Oprah Winfrey will host an ABC special focusing on the popularity of Ozempic as a weight loss drug, which she has called a “personal topic” for her.
The 69-year-old billionaire TV personality — who has been open in the past about her weight loss struggles and has defended using the medication (which is intended as a treatment for Type 2 diabetes) to lose weight — will host “An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution” in front of a live studio audience, Access Hollywood reported.
“It is a very personal topic for me and for the hundreds of millions of people impacted around the globe who have for years struggled with weight and obesity,” Winfrey said in a statement.
“This special will bring together medical experts, leaders in the space and people in the day-to-day struggle to talk about health equity and obesity with the intention to ultimately release the shame, judgment and stigma surrounding weight,” she added.
According to a press release from ABC, the event will gather together “leading medical experts and everyday people” to discuss the “prevailing questions and concerns surrounding the impact on our health care, economy, lifestyle and culture.”
Oprah Winfrey hosting Ozempic TV special after WeightWatchers controversy: ‘A very personal topic for me’ https://t.co/pkqmeneUIN pic.twitter.com/FthG04rujk
— New York Post (@nypost) March 7, 2024
Disney Television Group president Craig Erwich said in a statement, “We are thrilled to work with Oprah and the voices she has assembled to open a dialogue that destigmatizes and educates viewers on the important and polarizing topic of weight loss.”
“I can think of no one better to lead this meaningful conversation about such a critical issue that touches all of our lives,” his statement added.
Winfrey recently opened up about her decades-long weight loss struggle and said she’s done with “shaming” and blaming herself, People magazine reported.
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“It was public sport to make fun of me for 25 years,” the media mogul said of the media’s reporting on her fluctuating weight over the years. “I have been blamed and shamed, and I blamed and shamed myself.”
“I now use it [Ozempic] as I feel I need it, as a tool to manage not yo-yoing,” she added. “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,” Winfrey continued.
The primetime special will air Monday, March 18 at 8 PM on ABC and premiere on Hulu the following day, the outlet noted.