Imagine that an executive of a major corporation sits down for dinner at a restaurant. Unbeknownst to him, it&#8217;s a sting operation. Everything he says is being recorded. Very quickly, in order to impress someone he thinks is interested in him, the executive confesses that his company is lying to the American public. In secret, the executive says, they&#8217;re thinking about conducting extremely dangerous medical experiments within the borders of the United States — and these experiments are similar to the ones in Wuhan that led to the COVID pandemic. Then the executive admits that government regulators aren&#8217;t scrutinizing these experiments as much as they should, for the simple reason that they don&#8217;t want to jeopardize their potential future job opportunities at the corporation. And then imagine that, once the executive realizes he&#8217;s on camera and that he&#8217;s just confessed to a fraud on the American public, he begins screaming and crawling on the floor of the restaurant. In his hysteria, he pushes people away, tries to hide his face, and ultimately runs away. He demonstrates a clear consciousness of guilt, in other words.
What do you think the end result of this kind of episode might be? In a rational world, you might expect, at a minimum, that this executive would be fired, and that his company would immediately be investigated — both by the government, and by every media organization in the country. After all, it&#8217;s not every day that a corporate executive admits that his company is working on research that could cause another pandemic. He also just divulged trade secrets on camera, which you&#8217;d think would upset his bosses.
But in reality, none of those things happened. 
The situation I just described took place in early 2023, when Project Veritas secretly filmed a senior official in Pfizer&#8217;s research and development division. You might remember that whole episode. Pfizer came out and denied, essentially, that the executive had meant what he said. As far as we know, the company took no action against him. In the end, Pfizer, needless to say, did not suffer any significant consequences. They remain one of the largest and most profitable corporations on the planet. But incredibly, the people who exposed the Pfizer executive didn&#8217;t fare so well. It was like Pfizer pulled a Reverse Uno card. 
For one thing, Project Veritas did not survive. It collapsed soon afterwards. So did the one show on cable news that covered Project Veritas&#8217; reporting, Fox News&#8217; &#8220;Tucker Carlson Tonight.&#8221; They were taken off the air shortly after covering the Pfizer sting operation, for reasons that remain officially undisclosed. To restate: Less than five months after a Pfizer executive was exposed and humiliated on camera, everyone who talked about the scandal was deplatformed. Meanwhile the executive went back to work.
If you wanted to illustrate the extraordinary power that the pharmaceutical industry has in this country, you&#8217;d be hard pressed to find a better example. One way or another, people who criticize them tend to lose their platforms. That&#8217;s a level of protection that very few other corporations have, regardless of their financial situation. Tesla, for example, is about ten times the size of Pfizer by market cap. And as we all know, they&#8217;re subjected to constant media attacks. So what is it about the pharmaceutical industry, specifically, that makes them so hard to criticize?
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/mws-ep-1563-member-exclusive">WATCH: The Matt Walsh Show</a></h3>
The leading theory, which we&#8217;ve talked about before, is that companies like Pfizer essentially buy off the media. You can&#8217;t watch Fox or CNN or MSNBC without seeing an ad from the pharmaceutical industry. In total, the pharmaceutical industry <a href="https://substack.com/home/post/p-159740117?utm_campaign=post&amp;utm_medium=web" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spends</a> something like $5 billion on advertising every year — which in some years, is <a href="https://marylandmatters.org/2024/01/19/report-finds-some-drug-manufacturers-spend-more-on-advertising-executives-salaries-than-new-research/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more</a> than they spend on research and development. And a lot of this spending is concentrated on news stations. As the journalist Kyle Becker reported on his Substack, &#8220;Nearly 31% of ad minutes on major nightly news broadcasts in 2024 came from pharmaceutical brands.&#8221; If you watch any amount of cable news, you know that figure is probably accurate. Turn the television on, and you&#8217;ll probably see one of these ads within five minutes. These are among the most lucrative ad purchases — pushing drugs like Ozempic, Skyrizi, &#8220;Vyvgart Hytrulo,&#8221; and so on. Naturally, that kind of spending leads to favorable coverage. Big Pharma doesn&#8217;t even need to establish any kind of quid pro quo, or request anything from the news networks. It&#8217;s just generally understood that, if you&#8217;re working for one of these networks, you should go easy on the pharma giants.
This dynamic is one of the reasons why a lot of people took notice recently, on hearing the news that RFK Jr. and the HHS had supposedly implemented a total ban on direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising. Those reports turned out to be inaccurate, at least for the time being. But RFK Jr. has pledged to implement a similar ban in the past. And he&#8217;s been very clear about his reasoning. While he was campaigning for Trump last year, and while he was leading his own presidential bid, for example, RFK Jr. made the point that pharmaceutical advertising has compromised the news industry. He&#8217;s also said that, in part because of these advertisements, Americans spend far more on prescription drugs than pretty much every other major country. By some estimates we spend more than twice as much.
And it&#8217;s logical to conclude that advertising plays some role in those numbers. When people see an advertisement for a new prescription drug, they&#8217;re more likely to tell their doctor they want it, as opposed to a cheaper generic brand. Keep in mind, only two countries on the planet allow direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising: the United States and New Zealand. The vast majority of the civilized world has rejected this kind of marketing. And one of the obvious consequences of this carve-out for big pharma is that they sell a lot more drugs to people who otherwise wouldn&#8217;t pay for them. They wouldn&#8217;t spend $5 billion a year on advertisements if that weren&#8217;t true. (And this isn&#8217;t even getting into Big Pharma advertisements and solicitations that target physicians and other professionals).
Just to give one example, in 2022, the manufacturer of the drug Skyrizie, AbbVie, spent around $229 million advertising the drug that year. The next year, AbbVie decided to increase its advertising budget for the drug by more than double. And the results were clear: drug sales went up to $7.8 billion, an increase of roughly 50% year-over-year. There was no major FDA approval that occurred in this period. The drug&#8217;s formula didn&#8217;t change in some way. Instead, more people heard about it, so more people asked their doctors for it. And by the way, the vast majority of the $7.8 billion came from customers in the United States, because they&#8217;re pretty much the only people seeing the advertisements.
This advertising exemption, of course, is just one of several carve-outs that Big Pharma enjoys in this country. It&#8217;s also nearly impossible to sue them when one of their vaccines ends up hurting or killing you, thanks to a federal law passed three decades ago. But the advertising carve-out is one of the most important ones, because it has a lot of downstream effects that aren&#8217;t immediately obvious. One of those effects is that the ads increase the price of the drugs. When billions of dollars are spent on advertising, inevitably that cost will be passed on to the consumers. This is basic economics and common sense, and doctors see it everyday. As far back as a decade ago — when direct-to-consumer advertising was much less common than it is today — the American Medical Association noticed the problem. They voted to ban all direct-to-consumer advertising.
The chair of the AMA, a woman named Patrice Harris, announced that, “Today’s vote in support of an advertising ban reflects concerns among physicians about the negative impact of commercially-driven promotions, and the role that marketing costs play in fueling escalating drug prices. Direct-to-consumer advertising also inflates demand for new and more expensive drugs, even when these drugs may not be appropriate.”
It&#8217;s true that, by law, these advertisements have to list all of the potential side effects. Invariably, they rattle them off at the end of the commercial, and they do it so quickly that you can&#8217;t really tell what&#8217;s happening in some cases. Pretty much everyone ignores these disclaimers at this point, because they all end up sounding like a bizarre list of horrible afflictions, always ending in death or paralysis or something catastrophic. You can watch an ad for Claritin and they&#8217;ll tell you that the side effects could include getting hit by a train or something. It&#8217;s almost as if the drugmakers have trained us to become numb to all of these potential side effects, and to think they&#8217;re all extremely rare and unlikely to occur.
<h3><a href="https://www.amiracist.com/?_gl=1*jtghwp*_gcl_au*ODQ1NjYzNTg2LjE3Mjg5MDk3OTE.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczMDEyMDgwOS40OS4xLjE3MzAxMjA4MzkuMzAuMC4w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MATT WALSH&#8217;S &#8216;AM I RACIST?&#8217; NOW STREAMING ON DAILYWIRE+</a></h3>
That&#8217;s because, even with the often comically long disclaimer at the end of these drug commercials, the ads still don&#8217;t do enough to emphasize the potential side effects and dangers of the drugs. They don&#8217;t discuss the relative risk of every side effect, or how common they are, for example. And that makes sense because ads — regardless of who&#8217;s making them — are meant to manipulate and create an emotional response in a very short period of time. That&#8217;s fine when you&#8217;re selling cars or clothing or whatever. But it just shouldn&#8217;t be the way medical treatments are presented to the public. People should consult with professionals when they&#8217;re seeking these treatments, instead of watching paid actors sing a song about it.
But pharmaceutical ads, by design, short-circuit this process. They allow Big Pharma companies to sell the disease, not just the cure. They convince people that they have such-and-such a disorder and enlist them to go to their doctor and request the drug to treat it. This is totally backwards. You&#8217;re supposed to go to the doctor with your symptoms, not with a wishlist of drugs you want to receive. Pharma ads have helped to turn doctors into glorified drug dealers. About a dozen studies bear this out. Patients who go to the doctor and say &#8220;I saw an ad for Paxlovid&#8221; or &#8220;I saw an ad for Prozac&#8221; are a lot more likely to get that drug, than a patient who simply presents with depression-related symptoms. And on top of that, these advertisements have also contributed to the perception that, whatever problem you might have — whether it&#8217;s depression, or &#8220;feeling like you&#8217;re in the wrong body,&#8221; or whatever — that a drug from Big Pharma can be the solution. As we&#8217;ve discussed, this is a sentiment that has ruined the lives of thousands of people, including children.
Part of the reason this perception has been allowed to fester, as Liz Wheeler pointed out the other day, is that there&#8217;s no critical reporting on Big Pharma in the mainstream press. The pharmaceutical industry is allowed to buy billions of dollars&#8217; worth of advertising, which presents them as the solution to everyone&#8217;s problems. And then the press — along with many scientific institutions that also receive money from Big Pharma— don&#8217;t have any incentive to contradict the narrative. If and when HHS does ban these advertisements, then suddenly, that incentive will reappear. Very quickly, corporate media will fail, because they&#8217;ll be deprived of most of their advertising revenue. And in their place will be a slew of investigations by actual journalists into the various grotesque abuses of power by the medical establishment in recent years — on everything from gender ideology to the COVID shot.
As of right now, again, it appears that the reports were wrong about an imminent ban on these direct-to-consumer advertisements. But there are reasons to think that RFK Jr. and HHS are still planning to implement one. If that comes to pass — and there are indicators it will — then it would inevitably set up a major legal battle between Big Pharma and the federal government on First Amendment grounds. They will claim that they have the constitutional right to flood the airwaves with sales pitches for extremely potent medications that could ruin your life. But they don&#8217;t have that right, any more than the local drug dealer does. If RFK Jr. can win this fight, then in one fell swoop, he will destroy the corporate press, save billions of dollars for Americans, and usher in a new era of skepticism for an industry that badly needs it. He would be the single most consequential HHS secretary in the history of this country. All he needs to do is what pretty much every country in the world is already doing, which is to tell Big Pharma to get off our televisions.

Ozempic, Victoza and Wegovy, injectable prescription weight loss medicines.

All The Reasons Why Big Pharma Commercials Should Be Banned

advertising

Big Pharma

Department of Health and Human Services

Doctors

Drugs

Matt Walsh

Opinion

Ozempic

Pfizer

Project Veritas

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Hosts of “The View” made it clear that they weren’t happy that President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for Secretary of Health and Human Services <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/robert-f-kennedy-jr" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Robert F. Kennedy Jr.</a> might crack down on weight loss drugs like Ozempic.
During Thursday’s episode of the <a href="https://x.com/NickFondacaro/status/1867244435374805225">ABC talk show</a>, cohost Whoopi Goldberg unleashed a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjyKWgFgqJI">rant</a> against RFK. Jr. whom she said plans to crack down on the off-label use of Ozempic by people who want to manage their weight because Americans are “addicted to drugs and weight loss should come from diet and exercise.”
“Why should a numbers cruncher with no medical background have any say? I don&#8217;t understand why you want to be in my business!&#8221; Goldberg said, as her cohosts Alyssa Farah Griffin, Sunny Hostin, and Sara Haines agreed.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The View is upset that RFK Jr. is looking to crack down on the off-label use of Ozempic to manage their weight. Whoopi scoffs at the idea that weight loss should come from diet and exercise. 
&#8220;I don&#8217;t understand why you want to be in my business!&#8221; she whines. <a href="https://t.co/QSETmQRb58">pic.twitter.com/QSETmQRb58</a>
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickFondacaro/status/1867244435374805225?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2024</a></blockquote>
Goldberg argued that managing weight wasn’t just about food and said sometimes people are “born genetically larger.”
“I want to say this to [RFK Jr.] because you’re setting folks up for shame,” Whoopi said. “That’s what you’re trying … maybe you don’t know you’re doing &#8230; I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt.”
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“I’m gonna say you don’t realize what you do to people when you say [what you said] because it doesn’t work for everybody. I’m going to show you sir, because I weighed close to 300 pounds less than two years ago and without the Mounjaro, this would not have happened,” she added, before she stood up and showed off her slimmer physique.
“You cannot take it out of people’s hands if it could help,” Goldberg continued. “If we can keep people healthy. If we can get rid of diabetes. If we can get rid of all the things, cardiovascular, what’s wrong with trying to do that?”
Joy Behar interjected, “Nothing,” before Whoopi continued calling out RFK Jr. and said he was wrong about weight loss drugs.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/weight-loss-wars-new-study-weighs-in-on-effectiveness-of-popular-obesity-drugs">Drugs to manage weight</a> have become a hot topic as a growing number of people seek their weight loss benefits.
However, some unpleasant side effects of taking these types of drugs include gastrointestinal problems, including abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. There is also a potential risk of thyroid tumors and cancer associated with [Novo Nordisk’s] Ozempic, another popular option, according to studies done with rodents, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/doctors-sound-alarm-over-latest-ozempic-risk">reported</a>.
A recent head-to-head study between two popular <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/obesity">weight loss</a> drugs, Eli Lilly’s Zepbound and Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy, showed that users lost more weight using Zepbound.
According to the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/health/pharma/zepbound-wegovy-comparison-weight-loss-drug-clinical-trial-d0c0d5ff">study</a>, which was sponsored by Lilly, people using Zepbound lost 20.2% of their body weight over 72 weeks, while Wegovy users lost 13.7%. In pounds, that means Zepbound users lost an average of 50 lbs, while Wegovy users lost 33.
Amanda Harding contributed to this piece.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/weight-loss-wars-new-study-weighs-in-on-effectiveness-of-popular-obesity-drugs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Weight Loss Wars: New Study Weighs In On Effectiveness Of Popular Obesity Drugs</a>

WHOOPI GOLDBERG, SARA HAINES, JOY BEHAR, SUNNY HOSTIN, ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN

Hosts of ‘The View’ Lose It Because RFK Jr. Might Crack Down On Ozempic

Hosts of 'The View' Lose It Because RFK Jr. Might Crack Down On Ozempic

Health

Media

The View

U.S.

A head-to-head study between two popular <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/obesity">weight loss</a> <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/prescription-drugs">drugs</a>, Eli Lilly’s Zepbound and Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy, showed that users lost more weight using Zepbound.
According to the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/health/pharma/zepbound-wegovy-comparison-weight-loss-drug-clinical-trial-d0c0d5ff" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study</a>, which was sponsored by Lilly, people using Zepbound lost 20.2% of their body weight over 72 weeks, while Wegovy users lost 13.7%. In pounds, that means Zepbound users lost an average of 50 lbs, while Wegovy users lost 33.
This is the first time two of the drugs had a direct comparison. Previous studies explored the effectiveness of the drugs, which have been marketed to help obese users lose weight, but this blind trial specifically evaluated the two brands as both compete for market share in the lucrative weight loss drug market.
Dr. Susan Spratt, an endocrinologist and senior medical director for the Population Health Management Office at Duke Health in North Carolina, told NBC News that both drugs are effective. “The amount of weight loss with both is astounding,” she <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/zepbound-weight-loss-wegovy-drug-clinical-trial-rcna182682">told</a> the outlet.
The main difference between the two is that Zepbound contains the active ingredient tirzepatide, which is the same ingredient used in Lilly’s diabetes drug Mounjaro. Wegovy, meanwhile, uses semaglutide, the ingredient used in Novo Nordisk’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ozempic">Ozempic</a>, which is also prescribed to diabetes patients. 
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The GLP-1 drugs mimic a hormone that helps reduce food intake and appetite, causing users to eat less than they did before. Tirzepatide also imitates a second hormone, GIP, which is believed to help the body break down sugar and fat, NBC noted.
A spokesperson for Novo Nordisk said its drug Wegovy, in combination with diet and exercise, “is the only obesity medicine proven to reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events such as death, heart attack, or stroke.&#8221;
The drugs have become a hot topic of conversation as the demand outpaces the supply and a growing number of people seek their weight loss benefits. However, some unpleasant side effects of taking these types of drugs include gastrointestinal problems, including abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. There is also a potential risk of thyroid tumors and cancer associated with Ozempic, another popular option, according to studies done with rodents, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/doctors-sound-alarm-over-latest-ozempic-risk">reported</a>.

Ozempic Wegovy and Zepbound related newspaper headlines. three popular Semaglutide-based prescription diabetes and weight loss drugs

Weight Loss Wars: New Study Weighs In On Effectiveness Of Popular Obesity Drugs

Business

Obesity

Prescription Drugs

weight Loss

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/lizzo">Lizzo</a> filmed herself watching an episode of “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/south-park">South Park</a>” which referenced her as being the antithesis of weight loss drugs.
The 36-year-old singer, who has made herself a poster child for the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/body-positivity">body positivity</a> movement, shared a “blind duet” reaction to her inclusion on the show. “Guys, my worst fear has been actualized. I’ve been referenced in a South Park episode,” she began in a TikTok video posted on Sunday.
The episode focused on the popularity of semaglutide drugs like <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ozempic">Ozempic</a> and Monjaro for weight loss. “South Park: The End of Obesity” debuted on May 24.
<blockquote class="tiktok-embed" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@lizzo/video/7373097886705536302" data-video-id="7373097886705536302" data-embed-from="oembed" style="max-width:605px; min-width:325px;">
<section> <a target="_blank" title="@lizzo" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@lizzo?refer=embed">@lizzo</a> 
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 <a target="_blank" title="♬ original sound - lizzo" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-7373097905437149995?refer=embed">♬ original sound &#8211; lizzo</a> </section>
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&#8220;I’m so scared,” she said as the clip started playing.
In the episode, Sharon and Sheila, moms of characters Stan and Kyle, are discussing using weight loss drugs. Sharon says her doctor would not prescribe her medication like Ozempic because she doesn’t have diabetes. Sheila responded by asking how she’s managing her weight if she’s not using those drugs.
“Don’t you know, Sheila?&#8221; Sharon says. &#8220;Now, there’s a whole new obesity drug for those of us who can’t afford Ozempic and Mounjaro.&#8221;
“I controlled all my cravings to be thinner with Lizzo,&#8221; she says, at which point Lizzo makes a surprised face while reacting to the clip.
A commercial for the fictional drug Lizzo starts playing, including a parody of the song from the Ozempic commercial. Sharon makes it clear that the drug doesn’t do anything besides make the user not care about being overweight. 
The faux commercial says Lizzo “makes you feel good about your weight — and it costs 90% less than Ozempic.”
“I’ve lowered my standards and my expectations,” Sharon says, while the real Lizzo continues reacting with shock at the bit.
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“70% of patients on Lizzo no longer care how much they weigh,” the fake drug commercial narrator continues. The ad also warns about listening to Lizzo’s music, causing her to say, “Not the f***ing album!” as the commercial cuts to an image of someone bleeding from the ears after listening to her songs. 
The commercial concludes with Sharon saying, “Ask about the power of not giving a f*** with Lizzo.”
&#8220;I really showed the world how to love yourself and not give a f*** to the point where these men in Colorado know who the f*** I am, and put it on their cartoon that’s been around for 25 years,” Lizzo said in conclusion as part of her reaction.
“And I’m gonna keep on showing you how to not give a f***,” she added.

Lizzo

Lizzo Reacts To Being Part Of ‘South Park’ Ozempic Bit: ‘My Worst Fear’

Lizzo Reacts To Being Part Of 'South Park' Ozempic Bit: 'My Worst Fear'

Body positivity

Celebrities

South Park

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/actress-melissa-mccarthy-said-a-volatile-hostile-set-left-her-physically-ill-there-were-people-weeping">Melissa McCarthy</a> reacted to the backlash against Barbra Streisand after the singer asked McCarthy if she was taking “Ozempic” to lose weight in a since-deleted Instagram post.
In a fun video posted on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C6aWlBnLG4r/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again">Instagram</a>, the 53-year-old actress broke her silence about Streisand’s <a href="https://people.com/melissa-mccarthy-barbra-streisand-ozempic-comment-she-thought-i-looked-good-8641637?utm_campaign=people&amp;utm_content=likeshop&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=instagram">comment</a> while appearing to read a copy of “Barbra: Celebrating an Icon.” She captioned the post, “Barbra Streisand fan club members only!!!”
“The takeaway, Barbra Streisand knows I exist,” McCarthy told her followers in the clip. “She reached out to me and she thought I looked good!”
“I win the day,” she added, while appearing to go back to reading the Streisand book.
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The “Bridesmaids” star’s comments came after <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/barbra-streisand-steps-in-it-with-awkward-attempt-to-defend-anti-trump-da-fani-willis">Streisand</a> was slammed for asking <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/monique-insists-shed-be-more-famous-if-she-was-white-my-name-would-be-melissa-mccarthy">McCarthy</a> if she had joined the celebrity fad in taking “Ozempic” for weight loss, as previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/barbra-streisand-being-called-out-for-melissa-mccarthy-ozempic-comment">reported</a>.
In the comments section underneath a picture the “Ghostbusters” star posted of herself, the 82-year-old singer wrote, “Give [Shankman] my regards, did you take Ozempic?”
The post has since been deleted, but <a href="https://x.com/yashar/status/1785164094963888274">screenshots</a> of the comment are all over social media, with some people suggesting the “Funny Girl” star thought she was sending a direct message [DM] and didn’t realize her post was public.
“Bless her, she thought she was in the DMs,” one <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@olivialilymarks/video/7363579199430446368?q=barbra%20streisand&amp;t=1714493266315">TikToker</a> wrote.
Another person on <a href="https://x.com/Komaniecki_R/status/1785156620269560221">X</a> agreed, writing, “Omg somebody please teach Barbra Streisand how to send a DM.”
Others suggested it was “rude” and “nasty,” <a href="https://radaronline.com/p/barbara-streisand-melissa-mccarthy-ozempic-deleted-instagram-post/">RadarOnline</a> noted.
“Wow really!” one Instagram user wrote. “What happened to not talking about Bodies! As a mother of a daughter that’s not ok, we as women need to not focus on appearance.”
Then there were those on social media who just cracked jokes about what Streisand did, <a href="https://www.glamour.com/story/fans-roast-barbra-streisand-seriously-misguided-ozempic-comment?utm_brand=glm&amp;utm_social-type=owned&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;mbid=social_twitter_glamourmain">Glamour magazine</a> noted.
&#8220;Oh my God, Barbra, you can’t just ask people if they’re on Ozempic!” one person wrote, with a GIF from “Mean Girls.”
Following reports of a backlash against the superstar, Streisand responded on <a href="https://x.com/BarbraStreisand/status/1785389557682176500">X</a> that, “OMG I went on Instagram to see the photos we’d posted of the beautiful flowers I’d received for my birthday.”
“Below them was a photo of a friend Melissa McCarthy, who I sang with on my Encore album,” she added. “She looked fantastic! I just wanted to pay her a compliment. I forgot the world is reading.”
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/barbra-streisand-being-called-out-for-melissa-mccarthy-ozempic-comment" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Barbra Streisand Called Out For Melissa McCarthy ‘Ozempic’ Comment</a>

Premiere Of Sony Pictures’ “Ghostbusters” – Arrivals

Melissa McCarthy Reacts To Backlash Against Barbra Streisand Over ‘Ozempic’ Comment

Melissa McCarthy Reacts To Backlash Against Barbra Streisand Over 'Ozempic' Comment

Barbra Streisand

Entertainment

Hollywood

Melissa McCarthy

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/barbra-streisand-steps-in-it-with-awkward-attempt-to-defend-anti-trump-da-fani-willis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Barbra Streisand</a> has been called out for asking actress <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/monique-insists-shed-be-more-famous-if-she-was-white-my-name-would-be-melissa-mccarthy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Melissa McCarthy</a> if she had joined the celebrity fad and was taking &#8220;Ozempic&#8221; to lose weight in a since-deleted Instagram post.
McCarthy made a post on social media showing a cute picture of her in a mint green dress while walking with pal Adam Shankman on April 29. She captioned it, &#8220;Pastels only to honor the incredible [matthewbourne13] at the [ctgla] gala last night with this fella [adamshankman] !! Thiiiiis much closer to my dream of dancing on stage.&#8221;
In the comments section, the 82-year-old actress/singer wrote, &#8220;Give [Shankman] my regards, did you take Ozempic?&#8221;
The post has since been deleted, but <a href="https://x.com/yashar/status/1785164094963888274">screenshots</a> of the comment are all over social media, with some people suggesting the “Funny Girl” star thought she was sending a direct message [DM] and didn’t realize her post was public.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Omg…this comment from Barbra Streisand.
Yes, it’s real, but she’s deleted it. <a href="https://t.co/icINE1XqI4">pic.twitter.com/icINE1XqI4</a>
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) <a href="https://twitter.com/yashar/status/1785164094963888274?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2024</a></blockquote>
“Bless her, she thought she was in the DMs,” one <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@olivialilymarks/video/7363579199430446368?q=barbra%20streisand&amp;t=1714493266315">TikToker</a> wrote.
Another person on <a href="https://x.com/Komaniecki_R/status/1785156620269560221">X</a> agreed, writing, “Omg somebody please teach Barbra Streisand how to send a DM.”
Others suggested it was “rude” and “nasty,” <a href="https://radaronline.com/p/barbara-streisand-melissa-mccarthy-ozempic-deleted-instagram-post/">RadarOnline</a> noted.
“Wow really!” one Instagram user wrote. “What happened to not talking about Bodies! As a mother of a daughter that’s not ok, we as women need to not focus on appearance.”
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1700760801843000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2PQrVSrJfhxNb4LcARqniG">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
Another person responded, “I’m so totally taken aback that you could ask her that on Social Media for all to see? I love and adore you, truly, but that disappointed me.”
While a third person wrote, “Did you actually just have the audacity to ask her that?! Especially right out here on social media!”
Then there were those on social media who just cracked jokes about what Streisand did, <a href="https://www.glamour.com/story/fans-roast-barbra-streisand-seriously-misguided-ozempic-comment?utm_brand=glm&amp;utm_social-type=owned&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;mbid=social_twitter_glamourmain">Glamour magazine</a> noted.
“Barbra Streisand receives Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event for her groundbreaking, fearless work on Instagram,” one person wrote sarcastically.
Another person added, “Oh my God, Barbra, you can’t just ask people if they’re on Ozempic!” with a GIF from &#8220;Mean Girls.&#8221;
And then there was the <a href="https://x.com/itsellemurasaki/status/1785335204137017769">comment</a> from someone defending Streisand, suggesting it was just something an “80-year-old New York woman” would say.
“I really don’t think Barbra Streisand was trying to shade Melissa McCarthy,” one person said. “I just think Barbra is a New York woman, they don’t beat around bushes.”
Following reports of a backlash against the superstar, Streisand responded on <a href="https://x.com/BarbraStreisand/status/1785389557682176500" target="_blank" rel="noopener">X</a> that, &#8220;OMG I went on Instagram to see the photos we&#8217;d posted of the beautiful flowers I&#8217;d received for my birthday.&#8221;
&#8220;Below them was a photo of a friend Melissa McCarthy, who I sang with on my Encore album,&#8221; she added. &#8220;She looked fantastic! I just wanted to pay her a compliment. I forgot the world is reading.&#8221;

Barbara Streisand, Melissa McCarthy

Barbra Streisand Called Out For Melissa McCarthy ‘Ozempic’ Comment

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/rebel-wilson">Rebel Wilson</a> finally revealed that she has joined the celebrity fad and used Ozempic to maintain her weight after she dropped 80 pounds.
During a new interview with the <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/rebel-wilson-on-sex-weight-and-working-with-sacha-baron-cohen-hgn5s6lsc">Sunday Times</a>, the 44-year-old Australian actress admitted she used the medication (which is intended as a treatment for Type 2 diabetes) to keep off the weight, <a href="https://pagesix.com/2024/03/31/entertainment/rebel-wilson-admits-she-used-ozempic-to-help-lose-weight/">Page Six</a> noted.
&#8220;Someone like me could have a bottomless appetite for sweets, so I think those drugs can be good,&#8221; Wilson said, while noting that she no longer uses the drug.
In 2020, the &#8220;Pitch Perfect&#8221; star went on her &#8220;year of health&#8221; and dropped 80 pounds after struggling with fertility with IVF treatments.
&#8220;Basically no one apart from my mom wanted me to lose weight,&#8221; Wilson said. &#8220;People thought I&#8217;d lose my pigeonhole in my career, playing the fat funny character, and they wanted me to continue in that.&#8221;
&#8220;The Hustle&#8221; star said she decided for herself to go on a low-sugar, high protein diet and started taking long walks.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Rebel Wilson reveals she briefly used Ozempic after her drastic weight loss. <a href="https://t.co/DQnf8CUPDi">https://t.co/DQnf8CUPDi</a>
— Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) <a href="https://twitter.com/etnow/status/1774775400280760830?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 1, 2024</a></blockquote>
She said eventually those walks became longer stretches that included running the steps of the Sydney Opera House in Australia and doing &#8220;crazy&#8221; cardio sessions, Page Six noted.
&#8220;It so felt good that I kept going,&#8221; Wilson said, adding that she also started talking to a doctor about her emotional eating.
&#8220;I wasn&#8217;t dealing with my emotions properly, I was just stuffing my face and holding on to them,&#8221; she added.
Wilson said she&#8217;s now reached a point where she feels comfortable about her weight, feeling &#8220;curvy and solid.&#8221;
The comments were new from how she was feeling in January when the actress admitted she&#8217;d gained some weight back after dropping all that weight due to work and stress, as previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rebel-wilson-says-she-gained-back-30-lbs-after-massive-weight-loss-makes-me-feel-bad-about-myself">reported</a>.
&#8220;Working really hard has meant that, coz [sic] of all the stress, I&#8217;ve gained 14kg&#8217;s (30 pounds)! It makes me feel bad about myself … it shouldn&#8217;t … but it does,&#8221; Wilson shared on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C2Hi-LxLAjr/?img_index=1">Instagram</a> alongside a photo of herself in a hot tub.
&#8220;I&#8217;m really proud of the work I&#8217;ve been doing on new movies and my memoir, it&#8217;s just been a LOT and I&#8217;ve lost focus on my healthy lifestyle,&#8221; she added.

Rebel Wilson

Rebel Wilson Finally Reveals She Used Ozempic After Massive Weight Loss

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