In March 2024, Winfrey hosted a prime-time show on ABC titled An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame, and the Weight Loss Revolution, in which she talked about all things GLP-1, including her personal success on these drugs.
“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,” she told People magazine.
But she didn’t reveal one setback she’d had on her health journey. In a later interview with People, published in December 2025, Winfrey revealed that just six months after starting GLP-1s, she’d decided to see if she could “beat the medication” by stopping taking them. Her goal was to prove she could maintain the weight loss on her own.
Over the next 12 months, however, she regained about 20 pounds (lb) and had valuable new insight into GLP-1 use. “It’s going to be a lifetime thing,” Winfrey said. “I’m on high blood pressure medication, and if I go off the high blood pressure medication, my blood pressure is going to go up. The same is true, I now realize, with these medications. I’ve proven to myself I need it.”
