Oprah Winfrey revealed the real reason she decided to part ways with WeightWatchers last month after nearly 10 years of working with them.
Oprah Winfrey is setting the record straight on her WeightWatchers exit.
The legendary host revealed that her upcoming special An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution played a part in her decision.
“I decided that because this special was really important to me and I wanted to be able to talk about whatever I wanted,” Oprah said on said on Jimmy Kimmel Live! March 14. “I did not want to have the appearance of any conflict of interest.”
Oprah, who admitted to using a weight loss medication in December to slim down, continued, “WeightWatchers is now in the business of being a weight health company that also administers drug medications for weight. So, I resigned from the board and donated all of my shares to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.”
She added, “So, nobody can say, ‘Oh, she’s doing that special, she’s making money and promoting.’ No, you cannot say that.”
Although the 70-year-old didn’t disclose which weight loss medication she’s taken, she did explain to host Jimmy Kimmel what kickstarted her health journey.
“I decided to have my knees done,” she recalled of the 2021 procedure. “And let me tell you, life changed after that. I made a vow [to] God, ‘If you let me walk again, I promise I will get myself in shape. I promise I will use my body to the highest possible good for myself and my health.’ And that’s how it all started.”
The media mogul admitted she started off with small changes to slowly make new lifestyle habits.
“You’ve all seen,” she told the audience. “I’ve been in the storm of losing the weight, gaining it back, losing the weight, gaining it back. I listened to what the doctor said, ‘You are always going to put it back on, and it’s like holding your breath underwater and trying not to rise. You’re always going to rise.'”
Oprah isn’t the only star to candidly share her body transformation. Keep reading to see what other celebrities have said about their weight loss journeys.
Kelly Clarkson
Yep, the talk show host is standing a little taller these days. Informed by doctors she was pre-diabetic, “I dropped weight because I’ve been listening to my doctor—a couple years I didn’t,” the singer explained to People. “And 90 percent of the time I’m really good at it because a protein diet is good for me anyway.”
She is a Texas girlie after all, “so I like meat—sorry, vegetarians in the world!”
The mom to River and Remington is also enjoying exploring her new life in NYC. “Walking in the city is quite the workout,” she added. “And I’m really into infrared saunas right now. And I just got a cold plunge because everybody wore me down.”
Oprah Winfrey
You get some health advice! And you get some health advice! Because now that the media legend is feeling better than ever, she’s dishing out her best tips. “It’s not one thing,” she stressed to Entertainment Tonight of her treadmill workouts, hikes, water consumption and nutritious eats, “it’s everything.”
While Winfrey hasn’t named the weight loss medication she’s using, she told People in December, “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,” she explained of adding that particular tool to her arsenal. “I’m absolutely done with the shaming from other people and particularly myself.”