Originally intended to treat people with type 2 diabetes, semaglutides like Ozempic and Wegovy have become a cultural phenomenon as people in Hollywood and beyond have found them to be an effective weight loss tool. Celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Tracy Morgan have admitted to using the drugs to help them drop a few pounds. While others, like Raven-Symoné and Anthony Anderson, have been outspoken about the need to make sure the drugs are available to diabetic patients who need them most.
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From Al Roker to 50 Cent, here’s a roundup of what Black celebs are saying about using prescription drugs for weight loss.
Al Roker
The TODAY Show weather man Al Roker believes the decision to take medications like Ozempic is a personal choice. Roker, who underwent gastric bypass surgery in 2002, says people shouldn’t be shamed either way.
“Everybody’s struggling with it and we’re still trying to figure it out,” he said. “But no shame, no game. Just stay within your lane and don’t give anybody a hard time.”
Tracy Morgan
In August of 2023, actor and comedian Tracy Morgan opened up about using Ozempic to support his weight loss journey.
“I went and got a prescription and I got Ozempic. And I ain’t letting it go,” he said on TODAY With Hoda and Jenna at the time. “It cuts my appetite in half. Now I only eat half a bag of Doritos.”
Whoopi Goldberg
The View moderator Whoopi Goldberg said Mounjaro helped her get her weight under control after she found herself weighing nearly 300 pounds while filming Till in 2022.
“I had taken all those steroids, I was on all this stuff,” Goldberg said on The View. “And one of the things that’s helped me drop the weight was the Mounjaro. That’s what I used.”
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey’s weight has been a topic of conversation for decades. The Queen of Talk, who has recently been showing off a new, slim figure, admitted to relying on the help of a prescription drug in December 2023.
“I come to this conversation with the hope that we can start releasing the stigma and the shame and the judgment, to stop shaming other people for being overweight or how they choose to lose, or not lose, weight and, most importantly, to stop shaming ourselves,” she said in her recent special, “Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution.”
Anthony Anderson
As semiglutides gained popularity in Hollywood as a weight loss tool, it created a shortage and left some diabetes patients without the medication they depend on. Black-ish star Anthony Anderson, who has type 2 diabetes, was outspoken about the growing popularity of the drugs for weight loss, hoping the trend would stop.
“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,” he told PEOPLE in 2023.
50 Cent
When 50 Cent dropped nearly 45 pounds, people speculated he got a little help from a semaglutide – that is, until he set the record straight on Instagram.
“Everybody talking about weight loss,” the “In da Club” rapper said in a January 2024 video. “I was in the gym. I was working the f–k out, man. Who says Ozempic?”
Raven-Simoné
Actress Raven-Symoné told E! News in 2023 that she was not feeling the trend of celebs taking Ozempic for weight loss. The “That’s So Raven” star, who said diabetes runs in her family, believes the drug should be for people whose overall health depends on it.
“I am more susceptible to getting diabetes. So, 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,” she said. “Do what you gotta do, just make sure you save the medication for the people who actually need it.”
Katt Williams
Always outspoken, comedian Katt Williams did not keep his feelings about people who rely on weight loss drugs to himself. Williams, who called Ozempic “f*’d up,” has made celebrities who admit to taking the drug the butt of his jokes.
“They say Oprah took so much, that Gayle [King] lost 10 pounds,” he said.
Garcelle Beauvais
When someone suggested actress Garcelle Beauvais used semaglutides to help slim down, she was quick to correct them and shut the rumors all the way down. “Don’t even start with that Ozempic thing I’m not playing with that!!!” she tweeted in June 2023.
Keke Palmer
When it comes to weight loss, actress Keke Palmer said prefers to do things the old fashioned way.
“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,” she said about Ozempic during a round of “Slay or Nay” with PEOPLE in April 2023.
Sheryl Underwood
While some stars chose to keep it a secret, The Talk co-host Sheryl Underwood did not try to hide the fact that she used Wegovy as a tool to help her along her 100-pound weight loss journey. In fact, she felt it was her responsibility to keep it real.
“I think I did my job because a lot of people were not being truthful about it,” she told The Messenger in 2023. “I just kept seeing all these people that — one week you look this way, and the next week you look this way—so I felt I had to.”
Charles Barkley
Former NBA player Charles Barkley used Mounjaro along with diet and exercise to lose more than 60 pounds in six months at the recommendation of his doctor. And while he wasn’t totally clear on what the drug does, he loved the results. “I have zero idea what it does, but I’m losing weight,” he said on The Pat McAfee Show. “It’s been great, I’m starting to feel like a human being not a fat-ass anymore.”
Sunny Hostin
The View co-host Sunny Hostin said Mounjaro helped her get her weight and her cholesterol under control after she put on some unexpected pandemic pounds.
“During COVID, I gained 40 pounds,” she said on the show. “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.”
Fat Joe
Fat Joe hasn’t come out publicly saying anything about semaglutides. But he did take time to poke a little fun at them last Halloween. The rapper dressed as an Ozempic pen for Halloween in 2023. “Sugar free Baby 😂” he captioned his post on Instagram.
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