9 Times Oprah Winfrey's Comments About Her Weight Completely Backfired

By Oprah Winfrey's own admission, people had made a "national sport" out of making negative comments about her weight (via The Standard). During a March 2024 ABC special, the beloved TV personality recalled how her weight had become the subject of offensive tabloid headlines as well as a topic of discussion for talk show hosts for nearly 25 years. In a December 2025 People interview, Winfrey confessed that her weight brought up feelings of embarrassment and disappointment, which were further amplified when she couldn't hit her desired number on the scale, despite repeated efforts. 

In those days, Winfrey felt particularly ashamed that she couldn't achieve her weight loss goals, despite having the means to afford personal trainers, chefs, and nutrient-dense food. However, in 2023, the talk show host joined the ranks of celebrities over 60 who underwent major weight loss. Speaking to People in December 2023, Winfrey shared that she had taken a weight loss drug to achieve her health makeover. She went on to stress that she wouldn't tolerate any negativity surrounding her decision, saying, "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." 

Although it's unclear how much weight Oprah Winfrey has lost on Ozempic, additional photos of Oprah Winfrey's weight loss transformation prove that wellness is not always a straight line. Unfortunately, many people don't seem to have grasped that concept and have constantly criticized Winfrey throughout her decades-long weight loss journey.

In a 1988 episode of her talk show, Oprah Winfrey walked onto the stage with a wagon containing 67 pounds of animal fat to give the audience a visual representation of how much weight she had lost. After detailing the exact number of inches she had lost in her hips, waist, and bust, Winfrey said that she felt sorry that her heart had to pump blood to that much fat daily. 

However, she soon regained the weight. During a 2016 Entertainment Tonight interview, she labeled the episode a massive mistake and "one of the biggest ego trips of my life" (via E! News).

In an October 2005 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine, Oprah Winfrey shared that she had gone on the Optifast diet to achieve her infamous wagon-of-fat transformation. As part of the diet, the TV mogul completely swore off solid food for four months straight and solely consumed liquid protein. The New York Times also reported that she could only consume 400 calories a day. 

By Winfrey's own admission, the extreme diet gravely affected her metabolism, and she quickly gained the weight back after she began consuming solid food. During a May 2024 Weight Watchers livestream, Winfrey confessed that her drastic transformation only perpetuated an impossible standard (via Variety). 

After regaining the weight from the Optifast diet in 1990, Oprah Winfrey publicly proclaimed, "I'll never diet again. I certainly will never fast again" (via Los Angeles Times). However, in a January 2007 edition of O, The Oprah Magazine, the talk show host confessed that she had continued trying out unsustainable diets for about seven years. 

Then, she discussed how The Best Life diet had been a game-changer for her, framing it as a lifestyle change and not as a diet. As part of the regimen, Winfrey appeared to have taken on intermittent fasting and cut out high-calorie food. 

In an April 2017 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine, Oprah Winfrey shared that the Weight Watchers program had been a total game-changer for her and helped her lose 45 pounds through a balanced approach. In a January 2016 Facebook video, Winfrey gushed about how the program had helped her lose weight while eating bread, which was one of her favorite foods.

However, many were skeptical of Winfrey's claims because she only grew vocal in her support for Weight Watchers after acquiring a 10% stake in the company in August 2015. The talk show host ultimately only exited the company's board of directors in 2024.

During a September 2023 panel, Oprah Winfrey shared that following her knee surgery, she was determined to lose weight without the help of weight loss medication because she felt that they were "the easy way out" (via Yahoo!). So, the talk show host decided to go on regular hikes and follow the Weight Watchers program. 

Needless to say, those comments didn't age well after Winfrey opened up about her GLP-1 use to People months later. However, Winfrey told the outlet that it was during that September 2023 panel that she realized she was unfairly blaming herself for her weight instead of acknowledging her genetic predisposition for it.

During a May 2024 Weight Watchers livestream, Oprah Winfrey candidly admitted, "I want to acknowledge that I have been a steadfast participant in this diet culture through my platforms, through the magazine, through the talk show for 25 years." 

After recalling how she had partaken in countless weight loss attempts and spoken about the topic at length, the media mogul said that she hoped to improve on her past ways. However, many Redditors were skeptical since the remark came from someone who openly sang GLP-1 medication's praises. Some even found it ironic that she made the comment during a Weight Watchers livestream.

During a January 2025 episode of "The Oprah Podcast," Oprah Winfrey shared that she initially believed that people had achieved thinner frames through a strict commitment to a healthy diet and complete avoidance of calorically-dense foods. However, after she started taking GLP-1 medication, she realized that they didn't have food noise and simply tuned into their body's fullness cues. 

Social media commentators wasted no time in slamming Winfrey. Some wrote that people of every size dealt with food noise and found strategies to cope with it. Meanwhile, others pointed out that Winfrey's comments completely ignored the mental health issues that triggered overeating (via Daily Mail).

Speaking to People in December 2025, Oprah Winfrey shared that she had "tried to beat" Ozempic in January 2024 and abruptly stopped taking it. After gaining 20 pounds over the next year, the media mogul realized that the medication would have to be a staple for her. 

On Reddit, a few commentators took issue with her saying that she needed to "beat" the GLP-1 because it perpetuated the idea that the brain could magically accomplish the same effect after getting off medication. Several other commentators rolled their eyes at how Winfrey was taking a yo-yo diet approach to Ozempic, despite her past experiences. 

During a January 2026 appearance on "The View," Oprah Winfrey stated that she initially blamed herself for having excessive food noise. After professing that she later realized that the "obesity gene" was the culprit behind her overeating, Winfrey said, "You don't overeat and become obese. Obesity causes you to overeat." 

Some commentators on X, formerly Twitter, swiftly accused the talk show of not taking accountability for her actions. However, according to Harvard Medical School, studies have shown that genetics does indeed play a part in obesity. Due to genetic factors, a person can be anywhere from 25% to 80% more predisposed to obesity.