12 Celebrities On Ozempic: Stars Who Admitted To Using The Weight Loss Drug
Ozempic has become a trend in Hollywood, with several stars admitting to using it or other semaglutide drugs to lose weight.
Administered through injections in the thigh, stomach, or arm, the FDA-approved prescription medication is used to lower blood sugar in individuals with type 2 diabetes. It is also used to reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke or death in type 2 diabetes patients with a known heart disease.
According to the FDA, semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic, not only stimulates insulin production but also influences appetite-regulating areas of the brain.
Explaining how semaglutide works, New York City-based Dr. Katherine H. Saunders told the New York Post that it "is produced while we eat; it tells the brain that we are full," helping people feel less hungry and stay full longer.
Although the FDA has yet to endorse Ozempic specifically for weight loss, Wegovy, another semaglutide-containing drug, received approval in 2021 for long-term weight management. Similar drugs include Mounjaro and Zepbound, brand names for tirzepatide.
Due to their weight loss effects, many celebrities and socialites have turned to these medications for shedding pounds despite not having diabetes or clinical obesity.
Dr. Paul Jarrod Frank, a dermatologist, told People that Ozempic has become the "drug of choice" among the affluent.
Here are 12 celebrities who have opened up about taking Ozempic or other semaglutide brands.
1. Sharon Osbourne
Sharon Osbourne attends the opening night of "Black Sabbath - The Ballet" at Birmingham Hippodrome on September 23, 2023 in Birmingham, England.
In a candid revelation during a September 2023 appearance on "Piers Morgan Uncensored," Sharon Osbourne said she lost 42 pounds after using Ozempic.
"I didn't actually want to go this thin, but it just happened and I'll probably put it all on again soon," she said.
Osbourne also warned about the drug's potential side effects, sharing that she felt nauseous for weeks when she first began taking the injections.
2. Amy Schumer
Amy Schumer attends the 2023 Good+Foundation “A Very Good+ Night of Comedy” Benefit at Carnegie Hall on October 18, 2023 in New York City.
Amy Schumer admitted in a June 2023 episode of "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen" to trying Ozempic but said she immediately stopped the weekly injections due to the side effects she experienced from the medication.
"I was one of the people that felt like sick, I couldn't like play with my son," the actress explained.
She highlighted the challenges of maintaining a normal lifestyle while on the drug and slammed the celebrities allegedly "lying" about their weight-loss methods.
3. Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey attends the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures 3rd Annual Gala Presented by Rolex at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on Dec. 3, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.
Last month, Oprah Winfrey revealed during an interview with People that she was taking a weight loss medication, though she didn't specify which one.
The media mogul said she was using the medication to maintain her current weight, pairing it with regular exercise and other lifestyle changes.
"I now use it as I feel I need it, as a tool to manage not yo-yoing," she said.
Winfrey 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."
4. Elon Musk
Elon Musk speaks during the New York Times annual DealBook summit on November 29, 2023 in New York City.
In a revelation on X, formerly Twitter, in 2022, Elon Musk attributed his "fit, ripped, and healthy" appearance to intermittent fasting and Wegovy.
The SpaceX and Tesla CEO said these two methods helped him lose around 20 pounds.
5. Dolores Catania
Dolores Catania attends MGM's "A Good Person" New York Screening at Metrograph on March 20, 2023 in New York City.
Dolores Catania revealed her use of Ozempic during an April 2023 appearance on Cohen's talk show.
"What housewife isn't on Ozempic?" she joked. "Not one... I wasn't going to come to [the] reunion looking bigger than anyone else, so I got on the bandwagon."
The "Real Housewives of New Jersey" star, 52, said she had not experienced any side effects from getting weight loss injections except for hunger.
6. Tracy Morgan
Tracy Morgan attends the 17th Annual Stand Up For Heroes at David Geffen Hall on November 06, 2023 in New York City.
In a playful admission on "Today with Hoda & Jenna" in August last year, Tracy Morgan confirmed that Ozempic was the secret behind his weight loss.
"I went and got a prescription and I got Ozempic," the comedian said. "And I ain't letting it go!"
7. Chelsea Handler
During a podcast appearance last year, Chelsea Handler shared that she was unknowingly prescribed Ozempic by her anti-aging doctor.
But she said she quickly stopped taking the diabetic drug after finding out it wasn't medically necessary for her to take the medication.
"I realized I didn't wanna use it 'cause it's silly. It's for heavy people," the comedian explained on "Call Her Daddy." "Everyone is on Ozempic. It's gonna backfire, something bad is gonna happen."
8. Claudia Oshry
Claudia Oshry attends the Global Premiere of "Mean Girls" at the AMC Lincoln Square Theater on January 8, 2024, in New York, New York.
Claudia Oshry confessed to taking semaglutide on her podcast "The Toast" in August 2023.
"You thought they were going to make a weight loss drug and I wasn't going to take it?" the blogger said. "You're dumb. Of course, I'm f*****g taking it."
She said she did not reveal her use of weight loss drugs earlier because she initially felt "embarrassed."
9. Heather Gay
Heather Gay attends 2023 Variety's Women Of Reality TV at Spago on November 29, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California.
She said she hadn't seen "massive results" from the weight loss injections, but the 5 pounds she'd lost made enough of a difference in her figure for people to notice.
However, the reality star said it made her "sad" when she noticed that people became nicer to her after she began losing weight.
10. Golnesa "GG" Gharachedaghi
Golnesa Gharachedaghi attends the 5th Annual Vanderpump Dog Foundation Gala at The Maybourne Beverly Hills on May 18, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California.
Unlike her fellow reality star, "Shahs of Sunset" alum Golnesa "GG" Gharachedaghi revealed that she lost more weight than anticipated after she began taking Ozempic.
Sharing her weight loss journey with fans, Gharachedaghi said in an Instagram video last year that she "cut back" on the number of injections she got after dropping from 138 pounds to 111 pounds.
She encouraged those struggling with weight loss to consider the drug as an option despite it being slammed as taking the "easy route."
11. Remi Bader
Remi Bader attends the Christian Siriano SS24 Runway Show at The Pierre Hotel on September 8, 2023 in New York City.
During an appearance on the "Not Skinny But Not Fat" podcast, Remi Bader recounted her Ozempic journey, sharing that her doctor recommended that she try the drug in 2020.
At the time, the 27-year-old model and content creator had been pre-diabetic, insulin-resistant, and gaining weight.
But while she shed some pounds with the help of the drug, Bader said that her binge eating "got so much worse" and that she "gained double the weight back" after she stopped getting the injections.
12. Jennifer Fessler
Jennifer Fessler attends the CLD PR NYFW Kickoff Event & Gifting Experience at Public Hotel on Sept. 8, 2023 in New York City.
Last month, "Real Housewives of New Jersey" star Jennifer Fessler revealed on her "Two Jersey Js" podcast that she had lost around 22 pounds after taking semaglutide for over a year.
While she said she has no plans of stopping the injections anytime soon, Fessler revealed that she had to be hospitalized for an impacted bowel.
She attributed it to her ignoring the constipation, one of the side effects of Ozempic, she experienced while receiving semaglutide shots and "allowing them to escalate to the point where I became impacted."
