Stars Who've Spoken About Ozempic — and What They've Said

"The Hollywood trend is concerning," Dr. Caroline Apovian, co-director of the Center for Weight Management and Wellness at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, tells PEOPLE. "We're not talking about stars who need to lose 10 lbs. We're talking about people who are dying of obesity, are going to die of obesity."

Read on for what stars have said about the meds.

Oprah Winfrey

"After knee surgery, I started hiking and setting new distance goals each week. I could eventually hike three to five miles every day and a 10-mile straight-up hike on weekends. I felt stronger, more fit and more alive than I'd felt in years.

"I eat my last meal at 4 o'clock, drink a gallon of water a day, and use the WeightWatchers principles of counting points. I had an awareness of [weight-loss] medications, but felt I had to prove I had the willpower to do it. I now no longer feel that way.

"I now use [an unnamed weight loss drug] as I feel I need it, as a tool to manage not yo-yoing. 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. I'm absolutely done with the shaming from other people and particularly myself."

— to PEOPLE in December 2023

"In my entire life, I never dreamed that we would be talking about medicines that are providing hope for people like me who have struggled for years with being overweight or with obesity."

— during her open-dialogue conversation An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution on ABC in March 2024

Tracy Morgan

"I went and got a prescription, and I got Ozempic. And I ain't letting it go ... It cuts my appetite in half. Now I only eat half a bag of Doritos."

— on Today with Hoda & Jenna in August 2023

"I've learned to out-eat Ozempic. I out-ate Ozempic. I've gained 40 pounds."

— on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in March 2024

Terry Dubrow

Trae Patton/E! Entertainment via Getty

"I've tried it. I thought it was amazing. I didn't have that much weight to lose. But I wanted to try it because so many of my patients were on it and I wanted to see what it was like when you're not diabetic and you only have 10-15 pounds to lose."

— speaking to Page Six after trying Ozempic in January 2024

"How am I doing off Ozempic? I'm overweight and chubby. There's more to love, but I'll tell you something: I'm off it, but I plan on going back on it when it's appropriate. Like we have a vacation and after that I'll come back. It's like the new Botox, Ozempic. I love it. It's so good."

— speaking to E! News in March 2024 about how he feels after stopping the medication

Al Roker

Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty

"Everybody's struggling with it and we're still trying to figure it out. But no shame, no game. Just stay within your lane and don't give anybody a hard time."

— addressing judgement surrounding weight loss drugs in regards to Winfrey's televised discussion in March 2024

Whoopi Goldberg

Dia Dipasupil/Getty

"I will tell you, I weighed almost 300 lbs. when I made [2022 film] Till. I had taken all those steroids, I was on all this stuff, and one of the things that's helped me dropped the weight was the Mounjaro. That's what I used."

— on an episode of The View following Winfrey's ABC special

Sunny Hostin

Bonnie Biess/Getty

"During COVID, I gained 40. lbs. All I did was eat ... I love to cook, and I found out, I love to eat. And I was horrified about the fact that I would have to come out on air. So I also took Mounjaro.

"I found that my cholesterol went up to 200 when I gained the extra weight. And I use Mounjaro and my cholesterol is 140 now. I feel better, I think I look better, and that's what this is about for people."

— on an episode of The View following Winfrey's ABC special

Stephen Fry

Sebastian Reuter/Getty

"I tried Ozempic years ago; I'm an early adopter of these things. I happened to be in America, and I'd read about it, and I asked my doctor in America, my physician as they like to call them, and he said, 'I think I can get you some.' He tried me on it, and the first week or so, I was thinking, 'This is astonishing. Not only do I not want to eat, I don't want any alcohol of any kind. This is going to be brilliant.' 

"Then I started feeling sick, and I started getting sicker and sicker and sicker. I was literally throwing up four, five times a day and I thought, 'I can't do this.' So that's it."

— speaking to host Ruthie Rogers on her River Café Table 4 podcast in March 2024

Kate Winslet

"Oh, my God. This sounds terrible. Let's eat some more things!" 

-to the New York Times, after they explained the drug to her, in March 2024

Rob Lowe

Emma McIntyre/Getty Images

"I see people who are taking all the new weight loss drugs and that's great, and it's really changed their lives. But my concern always is, okay, now what? What's the plan for the longevity of everything? I never ever talk about diets, I talk about lifestyle."

-to PEOPLE in February 2024

Kelly Osbourne

Rachpoot/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

"I think it's amazing. There are a million ways to lose weight, why not do it through something that's isn't as boring as working out? The people who hate on it the most are the people who are secretly doing it or pissed off that they can't afford it. Unfortunately, right now it's something that is very expensive but it eventually won't be because it actually works."

-to E! Online in February 2024

Sharon Osbourne

Katja Ogrin/Getty 

"You can't stay on it forever. I lost 42 pounds now and it's just enough." 

— on an episode of Piers Morgan Uncensored  where she opened up about her previous use of the drug, and added "I didn't want to go this thin. It just happened."

Heather Gay

Monica Schipper/Getty

"I've been on it for a long time, but hadn't really seen much results. And I haven't had massive results, but enough for people to notice, which is great."

— to PEOPLE at Variety's Women of Reality TV event in November 2023.

Amy Schumer

Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images

"Like a year ago, I tried it. I was one of those people that felt so sick and couldn't play with my son. I was so skinny and he's throwing a ball at me and [I couldn't]."

— during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

Stassi Schroeder

Instagram/stassischroeder

"Oh, my God, I really want to try it when I give birth. The amount of times I've researched this being like, 'I mean, I think it's safe and healthy. Like, I think it's good for you. It's like taking vitamins.' "

— discussing Ozempic on an episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast. Host Alex Cooper followed up the statement by jokingly giving a disclaimer that "nothing that was said on this podcast medically" should be understood as advice

Lauren Manzo

Matthew Eisman/Getty

"I do think that people shouldn't abuse [Ozempic] ... I think it's being abused because I see people, Housewives, that are posting and you literally see their ribs, and it's sad because you were already skinny. And that puts a bad thing for somebody like me who has suffered from high blood pressure and anxiety from being super heavy and depression.

"People that are already 130 lbs. and just want to lose 10 more and they want to stay on it. That, I don't respect. I understand people with diabetes need that, and I respect that. I do think this will be really helpful for people like me, who've struggled their whole lives and had not only physical but mental issues as well from their weight."

— when talking about her experience on Mounjaro — an FDA-approved prescription medication for people with type 2 diabetes similar to Ozempic

Emily Simpson

Todd Williamson/Bravo/Getty

"So I did. I did that in December for one month," Simpson explained and added that her bad habits "went away... It made me more conscientious of what I was eating and so that was a really great kick start for me." 

— during an appearance on SiriusXM's Jeff Lewis Live where she spoke candidly about her decision to try Ozempic at her doctor's suggestion

Golnesa 'GG' Gharachedaghi

Golnesa "GG" Gharachedaghi/Instagram

"When I started Semaglutide shots, I was 138 lbs. Now, I'm about 110 lbs. As you can see, I've lost a little more weight than I was anticipating to lose. I decided I'm only gonna weigh myself on the days of my injections just to document it. And on April 30, I got on the scale and I saw 111 lbs. That's when I knew, it's time to cut back. That's when I started cutting down on units and going backwards and backwards until finally now, I'm just on maintenance.

"Will I come off of it? Maybe. Will I gain it all back? Maybe. But for now, I'm enjoying the way I look. I'm enjoying what it's doing for me. I encourage it to anybody who's having a hard time losing weight and wants the 'easy route.' Summer's around the corner. I'm not trying to stress that being skinny is what you should do, but truth is, some of y'all want to do it. So I'm talking to you guys… not the haters. To the haters, kiss my ribs b—."

— in a lengthy Instagram video answering questions about her weight loss journey

Anthony Anderson

"I will say this, it's creating a shortage for those of us who need the medicine that we need and not for weight loss issues, but for our health."

— when talking to PEOPLE about how the drug's newfound popularity impacts those like him who are living with type 2 diabetes

Jenny McCarthy

Cindy Ord/Getty

​​"You know what, I think whatever suits someone's needs. If you fall into the category where you think it's right for you, I am not gonna shame you. I'll support anything people want to do. For me in particular, I knew that it was not permanent, I knew that a lot of people that go off of it, they regain their weight." 

— wile discussing why she's "not an Ozempic person" in an interview with US Weekly

Mark Wahlberg

"Everybody has their own path. I don't knock anybody for making their own choices. But I prefer, and I've seen lots of people accomplish amazing things, ordinary people doing extraordinary things on a fitness base, and they're now encouraging other people that look like them. That's what I'm into."

— while discussing how he feels about those deciding to use semaglutide for weight loss in an interview with Page Six

Raven-Symoné

Monica Schipper/Getty

"I think it's very important we understand certain medications are made for certain people and to not take that away just for glamazon purposes.

"Do what you gotta do. Just make sure you save some medication for the people that actually need it," she added

— in an interview with E! News

Keke Palmer

"Sounds like it's a slay honey, 'cause girls have been out here killin' it with it, but for me, I would say 'Nay' because I always feel like when something sounds too good to be true — it usually is.

"It might do something and then next thing you know, I've got something growing, you know, under my armpits, like I don't know where... where you pushing this fat at, where you taking, where you pulling from — I don't want any side effects, so — but the girls are killin' it."

— during a round of "Slay or Nay" for PEOPLE's Beautiful Issue

Padma Lakshmi

"You gotta be careful what you do with your body. On Top Chef I eat a lot, and I understand the tendency [to want to follow a weight loss trend]. But also the pressure for women in media is much different than men in media. So we have to maybe look deeper to the reasons why, as a society, not just put it on the shoulders of the women who just want the same opportunity that men get.

"We just want an equal shake. We have to look good, we have to sound good, we have to be strong but not too strong, we have to be vulnerable but not too weak. And it can feel like a really dichotomous, tall order.

"So, I think we have to be kinder to each other and to ourselves."

— to reporters at the 2023 Time100 gala

Ariana Huffington

"Well, if people are diabetic it can really help them. But I think people forget that you also need to eat better. You know, if you are on Ozempic and eat junk, processed foods, too much sugar, you are not going to really change your eating habits. And we know that what leads to disease are ultra processed foods and sugar."

"So, learning to also change your food habits is key."

— to PEOPLE at the 2023 Time100 gala

Sophie Turner

"WTF"

- on her Instagram Story, in response to photos of semaglutide advertisements posted inside a New York City subway station, per The Independent

Dolores Catania

"I wasn't going to come to [the] reunion looking bigger than anyone else."

— to Andy Cohen on WWHL, confirming she uses a weight loss drug

Julia Fox

"All these people are coming for me saying that I take the weight-loss things … people are saying that I'm taking Ozempic. I'm not, and I never have. I would never do that. There are diabetics that need it."

— to Entertainment Tonight in March 2023

Meghan McCain

"I was even offered a black market freebie by someone with 'extra shots at home.' ... Let me make one thing very clear. I'm not taking it. I refuse. There's a clear moral issue here. It's hard to take a drug because swimsuit season is around the corner, while others need it to stay alive. And how can this be healthy? There ain't nothing worth having that's easy to get."

— in an op-ed for the Daily Mail about being offered weight loss drugs while postpartum

Jillian Michaels

"[I've] taken at least eight family friends' parents off of this drug. The truth of the matter is, Ozempic has some pretty significant side effects. Do your homework on it. The results are not lasting, in very large part,"

— to PEOPLE

Katie Maloney

"I say everyone do what you want to do. Understand the risks, and if it's right for you, it's right for you. I think the expectations [for women to be thin] are always going be there whether or not there's like this miracle drug or not. The pressures are always going to be there. So thanks, Hollywood, thanks media, thanks society for keeping it going. But I just think, you know, if it makes you happy, follow your bliss."

— to PEOPLE at the premiere of Vanderpump Rules season 10

Lala Kent

"Stop taking it for weight loss. Enough already. I think that Hollywood is all sorts of f—ed up. We've got to do better. I think there's a lot of things that need to change and it starts with us and there are times where I roll my eyes and say, 'F—ing do better, all of us. We all need to participate in becoming better examples for our children in the outside world."

— to PEOPLE at the premiere of Vanderpump Rules season 10

Kyle Richards

"I cannot stand people saying [I'm taking Ozempic] because people that know me know that I'm up every day at like 5:30 a.m. 6 a.m. at the latest… I'm in the gym for two hours. I really put a lot of effort into my diet and exercise and taking care of myself, so when people like to think I took the easy way out, it's frustrating."

— to Extra at the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women Red Dress Collection concert in New York City, after she recently clapped back at commenters who suspected she's using the drug after posing a bikini selfie

Chelsea Handler

"My anti-aging doctor just hands it out to anybody. I didn't even know I was on it. She said, 'If you ever want to drop five lbs., this is good.'

"I came back from a vacation and I injected myself with it. I went to lunch with a girlfriend a few days later, and she was like, 'I'm not really eating anything. I'm so nauseous, I'm on Ozempic.' And I was like, 'I'm kind of nauseous too.' But I had just come back from Spain and was jet-lagged.

"I'm not on it anymore. That's too irresponsible. I'm an irresponsible drug user, but I'm not gonna take a diabetic drug. I tried it, and I'm not gonna do that. That's not for me. That's not right for me.

"I've injected about four or five of my friends with Ozempic because I realized I didn't wanna use it cause it's silly. It's for heavy people. Everyone is on Ozempic. It's gonna backfire, something bad is gonna happen."

— on Alex Cooper's Call Her Daddy podcast

Remi Bader

"[My doctors] said I need this. And I had a lot of mixed feelings. A few months later I went off it and got into the bad binging.

"I saw a doctor and they were like, it's 100 percent because I went on Ozempic. It was making me think I wasn't hungry for so long, I lost some weight. I didn't wanna be obsessed with being on it long term. I was like, I bet the second I got off I'm gonna get starving again. I did, and my binging got so much worse. So then I kind of blamed Ozempic. [I] gained double the weight back."

— on Amanda Hirsch's Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast

Jackie Goldschneider

"An eating disorder in a needle. [It's] sad and sickening. [I] can't imagine what will happen if people need to suddenly stop."

— on Instagram

"I'm horrified by it. I'm not so much horrified by people wanting to lose weight — that has always been a universal thing — but I'm very very scared of what will happen if and when people have to go off this drug.

"It's just going to be a massive number of people who gain a huge amount of weight and suddenly don't know what to do with themselves. I'm just afraid of that day. There's going to be a lot of people with eating disorders. You start dropping massive amounts of weight. That's so addicting. That's how I spiraled into anorexia. You get addicted to this new body and to the attention that comes with it.

"A lot of people in the Housewives world are on Ozempic. A lot of my friends are in the Housewives world, so it was tough for me to come back and suddenly no one's eating when we go out to dinner."

— on the Page Six Virtual Reali-Tea podcast

Andy Cohen

"Everyone is suddenly showing up 25 pounds lighter. What happens when they stop taking #Ozempic ?????"

— on Twitter

Elon Musk

"Fasting ... And Wegovy."

— replying to a Twitter user asking for his "secret" to looking "healthy"

Jameela Jamil

"I have said what I have said about the potential harm of people using the diabetes medication for weight loss only. I fear for everyone in the next few years. Rich people are buying this stuff off prescription for upwards of 1000 dollars. Actual diabetics are seeing shortages. It's a now mainstream craze in Hollywood. HOPE this doesn't end the same way we were told opioids were safe. There is little to no discussion of the side effects in any advertising online. I'm deeply concerned but I can't change any of your minds because fat phobia has our generation in a chokehold.

"I'm screaming into a void. I'm seeing people really struggle because of this stuff. It has become the exact uncontrollable wave I thought it would become and I hope that I'm worried for no reason, and that my doctors who have been advising me on this stuff are wrong, and that in 2 years nobody is saying 'F--- she was right and she tried to warn us for 6 months.'

"Wishing you all well and hope you have doctors that care about more than your size."

— on Instagram

Khloé Kardashian

 Frank Micelotta/Shutterstock

"Let's not discredit my years of working out. I get up 5 days a week at 6am to train. Please stop with your assumptions. I guess new year still means mean people."

— responding to an Instagram user who suggested she was on Ozempic