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Has Oprah ever reversed or apologized for promoting a weight-loss program?
Executive summary
Oprah Winfrey publicly acknowledged and apologized for her role in promoting “diet culture,” saying she was “a major contributor” through weight-loss shows and moments like the 1988 “wagon of fat,” remarks widely reported after a May 2024 WeightWatchers/WW livestream [1] [2]. Coverage differs on whether her statements were an explicit “I’m sorry” and on how sincere or sufficient the apology was given her long history of promoting weight-loss content [3] [4].
1. What she said: a public owning of responsibility
In May 2024, during a WeightWatchers livestream event titled “Making The Shift,” Oprah said she had been “a major contributor” to diet culture across her platforms for 25 years and singled out the infamous wagon moment as “one of my biggest regrets,” language many outlets reported as an apology [1] [2]. NBC, ABC and Glamour ran stories emphasizing that she “apologized for contributing to toxic diet culture” and that she wanted to “do better” going forward [5] [6] [4].
2. Disagreement over wording and sufficiency
Some commentators note Oprah never used the phrase “I’m sorry” in exactly those words and argue mainstream headlines framed the remarks as a full apology even if the wording was more complex, noting that phrasing and venue matter to critics assessing sincerity [3]. Allure argued that headlines overstated her language and that longtime critics remain unconvinced by a livestream admission [3].
3. Context: venue and potential conflicts of interest
Critics pointed out Oprah made these remarks during a WeightWatchers-sponsored event, after stepping down from the company’s board earlier in the year and donating shares to avoid perceived conflicts — a fact that complicates how people read both her apology and her continuing ties to commercial weight-loss messaging [4]. Glamour and Delish highlighted that WW itself has shifted language toward “weight health” and now integrates medical approaches, which frames the apology inside a corporate transition [4] [7].
4. Why the wagon moment matters historically
Oprah’s reference to rolling a wagon of fat onstage in 1988 has become shorthand for a public moment that symbolized punitive, theatrical approaches to weight loss; she described that episode as a mistake that “sent a message that starving yourself … set a standard” viewers couldn’t uphold [1] [8]. Reporting underscores that she has long used her platform for weight-loss makeovers and shows, which compounded critics’ sense of responsibility [1].
5. How the media framed the reversal
Major outlets (NBC, ABC, Today, People) framed her remarks as an apology and emphasized her acceptance of responsibility, while culture critics treated the moment as more ambiguous — a rhetorical backpedal that requires scrutiny because of her history and platform reach [5] [6] [3]. BuzzFeed, NBC and Pajiba all covered her acknowledgment of culpability and the specific examples she cited [9] [1] [8].
6. Critics’ view: apology vs. pattern
Critics cited by Allure and commentators in other pieces argue that a single town-hall acknowledgment does not erase decades of programming that normalized dieting and shame; they say the apology is necessary but insufficient without sustained change in messaging and influence [3]. That critique is echoed by reporting that highlights her long record of weight-loss programming and makeovers [3] [1].
7. Supporters’ view: accountability and evolution
Supportive coverage treats her remarks as a meaningful moment of accountability and frames her decision to step down from WW’s board and donate shares as efforts to avoid conflicts while continuing a public conversation about weight and health [4] [7]. Several pieces emphasize her stated desire to “keep this conversation going” and use new science and reframed messaging to “enhance our lives” [8].
8. Limits of available reporting
Available sources document her May 2024 remarks, the wagon moment, her role with WeightWatchers, and reactions in culture coverage, but they do not provide an exhaustive chronology of every past instance where Oprah promoted a specific weight-loss program or every formal apology she may have given across decades; available sources do not mention a single earlier explicit written apology beyond the livestream acknowledgments [10] [1].
9. Bottom line for readers
Oprah has publicly acknowledged and apologized in a May 2024 forum for contributing to diet culture and called specific past segments “biggest regrets,” but debate remains about whether those remarks constitute a full reversal or are adequate given her long influence; commentators are split, and coverage highlights both the admission and the reasons some view it as partial [1] [3] [4].