Actress Chrissy Metz and former tennis champion Serena Williams lead a growing list of Hollywood stars opening up about using GLP-1 weight loss medications.
Metz, the 45-year-old This Is Us star, admitted in an August 2026 interview with E! News that she was long skeptical of GLP-1 injectables such as Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy because she is diligent about how things work in the body. After listening to a friend's thorough research, Metz partnered with telehealth company Ro, explaining that while she had dieted since childhood, the medication helped quiet food noise, reduced inflammation, improved lab work, and supported her through eight Broadway performances a week in & Juliet.
Williams similarly turned to Ro after struggling to shed weight following the 2017 birth of her eldest daughter, Alexis. The tennis icon told Today in 2025 that despite walking for hours and playing professional sports, she could not reach a healthy weight until starting a GLP-1 medication that helped her lose 31 pounds, rejecting claims that the medication is a shortcut. "As an athlete and as someone that has done everything, I just couldn't get my weight to where I needed to be at a healthy place," Williams said.
YouTube personality Trisha Paytas revealed to People in June 2026 that she lost 26 pounds in six weeks on Zepbound after gaining 80 pounds across back-to-back pregnancies with children Malibu Barbie, Elvis and Aquaman. Paytas explained she previously tried fad diets, grapefruit dinners and extreme workouts without success, and is now planning to run a 26.2-mile marathon in 2027 after 38 years of obsessing over food.
Personal Experiences and Initial Skepticism
Oprah Winfrey discussed her use of weight loss medication on a January 2025 episode of The Oprah Podcast after first revealing her regimen in December 2023. More than three decades after wheeling a wagon of fat onto her talk show stage, Winfrey acknowledged feeling like an anomaly for speaking openly, adding that taking a GLP-1 made her realize thin people were not simply exercising superior willpower. "Oh, they're not even thinking about it," Winfrey noted. "They're only eating when they're hungry and they're stopping when they're full."
Singer Meghan Trainor and her actor husband Daryl Sabara began taking the lowest dose of Mounjaro alongside exercise and balanced meals following the 2021 birth of their eldest son, Riley. Speaking on their Workin' On It podcast in April 2025, the "All About That Bass" singer said the couple started the journey together after completing the 75 Hard challenge and learning friends and doctors were taking GLP-1s.
Queer Eye star Jonathan Van Ness shared on TikTok in October 2025 that they began taking a GLP-1 following a 2023 health scare and colonoscopy. Van Ness, who lost 70 pounds and took up Solidcore Pilates, emphasized a message of body neutrality, stating that physical appearance does not define a person's worth or lovableness.
Comedian Rosie O'Donnell has used the anti-Type 2 diabetes medication Mounjaro since late 2022, showcasing her weight loss on Instagram in May 2025 with hashtags including body dysmorphia. Meanwhile, former Girls Next Door star Kendra Wilkinson threw away an unnamed weight loss shot after trying it once in April 2025, but restarted her GLP-1 journey in March 2026 to focus on energy and lifestyle transparency.
Celebrity Defenses and Industry Debates
Comedian Nikki Glaser fiercely defended Ozempic during a March 2025 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, encouraging people to speak openly about taking it. Glaser argued that criticism stems from thin individuals who feel threatened when dynamic people lose weight.
Comedian Amy Schumer called out celebrities for concealing their medication use during a June 2023 appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. Schumer revealed she tried Ozempic in 2022 but stopped because severe nausea prevented her from playing with her son, Gene. "Be real with people," Schumer said. "When I got lipo, I said I got lipo."
Actress Raven-Symoné told E! News interviewer Francesca Amiker that GLP-1 medications should be saved for those who medically need them rather than used for glamazon purposes. Similarly, Little Mix singer Jade Thirlwall told The Guardian in August 2025 that she fights a daily battle not to take Ozempic due to her history of eating disorders, despite feeling online pressure regarding her weight.
Former The Talk U.K. host Sharon Osbourne revealed in September 2023 that she lost 42 pounds on Ozempic, urging people not to hide their usage as a dirty secret. Her daughter Kelly Osbourne echoed the sentiment in January 2024, calling the drug an amazing alternative to traditional workouts.
Side Effects and Adverse Reactions
Model Lottie Moss, the younger sister of Kate Moss, detailed a severe reaction on her Dream On podcast in September 2024. After taking a dose intended for individuals weighing 220 pounds or more, Moss suffered severe dehydration that triggered a hospitalizing seizure and full-body muscle clenching.
Model Brooks Nader told Us Weekly in December 2024 that she stopped taking Ozempic after joining Dancing With the Stars because nausea reduced her workout motivation and stamina. Bonnie Chapman, daughter of Dog the Bounty Hunter, also abandoned Ozempic due to extreme nausea before successfully losing 58 pounds in 10 months using Tirzepatide and diet changes.
Actor Tracy Morgan told Today With Hoda and Jenna in August 2023 that Ozempic suppressed his appetite, before joking on The Tonight Show in March 2024 that he out-ate the drug and gained 40 pounds. Morgan later clarified to E! News that he was joking and praised the medication's effectiveness.
Musician Lizzo addressed fan speculation on social media before revealing on Trisha Paytas's Just Trish podcast in June 2025 that she tried injectables but stopped, concluding that self-discipline achieves the same outcome. Actress Brooke Burke noted to Fox News Digital that while Ozempic offers great benefits, it also carries potential dangers.
Alternative Medications and Direct Refusals
Actress Tori Spelling shared on her misSPELLING podcast in April 2024 that Ozempic failed to help her lose weight after the birth of her son Beau in 2017, but switching to Mounjaro produced results. Real Housewives of New Jersey star Jennifer Aydin clarified on Watch What Happens Live in July 2024 that she relies on Mounjaro rather than Ozempic for her weight loss and increased energy.
Reality television star Whitney Leavitt of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives shared on YouTube in January 2023 prior to joining Dancing With the Stars that she used semaglutide injections to lose weight. Jon & Kate Plus 8 star Jon Gosselin told Page Six in April 2024 that he lost 32 pounds in two months on semaglutide, regretting that he had not started a decade earlier.
Real Housewives of Dubai star Caroline Stanbury stated on her podcast in May 2024 that Ozempic was a key tool during a midlife health shift at age 45. In contrast, Real Housewives of Atlanta alum Kandi Burruss revealed in June 2024 that the medication failed to curb her appetite or prevent overeating, leaving her feeling depressed.
Several stars have rejected weight loss injectables entirely. Real Housewives of New York City star Jessel Taank told Us Weekly in October 2024 that she hates Ozempic and refuses to use needles. The Pioneer Woman host Ree Drummond stated on her blog in March 2024 that her 50-pound weight loss in 2022 involved no medications, while The Hills star Heidi Montag told Page Six in December 2023 that she lost 22 pounds through hard work rather than shortcuts.
Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet told The New York Times Magazine in March 2024 that she was unfamiliar with Ozempic until learning it was an injectable medication, calling the concept terrible.
