Yahoo Lifestyle 10 Famous People Who Actually Admitted To Using Ozempic And 9 Who Flat-Out Denied It
Warning: This post discusses weight loss.
In recent years, celebrities have turned to Ozempic and similar drugs for weight loss. While the FDA has approved Wegovy and Zepbound for weight management, Ozempic and Mounjaro officially remain medications for type 2 diabetics. According to NPR, shortages due in part to Hollywood's fondness for the drugs have left many diabetics unable to access the medications they need.
NPR pointed out that the drugmakers themselves have advertised heavily, with some commercials including the number of pounds patients lost even when that particular medication was meant for type 2 diabetics. This, in combination with social media, has also increased demand for using those drugs for weight loss.
Because these drugs are so popular, many social media users accuse famous people of using Ozempic whenever a celebrity loses weight. Here are 19 celebrities who have either admitted to or denied using Ozempic and similar drugs:
1.Admitted it: Kelly Osbourne
This year, the reality TV star raved about Ozempic while chatting with E! News. "I think it's amazing. There are a million ways to lose weight. Why not do it through something [that] isn't as boring as working out?"
"People hate on it because they want to do it," she continued. "And the people who hate on it the most are the people who are secretly doing it or pissed off that they can't afford it. Unfortunately, right now it's something that is very expensive, but it eventually won't be because it actually works."
2.Denied it: Khloé Kardashian
In 2023, the reality TV star posted photos of herself on Instagram, which sparked Ozempic accusations in the comments. “Let’s not discredit my years of working out," Khloé replied. "I get up 5 days a week at 6am to train. Please stop with your assumptions. I guess new year still means mean people."
This year, she shared more of her thoughts on an episode of The Kardashians. "When I was bigger, if they had Ozempic, I probably would have tried it, 'cause I tried any other thing. I tried any fad weight loss trend except for the real thing that actually works, and that’s a lifestyle change." She encouraged viewers to focus on "healthiness" and not just "the number on a scale."
3.Admitted it: Amy Schumer
On a 2023 episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, the actor called out other celebs for lying about their weight loss. "Everyone has been lying saying, 'Oh, smaller portions.' Like, shut the fuck up," she said. "You are on Ozempic or one of those things, or you got work done. Just stop. Be real with the people. When I got lipo, I said I got lipo."
The actor also said she used Ozempic in the past but experienced negative side effects. "Like a year ago, I tried it. 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]. And you're like, 'OK, this isn't livable for me.' But I immediately invested because I knew everyone was going to try it."
4.Denied it: Lizzo
In September, the singer shared an Instagram video of herself at the gym. In the comments, someone accused her of either using Ozempic or cocaine to achieve weight loss. Lizzo responded a few days later with another video, this one captioned, "When you finally get ozempic allegations after 5 months of weight training and calorie deficit." She spoke along to the sound of the video, saying, "It's like a reward."
5.Admitted it: Elon Musk
On X (formerly known as Twitter), a user complimented Elon's looks and asked for his secret. The X owner replied, "Fasting." In a second tweet, he said, "And Wegovy."
According to WebMD, "Ozempic and Wegovy are different brand names for the same injectable drug, semaglutide." Wegovy is "approved to manage weight in adults and kids 12 and up who have obesity" while Ozempic is "approved to lower blood sugar when you have type 2 diabetes."
6.Denied it: Kylie Jenner
Ozempic rumors have plagued the reality TV star since Travis Scott (Kylie's ex and the father of her two children) released a song with the lyrics: "She doin' Ozempic, tryna be different, tryna be a newer woman."
In August, she spoke to British Vogue about her body's journey throughout motherhood, explaining that as soon as she felt "in shape" again after the birth of her first child, she became pregnant with her second. "I feel like people didn’t give me, or give women in general, enough empathy... I see pictures [online] and people are accusing me of being on drugs or something,” she added, referring to Ozempic and similar drugs. "I’m back at my weight I was before I had my daughter and son, and people are putting side-by-sides of me three months postpartum. I’m like: 'Does everyone forget that I had two children, and I gained 60 pounds both pregnancies?'"
7.Admitted it: Oprah Winfrey
Last year, the media mogul told People that she uses a weight loss drug, though she didn't specify the name of it. "It was public sport to make fun of me for 25 years," she said. "I have been blamed and shamed, and I blamed and shamed myself."
Oprah explained that she uses it "as a tool to manage not yo-yoing. 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."
8.Denied it: Jessica Simpson
Last year, the singer addressed Ozempic rumors during an interview with Bustle. "Oh, Lord. I mean, it is not. It’s willpower. I’m like, do people want me to be drinking again? Because that’s when I was heavier. Or they want me to be having another baby? My body can’t do it."
9.Admitted it: James Corden
In September, the comedian discussed his Ozempic usage on his SiriusXM podcast This Life of Mine. "It won’t be surprising to you when you look at me now that it didn’t really work. All it does is make you feel not hungry. But I am very rarely eating [because of hunger]. You are looking at someone who’s eaten a king size — and when I say king size Dairy Milk, one you give someone for Christmas — in a carwash. None of that was like: 'Oh, I’m so hungry.' It is not that, it’s something else."
10.Denied it: Ice Spice
In August, the rapper hosted an X Spaces (formerly known as Twitter Spaces) where she denied the Ozempic rumors that abounded after her recent weight loss. "I wish y'all never learned the word Ozempic," she said. "That's one thing I wish. Oh my God, like, what even is Ozempic? What the fuck is that? Genuinely, what is that?"
"Like, you lazy ass bitches never heard of a gym?" she continued. "It's called the gym. It's called eating healthy. It's called being on tour. Like, what the hell? Maybe if I was sitting home all day, it would be easier to stay big."
11.Admitted it: Rebel Wilson
In March, the actor told The Sunday Times that she embarked on a journey to lose weight when a doctor told her it would be beneficial for IVF. While she no longer takes Ozempic, she previously combined it with exercise, a high-protein, low-sugar diet, and examining her relationship with food with a doctor. "Basically no one apart from my mom wanted me to lose weight," she said. "People thought I'd lose my pigeonhole in my career, playing the fat funny character, and they wanted me to continue in that."
Rebel added, "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."
12.Denied it: Ashley Benson
Four months after giving birth to her daughter, the actor posted a mirror selfie on social media, where commenters accused her of using Ozempic. She responded in an Instagram story, writing, "I know a lot of people take ozempic and that's totally fine. To each their own. But don't discredit people who also work very hard to get their body back like I've done with mine."
"Getting back to work forced me to focus on my health and working out and I wanted to feel confident and good about myself. And again couldn't do this without my @melissawoodtepperberg app."
13.Admitted it: Whoopi Goldberg
In March, the actor discussed her weight loss on an episode of The View. "I will tell you, I weighed almost 300 lbs. when I made Till," she said. "I had taken all those steroids, I was on all this stuff. And one of the things that’s helped me dropped the weight was the Mounjaro. That’s what I used."
According to WebMD, Mounjaro and Zepbound are brand names for the same drug (tirzepatide), but "Mounjaro is approved for type 2 diabetes" while "Zepbound is approved for weight management in adults with a BMI of 30 or more" or overweight adults with health conditions.
14.Denied it: Julia Fox
During a 2023 interview with Entertainment Tonight, the actor addressed the swirling rumors that she was using Ozempic. "All these people are coming for me saying that I take the weight loss things... people are saying that I'm taking Ozempic or whatever it's called. I'm not, and I've never have... I would never do that. There are diabetics that need it."
15.Admitted it: Chelsea Handler
On a 2023 episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast, the comedian said she took it without realizing it. "So, my anti-aging doctor just hands it out to anybody. I didn't even know I was on it. She said, 'If you ever want to drop five pounds, this is good.'" After a vacation, Chelsea injected herself with it, and she met a friend for lunch a few days later who complained of nausea from Ozempic. When Chelsea said she was also nauseous and "on semaglutide," her friend replied, "That's Ozempic."
Chelsea said she's no longer taking it. "That's too irresponsible. I'm an irresponsible drug user, but I'm not gonna take a diabetic drug. I tried it, and I'm not gonna do that. That's not for me. That's not right for me."
16.Denied it: Jesse Plemons
When questions swirled around his weight loss this year, the actor told the Los Angeles Times, "It’s really unfortunate that I decided to get healthy when everyone decided to take Ozempic. It doesn’t matter, everyone’s going to think I took Ozempic anyways."
He credited intermittent fasting for his weight loss. "Several people talked to me about intermittent fasting, and I just gave it a shot and [was] surprised at how quickly it was effective. So I lost a little bit before I did that part and then felt like I was in the rhythm, I was feeling better, and something shifted in my head. I just sort of got a handle on it."
17.Admitted it: Sunny Hostin
In March, the talk show host shared her experience on an episode of The View. "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."
She added, "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."
18.Denied it: Julianne Hough
In October, the actor posted an Instagram video of herself wearing a bikini and having fun as she enjoyed her friend's routine: sauna, cold plunge, and jumping on a trampoline. The comments were particularly negative, with many social media users discussing her body and some accusing her of using Ozempic.
Julianne addressed the backlash and seemingly denied Ozempic use. "My body has never been healthier - I was full of inflammation in my 20’s and had a marker for an auto immune that I addressed and committed to over a year and a half ago. I’ve frozen my eggs over the last few years which also shifts the body fluctuation. I’ve never been healthier or happier from the inside out. Grief, loss. Sadness and fear also get stored in the body and we hold on to that in different ways. I made it a huge priority to accept, express, process and release a lot of emotions over the years."
19.And finally, admitted it: Sharon Osbourne
On a 2023 episode of Piers Morgan Uncensored, the reality TV star warned viewers about the Ozempic side effects she experienced. “I didn’t want to go this thin. It just happened... You can’t stay on it forever. I lost 42 pounds now and it’s just enough."
She added, "You don’t throw up physically, but you have got that feeling. I was about two, three weeks where I felt nauseous the whole time. You get very thirsty, and you don’t eat. That’s why I say you have to keep this stuff away from younger people. They will go berserk on it, and it’s not right."
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