As more and more of our favorite stars step out with newly slimmed-down physiques, one of the first questions many can’t help but ask is, “Did they, or didn’t they?” use GLP-1 medications that help lower blood sugar levels and reduce hunger to help them shed the pounds. But what was once a secret is now a mainstream trend, as more actors, musicians and athletes rely on the drugs to help them lose unwanted weight.
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From Ozempic to Wegovy to Mounjaro and more, we’re looking at some of the amazing weight loss transformations Black celebrities have had with the help of GLP-1s.
Serena Williams
Although she’s maintained an active lifestyle during her nearly 30-year professional sports career, tennis superstar Serena Williams said diet and exercise alone weren’t enough to maintain a healthy weight. Knowing that diabetes runs in her family, she decided to try GLP-1s because she was worried about her health.
Serena Williams
In a 2025 interview with TODAY, Williams said GLP-1s have helped her keep her cholesterol and blood sugar in check and lose over 30 pounds. She’s now a paid spokesperson for Ro and hopes that by being transparent with her weight loss journey, she can help remove the stigma around the drug.
Oprah Winfrey
Talk show queen Oprah Winfrey’s weight loss journey has played out in the public eye for decades.
“It was public sport to make fun of me for 25 years,” Winfrey told PEOPLE. “I have been blamed and shamed, and I blamed and shamed myself.”
Oprah Winfrey
Over the past few years, she’s been showing off an amazing weight loss transformation, something she credited to diet, exercise and Ozempic in 2023.
“I realized I’d been blaming myself all these years for being overweight, and I have a predisposition that no amount of willpower is going to control,” she said.
Lizzo
Singer Lizzo has always made body positivity a part of her message– something that has helped her garner a massive fan base over the years.
Lizzo
The “Good as Hell” singer, who has been showing off her weight loss transformation on her social media accounts, has admitted to trying Ozempic and other GLP-1s to help. She confessed the drugs were effective at curbing her appetite.
“I’ve tried everything,” she said on the Just Trish podcast. “It’s just the science, for me, calories in vs. calories out. Ozempic works because you eat less food.”
But she won’t give all of the credit to the drugs, adding that her diet and commitment to exercise played a major part.
“So for me, when I actually started eating whole foods and eating like beef and chicken and fish, I was actually full and not expanding my stomach by putting a lot of like fake things in there that wasn’t actually filling me up,” she said.
Charles Barkley
Former NBA superstar Charles Barkley has admitted to struggling with weight issues since his retirement in 2000. In an interview with David Letterman, the “Inside the NBA” cohost recalled how he gained nearly 100 pounds since he left the game for good— a weight gain he attributed entirely to his snacking habits.
“The only way to gain that much weight is eating,” he said.
Charles Barkley
Knowing that he couldn’t maintain the same exercise regimen he did since his NBA glory days, Barkley says he used GLP-1s to help. After seeing the pounds shed quickly, he says he has no regrets.
“I lost 30, 40 pounds really quickly and started to feel a lot like myself,” he said in a promo video for Ro.
Whoopi Goldberg
During a 2024 interview on “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” Whoopi Goldberg said she decided to use Mounjaro in 2022 to help her lose weight when she didn’t like the way she looked while filming “Till,” when she weighed close to 300 pounds.
“A woman thought I was wearing a fat suit,” she said.
Whoopi Goldberg
During her conversation with Clarkson, Goldberg said people shouldn’t have to defend their decision to use weight loss drugs, especially if their health depends on it.
“We have to let people do what they need to do to get to where they want to get to,” Goldberg said.
Tracy Morgan
The “Saturday Night Live” alum and comedian has been open about using Ozempic to lose weight.
Tracy Morgan
He credits the drug with making him feel more full, something that keeps him from overdoing it on snacks.
“It cuts my appetite in half,” he said during an appearance on “TODAY with Hoda and Jenna.” He added: “Now I only eat half a bag of Doritos.”
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