Oprah reveals the real reason she resigned from WeightWatchers (2024)

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This week on Oprah: An icon’s legacy, weight-loss rumors, caresses from Drew B. and a Smithsonian portrait New weight-loss drugs are out of reach for millions of older Americans because Medicare won’t pay More to Read Not Ozempic! Kelly Clarkson says medication behind her weight loss is ‘something else’ Delta Burke looks back on ‘Designing Women’ exit, and using crystal meth to lose weight ‘Miracle’ weight-loss drugs could have reduced health disparities. Instead they got worse More to Read Not Ozempic! Kelly Clarkson says medication behind her weight loss is ‘something else’ Delta Burke looks back on ‘Designing Women’ exit, and using crystal meth to lose weight ‘Miracle’ weight-loss drugs could have reduced health disparities. Instead they got worse More to Read Not Ozempic! Kelly Clarkson says medication behind her weight loss is ‘something else’ Delta Burke looks back on ‘Designing Women’ exit, and using crystal meth to lose weight ‘Miracle’ weight-loss drugs could have reduced health disparities. Instead they got worse Andy Cohen rep speaks out amid ‘RHONY’ star Leah McSweeney’s lawsuit: ‘Completely false’ Wendy Williams thanks fans for ‘love and kind words’ after sharing dementia diagnosis Mo’Nique says Oprah Winfrey ‘betrayed’ her, and she’s still waiting for an apology Oprah Winfrey shuts down rumors of beef between her and Taraji P. Henson New weight-loss drugs are out of reach for millions of older Americans because Medicare won’t pay This week on Oprah: An icon’s legacy, weight-loss rumors, caresses from Drew B. and a Smithsonian portrait FAQs

Oprah Winfrey has revealed why she left her nearly 10-year post as a WeightWatchers board member last month.

Her resignation was motivated by her work on an upcoming TV special on the rise of prescription weight-loss drugs, she said during a Thursday appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”

“An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution” airs Monday on ABC and streams the next day on Hulu. During the broadcast, filmed in front of a live studio audience, the 70-year-old media mogul will sit down with medical experts and patients to discuss prescription weight-loss drugs, including Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy.

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“I decided that because this special was really important to me and I wanted to be able to talk about whatever I want to talk about, and 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,” Winfrey told Kimmel.

Winfrey added that she donated her company shares to the National Museum of African American History and Culture “so nobody can say, ‘Oh, she’s doing that special, she’s making money.’”

This week on Oprah: An icon’s legacy, weight-loss rumors, caresses from Drew B. and a Smithsonian portrait

Oprah Winfrey had a busy week discussing what legacy means to her, addressing weight-loss rumors, unveiling a Smithsonian portrait and lighting the Empire State Building purple.

Dec. 13, 2023

In December, Winfrey disclosed to People that she had been using an unspecified weight-loss drug in tandem with lifestyle changes to maintain a healthy weight.

“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,” she said in the cover story. “I now use it as I feel I need it, as a tool to manage not yo-yoing.”

Up until then, Winfrey said she’d been tied to the idea that maintaining a healthy weight was a matter of sheer willpower.

She told Kimmel on Thursday that following double knee surgery in 2021, she promised God she would get in shape if he helped her walk again. She ate well, gritting her teeth as she slowly worked her way up from a few daily steps to a two-hour mile, she said.

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“I felt like I had to do it my way, and had to prove that I could do it on my own even though I was hearing all along people talking about the medications,” she told the talk show host.

Throughout her decades-long career, Winfrey said, “I’ve been in the storm of losing the weight, gaining it back, losing the weight, gaining it back. And what I realized when I listened to what the doctor said, that you are always going to put it back on, and it’s like holding your breath under water and trying not to rise. You are always going to rise.”

Obesity drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound are capturing the attention of celebrities and showing promising results in helping people shed pounds.

Dec. 28, 2023

In addition to the science behind obesity, the special will address the granular details of prescription weight-loss medications: who they’re intended for, their short-term and long-term side effects and why nobody wants to talk about them.

“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,” Winfrey said in a statement about the prime-time event. “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.”

“For the first time in history, new drugs could prove to be the game changer to stem the tide of people living with obesity, an epidemic which has grown exponentially since the 1970s, costing $173 billion per year in medical costs in the United States alone,” the network said in the statement.

More to Read

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  • Delta Burke looks back on ‘Designing Women’ exit, and using crystal meth to lose weight

    April 22, 2024

  • ‘Miracle’ weight-loss drugs could have reduced health disparities. Instead they got worse

    April 15, 2024

Oprah reveals the real reason she resigned from WeightWatchers (2024)

FAQs

Oprah reveals the real reason she resigned from WeightWatchers? ›

“I decided that because this special was really important to me and I wanted to be able to talk about whatever I want to talk about, and 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 ...

Why did Oprah really leave WeightWatchers? ›

Oprah Winfrey resigned from the WeightWatchers board after almost 10 years to avoid a conflict of interest. During her appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" last week, Winfrey explained why she stepped down ahead of her upcoming special, "An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution."

What is Oprah's weight-loss medication? ›

MORE: Oprah Winfrey confirms she's on a weight-loss medication, says she's tired of 'shaming' Wegovy, a medication that contains the same main ingredient, semaglutide, as Ozempic, is FDA-approved for weight loss.

What did Oprah say about Ozempic? ›

1 concern was her health, Winfrey told People in December 2023. “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," she said.

Does Oprah still have a stake in WeightWatchers? ›

According to WeightWatchers, Winfrey won't stand for reelection at the May 2024 shareholder meeting, and she will donate all her WeightWatchers stock to the National Museum of African American History and Culture during the company's open trading window next month.

How did Oprah lose all that weight? ›

Weight loss medication isn't the only tool in Oprah's kit: She's also an avid exerciser. During her weight loss special, she told viewers that she hikes three to five miles per day and also does "weight resistance training.” Back in 2017, she told The Hollywood Reporter that she hits her home gym soon after waking up.

Why are they closing WeightWatchers? ›

WeightWatchers embracing weight-loss drugs and closing more locations. After decades of emphasizing personal responsibility and behavior change, WeightWatchers is embracing clinical weight loss treatments and is cutting back on the in-person meetings that once defined the company.

What is the WeightWatchers scandal? ›

Oprah Winfrey will leave the board of WeightWatchers after almost 10 years, following the entertainment mogul's revelation that she is using a weight-loss drug. Winfrey informed the company this week that she decided to not stand for reelection at the annual meeting of shareholders to be held in May 2024.

How did Adele lose weight? ›

She divided her workouts

Adele divided her workouts into several routines per day to achieve her weight loss goals. "I got quite addicted to it," she admitted to British Vogue in 2021. “So I do my weights in the morning, then I normally hike or I box in the afternoon, and then I go and do my cardio at night," she said.

How did Kelly Clarkson lose all that weight? ›

I eat a healthy mix. I dropped weight because I've been listening to my doctor — a couple years I didn't. And 90 percent of the time I'm really good at it because a protein diet is good for me anyway. I'm a Texas girl, so I like meat — sorry, vegetarians in the world!”

Did Kelly Clarkson take Ozempic? ›

Since getting the news, the singer has lost a significant amount of weight, and on a new episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show, she revealed that she did so with the help of weight loss medication. She took the opportunity to address Ozempic use rumors. “Everybody thinks it's Ozempic, but it's not.

Did Elon Musk take Ozempic to lose weight? ›

Elon Musk and Amy Schumer have admitted to taking the weight-loss drug while other celebrities, such as Khloé Kardashian and RHOBH star Kyle Richards, have denied it.

Why did they stop making Ozempic? ›

Novo Nordisk advised that demand had accelerated in recent months, particularly for the low-dose (0.25/0.5 mg) version. This additional demand is caused mainly by a rapid increase in prescribing for 'off-label' use (prescriptions to treat conditions other than those approved by the TGA).

Why did Oprah pull out of WeightWatchers? ›

Entertainment mogul and TV talk show host Oprah Winfrey said she decided to exit the board of directors WeightWatchers — after nearly a decade — to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest.

Does Oprah really use WeightWatchers? ›

Oprah Winfrey opens up about exiting Weight Watchers after using weight loss drug. Oprah Winfrey is opening up about quitting the Weight Watchers board.

Are WeightWatchers going out of business in 2024? ›

We are executing on our plan by returning WeightWatchers to profitable growth while transforming our business model for the future.” “We are maintaining our revenue guidance for 2024, including a return to year-over-year growth in subscription revenues,” said Heather Stark, the Company's CFO.

What happened to the founder of WeightWatchers? ›

Jean Evelyn Nidetch (October 12, 1923 – April 29, 2015) was an American businessperson and the founder of Weight Watchers. Brooklyn, New York, U.S. Parkland, Florida, U.S. She died on April 29, 2015, of natural causes at her home in Parkland, Florida, at the age of 91.

How much does WW pay Oprah? ›

In addition to the $43.2 million Winfrey paid for her initial stake, she was awarded stock options by the company over the years. Once the initial payment and exercise costs of the options were stripped out, Winfrey netted $221 million from the stock sales, Verity data shows.

Why has WeightWatchers changed its name? ›

Why did Weight Watchers change its name? The intention, under new chief executive Mindy Grossman, was to modernise the brand amid a cultural shift to body positivity that now emphasises health and wellness as opposed to counting calories.

Is WeightWatchers still successful? ›

Case in point: the abstract of a new WeightWatchers study published in the journal Obesity says that of 2,843 weight loss maintainers in WeightWatchers who were followed for one year, 57% continued to maintain their loss while 43% gained more than five pounds.

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