Oprah Winfrey is speaking more openly about her decision to use weight loss injections, and she says the impact has gone far beyond the number on the scale. In a new interview with People, the longtime TV host shared that she is taking a medication from the GLP-1 group to help manage her weight. She described the change as unexpectedly powerful, adding that she feels more energetic and better overall than she has in a long time. For Winfrey, it is not only about looking different, it is about feeling freer in her own body.
Winfrey, who built a media empire during the 25-year run of The Oprah Winfrey Show and became the first Black woman billionaire along the way, has talked for years about the ups and downs of her weight. This time, she framed the story less as a battle of willpower and more as a shift in understanding. She said she has stopped blaming herself and no longer sees the issue as a simple test of discipline. That change alone, she suggested, has been a relief.
She also described a new sense of ease in daily life, saying she feels more alive and open than before. Winfrey noted that she barely recognizes the woman she has become, but she likes her. The point, in her telling, is not perfection or punishment. It is the ability to show up with more energy and feel like she has more to give.
One surprising detail she shared was a complete drop in her desire to drink alcohol. Winfrey said she used to love tequila and once had an over-the-top night that involved 17 shots. Now, she says she has not been drinking for years and no longer feels the pull. She called the absence of that craving remarkable.
The interview also touched on why that shift might happen, pointing to how GLP-1 medications can influence the brain’s reward pathways. That effect can reduce cravings, not just for food but sometimes for substances like alcohol as well. While the injections were primarily about weight loss, Winfrey’s experience highlights how intertwined habits and appetite can be.
Perhaps the biggest change for her was learning to talk about obesity differently. She admitted she used to avoid the word because it felt like a label that meant being out of control. Over time, she said she came to believe the relationship between overeating and obesity is more complicated than people assume, and that this realization was deeply liberating. She hopes others stop blaming themselves for factors like genetics and environment, and instead feel empowered to make informed choices, whether that means medication, dieting, or something else.
What are your thoughts on celebrities like Oprah speaking candidly about weight loss medications and the stigma around them? Share your take in the comments.
