugs for Weight Loss?
Clinical trials show strong results. In this trial, adults with obesity and without diabetes had a mean weight loss of 14.9% from baseline with semaglutide as an adjunct to lifestyle intervention. This loss exceeded that with placebo plus lifestyle intervention by 12.4 percentage points.
Over longer periods, results stay strong. The mean percent weight loss was − 13.4% at 6 months, − 17.6% at 12 months, and more than − 20% at 18 and 24 months.
Real world studies confirm the clinical trials. In this cohort study of 175 patients with overweight or obesity, the total body weight loss percentages achieved were 5.9% at 3 months and 10.9% at 6 months.
How Much Do These Drugs Cost in Australia?
The cost depends on why you take the medication.
For people with Type 2 diabetes, Ozempic is listed on Australia’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Schedule (PBS), so people with diabetes can get a three-week supply for A$31.60 ($7.70 for concession card holders) rather than the full price ($133.80).
For weight loss without diabetes, you pay full price. This leaves Australians who use Wegovy for weight loss paying around A$450–500 out of pocket per month.
Ozempic costs $40 a month under PBS for diabetic patients. However, when Wegovy was recently made available in Australia in August 2024, pharmacists were advised they were no longer allowed to dispense Ozempic for weight loss patients. The drug is not yet covered by PBS hence the higher price point of $460 per month in Australia for weight loss patients.
Mounjaro costs even more. Mounjaro costs between $345 -$645 per month, depending on required dose, while Ozempic and Wegovy are only between $8 – $35 per month on the PBS.
Do You Have to Take GLP-1 Drugs Forever?
Research suggests yes, for most people. The effects of the medication only last as long as you take it. One year after stopping semaglutide, study participants regained two-thirds of the weight they’d lost.
Velazquez acknowledged that people will likely have to take these drugs their entire lives to maintain their weight loss.
This matches Oprah’s experience. When she stopped for six months, she gained back 20 pounds even while maintaining her diet and exercise routine.
Why Did Oprah Leave the WeightWatchers Board?
Oprah stepped down from the WeightWatchers board in February 2024 after nearly 10 years. Oprah said during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel in March that she decided to leave the WeightWatchers board because she “wanted to be able to talk about whatever I want to talk about” during the live special and because WeightWatchers “is now in the business of being a weight-health company that also administers drug medications for weight. I did not want to have the appearance of any conflict of interest.”
She donated all her WeightWatchers stock to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
What Does Oprah Say About Weight Loss Shame?
Oprah created a TV special called “Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution” to address this topic. “It is a very personal topic for me and for the hundreds of millions of people impacted around the globe who have for years struggled with weight and obesity,” said Oprah in a statement. “This special will bring together medical experts, leaders in the space and people in the day-to-day struggle to talk about health equity and obesity with the intention to ultimately release the shame, judgment and stigma surrounding weight.”
She believes obesity should be treated as a medical condition, not a character flaw. “The one thing I hope people come away with is knowing that (obesity is) a disease and it’s in the brain.”
Are GLP-1 Drugs Safe?
GLP-1 drugs have been used to treat Type 2 diabetes for about 20 years. GLP-1 agonists have been used to treat type 2 diabetes for about two decades. More recently, the FDA has approved several GLP-1 agonists for weight loss in people with obesity who do not have diabetes.
Common side effects are digestive problems that usually improve over time. The most common side effects are nausea/vomiting, diarrhea and constipation. These tend to improve with extended use, yet can resurface as the doses of the medication are increased.
Some people should not take these drugs. The most commonly advertised contraindication is a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) or multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2. These medications should also be avoided in patients with a history of acute or chronic pancreatitis.
Rare serious adverse events included gallbladder disorders and acute pancreatitis.
FAQ
Is Oprah on Ozempic specifically?
She has not confirmed the exact brand. She takes a GLP-1 agonist, which could be Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, or another drug in this class.
How long has Oprah been on weight loss medication?
She started taking GLP-1 medication in 2023 and continues to use it as of 2025.
Did Oprah have weight loss surgery?
She has not confirmed having bariatric surgery. She credits her weight loss to GLP-1 medication combined with exercise and healthy eating.
Can anyone get Ozempic for weight loss?
Ozempic is primarily prescribed for people with type 2 diabetes who struggle to maintain optimal blood sugar levels through lifestyle changes or other medications. Ozempic is not approved for weight loss in Australia. Wegovy, which contains the same active ingredient at a higher dose, is approved for weight loss but costs more without PBS subsidy.
What is Oprah’s current weight?
As of early 2025, Oprah weighs 155 pounds, down from her “default weight” of 211 pounds.
Does the medication work without exercise?
The medication helps reduce appetite, but best results come from combining it with exercise and healthy eating. Oprah exercises six days per week and follows a structured eating plan along with taking her medication.
Why are these drugs so expensive for weight loss?
In Australia, PBS subsidies only apply when medications treat their approved conditions. Ozempic pricing in Australia depends heavily on the patient’s medical condition. The cost is low and government-subsidised for type 2 diabetes patients, but significantly higher when prescribed privately for other conditions.
What happens if you stop taking GLP-1 medication?
Most people regain weight. Research shows participants regained two-thirds of lost weight within a year of stopping the medication. Oprah’s experience confirmed this when she gained 20 pounds after stopping for six months.
If you’re curious about how often we really need to fuel our bodies, explore whether humans need to eat every day. For expert guidance on sustainable weight loss strategies beyond medication, connect with a trainer at one of the best gyms in Melbourne CBD.
