Did Oprah Winfrey take Ozempic or semaglutide for weight loss and when?
Executive summary
Oprah Winfrey publicly confirmed in December 2023 that she had added a prescription weight‑loss medication to her regimen but did not name a specific brand then, and subsequent interviews and programs identify the drug class as a GLP‑1 agonist rather than confirming Ozempic or semaglutide by brand name [1] [2] [3]. Over the following year she explored the topic publicly — hosting a TV special in March 2024 and discussing GLP‑1s on her podcast in January 2025 — and described ongoing use and effects without stating she was taking Ozempic specifically [4] [5] [3].
1. What Oprah actually said and when: the timeline of disclosures
The first public, on‑the‑record confirmation that Oprah was using a prescription medication to manage weight appeared in a People magazine interview published December 14, 2023, where she acknowledged adding a “weight‑loss medication” to her routine but declined to state the brand [1]; major outlets summarized that revelation in late 2023 coverage [2]. She then produced a televised special about anti‑obesity medicines that aired March 18, 2024, during which she returned to the subject and framed the drugs as part of broader conversations about health and stigma [4]. In a January 14, 2025 episode of The Oprah Podcast she explicitly identified the class she used as a GLP‑1 receptor agonist and interviewed experts about how those medications work, again stopping short of naming a specific product such as Ozempic [5] [3].
2. Did she take Ozempic or semaglutide by name? The evidence, and where it’s absent
None of the cited, reputable interviews or programs contain a direct statement from Oprah naming Ozempic or semaglutide as the brand she uses; instead she has identified the drug class — GLP‑1 agonists — which includes several products, among them Ozempic and Wegovy (semaglutide) as well as Mounjaro and others [3] [6]. Reporting and commentary have widely speculated that Oprah’s medication could be semaglutide (the active ingredient in Ozempic/Wegovy), but speculation is not the same as confirmation, and the primary interviews that document her disclosure do not supply a brand name [3] [1]. Therefore the factual answer is that she took a GLP‑1 agonist and publicly confirmed beginning that regimen in late 2023; there is no on‑record declaration that she specifically took Ozempic or a semaglutide product in the provided reporting [1] [3].
3. What she reported the drug did for her — and how she framed its role
Oprah has described the medication as a maintenance tool that helped quiet what she called “food noise,” enabling lifestyle changes, increased activity, and improved well‑being; she has said the choice felt like relief and a gift as opposed to something to hide [1] [6]. She discussed these effects as part of a broader public conversation about weight, shame and medical options, hosting expert panels and a TV special that stressed medication is one element among diet, exercise and mental health in weight management [4] [7]. E! and other outlets also reported personal effects such as reduced alcohol consumption tied to GLP‑1 use in her public accounts, though those pieces reflect interpretation of her comments and secondary reporting [8] [9].
4. How reporting, speculation and industry context have shaped the narrative
Media coverage has frequently bridged the gap between what Oprah said (a GLP‑1) and the brand most associated in public discourse (Ozempic), prompting widespread speculation; some outlets and opinion pieces critique the special for being too promotional or for giving industry representatives space, which complicates assessing motive and emphasis in coverage [7]. Other sources tout definitive claims that she used semaglutide; however, those claims rely on inference or third‑party commentary rather than an explicit on‑record brand confirmation from Oprah in the sources provided [10] [11]. Given the commercial stakes for manufacturers and the intense public interest in GLP‑1s, transparency about brand versus class matters but is not established in the core interviews cited [3] [1] [5].
5. Bottom line
Oprah publicly confirmed taking a prescription weight‑loss medication in December 2023 and later identified the medication class as GLP‑1 in interviews and a January 2025 podcast, but she has not publicly confirmed any specific brand such as Ozempic or a semaglutide product in the reporting provided; therefore, it is accurate to say she took a GLP‑1 starting in 2023, and it is not supported by these sources to assert she specifically took Ozempic or semaglutide by name [1] [3] [5].