GLP-1 Medications: 13 Celebrities Share Their Experiences (2024)

Per an ABC report, in March 2024, Winfrey hosted a prime-time show on ABC titled, “An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution,” where she talked about all things GLP-1s. “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 said, per People magazine. Not only did Winfrey open up about her own journey, but she also started a conversation about why there’s so much judgment around taking these medications, in an effort to normalize their use. “So I come to this conversation in the hope that we can start releasing the stigma and the shame and the judgment ... to stop shaming other people for being overweight or how they chose to lose and not lose weight,” said Winfrey, People reported.

The star of Pitch Perfect and The Hustle shared that she’s used Ozempic for a period of time as a way to maintain the weight loss she experienced when she made 2020 the “Year of Health” and lost 77 pounds, as Today reports. “Someone like me could have a bottomless appetite for sweets, so I think those drugs can be good,” she said, according to Times.co.uk.Now, as the latter publication reported, Wilson said that she no longer uses GLP-1s. “I feel strongly that young women shouldn’t try to obsess over looking like Victoria’s Secret models — they should just look like themselves. … I know that my relationship with food is complicated.”

The former Black-ish star (who’s now in the spin-off Grown-ish), lives with type 2 diabetes, and actually became a spokesperson for Novo Nordisk’s “Get Real About Diabetes” campaign back in 2017. (Novo Nordisk is the pharmaceutical company behind Ozempic and Wegovy.) When there were major shortages of the GLP-1 drug for people with type 2 diabetes in 2023, Anderson spoke out against those using the drug to simply try and shed a few pounds, saying, “Hopefully this trend will stop,” perPeople. Then, he went on to say, “I will say this, it's creating a shortage for those of us who need the medicine that we need and not for weight loss issues, but for our health.”

Hostin, Goldberg’s co-host on The View and a former prosecutor, shared her own experience taking a GLP-1, on that same episode. “During COVID, I gained 40 lbs. All I did was eat. ... I love to cook, and I found out, I love to eat. And I was horrified about the fact that I would have to come out on air. So I also took Mounjaro,” said Hostin, according to People.In addition to losing the weight, Hostin wanted to get her cholesterol numbers under control (which had gone up due to her weight gain). “I found that my cholesterol went up to 200 when I gained the extra weight. And I use Mounjaro and my cholesterol is 140 now. I feel better, I think I look better, and that’s what this is about for people.”

The former professional basketball star said he’s lost around 60 pounds by taking the GLP-1 Mounjaro, in addition to maintaining a healthy diet and exercise. “It's been great, I'm starting to feel like a human being.” Barkley candidly revealed on The Pat McAfee Show, per a Twitter (now X) post.Describing his experience, he said, “It's been amazing,” and added that his ultimate goal is to live longer. On the show, he also explained he gained a lot of the initial weight when he got his new hips, and now he’s seeing the weight come off. “I started at 352, and I’m down to 290,” he said, now with an ultimate goal of 270, according to Yahoo News.

For Oshry, a comedian, co-host of the podcast The Toast, and creator of the popular Instagram account @girlwithnojob, taking a GLP-1 was a no-brainer. She told listeners on her podcast, “You thought they were going to make a weight loss drug and I wasn't going to take it?” She later went on to say, “You're dumb. Of course, I'm f***ing taking it,” according to People. At first, it wasn’t so easy for Oshry to discuss using the medication — she didn’t feel comfortable admitting she was on it. Now, she’s candidly talking about going off the drug, and sharing her new struggles. “I'm so hungry all the mother-f***ing time and I'm always looking for good treats cause I'm still trying to lose weight but on my own,” she said in a TikTok video.

Manzo, the daughter of Real Housewives of New Jersey alumni Caroline Manzo, announced she lost 50 pounds from following a gluten- and dairy-free diet, and another 30 pounds by taking Mounjaro, as People reported. Manzo was motivated to lose weight because her weight of 280 pounds took a toll on her mental health. At first, Manzo received public pushback, but, as she explained on Page Six’s Virtual Reali-Tea, “I get it — people don't like it, people don't applaud it, people aren't whatever, but it's a shot in your stomach once a week, it's the same as Ozempic. ... You guys have seen the struggle with this since I'm 20 years old, and it's been really hard for me.”

When one fan asked the Tesla and SpaceX entrepreneur in October 2022 on X, “What’s your secret? You look awesome, fit, ripped, and healthy. Lifting weights? Eating healthy?” Musk replied “Fasting,” “And Wegovy,” according to Business Insider. Per the Economic Times, Musk also shared that he’s down 30 pounds, and in addition to fasting and Wegovy, his other strategy is “no tasty food near me.” When Musk first made his announcement, it caused a spiral of press for GLP-1 weight loss and diabetes medications, as Musk was one of the first celebrities to speak openly about using the medication, according to the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

The actor and comedian first revealed on TikTok that she shed 10 pounds on Mounjaro, and then followed it up with another post that she lost 15 pounds on the lowest dose, notes Newsweek. Although her weight loss stagnated, O’Donnell’s doctor told her that what matters is that her A1C is going down. (As the Cleveland Clinic notes, A1C is a measurement of the average of your blood sugar levels over the past three months.).She has since been on Mounjaro for one year, per anInstagram post.

At first, Morgan made headlines when the comedian and star of The Last O.G. shared on The Tonight Show that he was not only on Ozempic: “I’ve learned to out-eat Ozempic. I out-ate Ozempic. I’ve gained 40 pounds.” While his comments raised a lot of questions for people curious about the medication, he later went on Today with Hoda & Jenna to clarify what he had said earlier. “That’s how this weight got lost. … I went and got a prescription and I got Ozempic. I'm not letting it go,” he said. “It cuts my appetite in half. Now I only eat half a bag of Doritos,” per Today. All jokes aside, Morgan said, “Ozempic did great by me and I was glad to use it. I take Ozempic every Thursday,” he said, according to E! News. “It cuts my appetite in half.”

Surprisingly, the comedian didn’t actually know she was taking Ozempic when she first received a prescription, she said in an interview on the Call Her Daddy podcast, as the LA Timesreported. “My anti-aging doctor just hands it out to anybody,” Handler said. “I didn't even know I was on it.” Apparently, that doctor suggested she take it “if you ever want to drop five pounds.” The comedian later realized she was on the medication when she told a friend she was taking a “semaglutide” (a type of GLP-1), and her friend said — that’s Ozempic, according to UCLA Health.Since then, Handler has stopped taking Ozempic, though she has “injected about four or five of my friends with Ozempic,” said Handler, seemingly joking, per theLA Times.

Schumer, admittedly, didn't have a good experience on Ozempic. On Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, the comedian and actor shared, “Like a year ago, I tried it,” she told Cohen. “I was one of those people that felt so sick and couldn’t play with my son. I was so skinny and he’s throwing a ball at me and [I couldn’t],”People reported. She still kept taking the medication but knew it wasn’t right for her. “And you’re like, ‘Okay, this isn’t livable for me.’ But I immediately invested [in it] because I knew everyone was going to try it.” she added. Eventually, she came off the medication and now talks candidly about her experience, and also criticizes others in Hollywood for not being honest about their own GLP-1 use. “Everyone has been lying saying, ‘Oh smaller portions.’ Like shut the f*** up. You are on Ozempic or one of those things or you got work done. Just stop,” she said, perPeople.