Jonathan Van Ness Responds to Backlash Over 70-Pound Weight Loss

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Originally appeared on E! Online

Jonathan Van Ness is setting the record straight.

Nearly a year after the Queer Eye star revealed he was using a GLP-1 medication to lose weight, he explained his mindset behind the decision while providing an update on how much weight he has lost.

“I’ve lost 70 pounds in the last year,” Jonathan said in an Oct. 30 TikTok video, “and [there has been] so much conversation around my weight loss.”

Indeed, the 38-year-old referenced a “gigantic conversation” from people claiming he’s “not a body positive person anymore.”

“What do you mean? I’m all about body neutrality,” he continued. “The way that you look does not define your worth, doesn’t define your lovableness. You are worth love and worth celebration no matter what your body looks like.”

He added, “That’s what’s so important is that we are all worthy of love. We’re all worthy of celebrating.”

Beyond his perspective on body positivity, Jonathan explained that he began using GLP-1—a class of medications approved to treat Type 2 diabetes, but is also popularly used as a weight loss drug—after a health scare in 2023.

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“I decided then that after the medical issue, I was going to get a colonoscopy,” he shared, “and if I didn’t have anything severely wrong with me, I was going to go on a GLP-1, because I just didn’t feel good.”

And since starting the medication, he has seen a marked improvement.

Jonathan Van Ness/TikTok

“As I’ve lost weight and I got into [Pilates classes at] Solidcore, my body has never looked like this,” Jonathan said. “My body’s never in my whole life—I’ve always wanted to have an ab. I’ve never had abs. And I feel really good, so I’m taking my shirt off a lot.”

And while he is feeling extra confident these days, the Fab Five member clarified he has always loved the way he looks.

“I just want to get one thing straight: I was always really cute, and I always felt cute,” he shared, “but I just didn’t feel good. And now I feel good.”

Jonathan concluded, “I feel like a f–king minx right now. When I’m 80, I want to see pictures of me when I was in my 30s looking cute. So, that’s why the top’s off, because I feel really cute.”

Read on for more stars who have gotten candid about Ozempic and other GLP-1 medications.

Jonathan Van Ness

The Queer Eye star explained in October 2025 that they started using a GLP-1 after a health scare in 2023.

“I decided then that after the medical issue, I was going to get a colonoscopy,” Jonathan said in a TikTok video, “and if I didn’t have anything severely wrong with me, I was going to go on a GLP-1, because I just didn’t feel good.”

They added, “As I’ve lost weight and I got into [Pilates classes at] Solidcore, my body has never looked like this,” Jonathan said. “My body’s never in my whole life—I’ve always wanted to have an ab. I’ve never had abs. And I feel really good, so I’m taking my shirt off a lot.”

Despite losing 70 pounds with the help of the drug, Jonathan re-emphasized their stance on body positivity.

“I’m all about body neutrality,” they continued. “The way that you look does not define your worth, doesn’t define your lovableness. You are worth love and worth celebration no matter what your body looks like.”

Rosie O’Donnell

The comedian has been on the anti-Type 2 diabetes medication Mounjaro since late 2022. In May 2025, she showcased her dramatic weight loss.

“I cant believe this is me now,” Rosie wrote on her Instagram, “#mounjaro #weightloss #bodydismorphia.”

Meghan Trainor

The couple that pees together also pokes together. Following the 2021 birth of eldest son Riley, singer Meghan Trainor and her actor husband Daryl Sabara did the 75 Hard challenge, “and, man, did we crush,” Meghan detailed during the April 9 episode of the couple’s Workin’ On It podcast. “Then, we heard more and more of our friends—and even our doctors—were on Mounjaro and Ozempic.”

They each opted to get on the lowest dose possible of Monjaro, combining the shots with exercise and balanced meals. “Daryl and I both do everything together,” the “All About That Bass” singer explained. “And we started that journey.”

Kendra Wilkinson

Former Girls Next Door star Kendra Wilkinson gave one unnamed weight loss injectable a shot. Exactly one, to be precise. “I started the weight loss shots,” she wrote on her Instagram Stories in April 2025. “Only did one. Nevermind. Throwing away!!”

Ultimately, said the Playboy model, she wasn’t interested in hopping into any potential health risks. “Heard too many horror stories around me,” explained the mom of two. “People end up in ER. Surgeries. No thanks.”

Nikki Glaser

The Golden Globes host fiercly defended the use of Ozempic in March 2025, calling for people to be more open about using the medication.

“I love it. I’m like, ‘Do it,’” she said on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. “I have no judgment. If you want to do Ozempic, hell yeah, girl.”

She added, “I want people to feel more comfortable talking about doing it, because I feel like there’s this shame,” she continued. “The shame is only from thin people who want you to stay fat. That’s really where it’s coming from. They’re so mad that you’re getting thin now, because that’s all they have, right? You’re dynamic, you have a good personality, and they’re so mad.”

Brooks Nader

In December 2024, the model said she had once taken Ozempic but stopped after she started competing on Dancing With the Stars the previous fall.

“I took, like, a little bit when it first came out, and everyone was doing it,” Nader told Us Weekly. “It made me really nauseous. I liked it—I am not going to lie—and when I went on Dancing with the Stars, I could not do both.”

Brooks said she “lost a little bit of the motivation and the strength to work out” by taking the medication. “It was one or the other,” she said, “and I picked dancing. I put the shot away.”

Bonnie Chapman

Dog the Bounty Hunter’s daughter shared Nov. 1 that she had lost 58 pounds in 10 months thanks to a change in diet and the use of the weight loss medication Tirzepatide, adding, “I am able to look at myself in the mirror and feel so proud of where I’ve gotten.”

But before finding the solution that works for her, she had a rough go with Ozempic. “I hated it,” she revealed to E! News. “I could not eat without feeling nauseous. I could not eat at all, sometimes. My body did not like it.”

Jessel Taank

The Real Housewives of New York City star shot down speculation about her glow-up between seasons 14 and 15.

“I think that when you’re in reality TV, it’s so natural to be like, ‘Oh, she got plastic surgery or she did this or she’s on Ozempic,’” she told Us Weekly in October 2024. “I actually f–king hate Ozempic. I would never put needles in myself.”

Lizzo

After several fans speculated on social media that Lizzo used Ozempic to lose weight, following a post she shared in which she showcased a slimmer figure, the Grammy winner posted this video, set to a viral TikTok sound bite of Christoph Waltz‘s character saying, “It’s like a reward” from Django Unchained.

Lottie Moss

Kate Moss‘ little sis revealed why getting on Ozempic was “the worst decision I ever made,” during a September 2024 episode of her Dream On podcast.

After taking a dosage meant for those roughly 220 pounds or more, the model was struggling to keep any food or water down and landed in the emergency room.

“I literally had a seizure from how dehydrated I was, which honestly was the scariest thing that’s ever happened to me in my life,” she admitted. “My friend had to hold my feet down. It was so scary, the whole situation. My face was clenching up, my whole body was tense.”

Jon Gosselin

The Jon & Kate Plus 8 alum told Page Six in April 2024 that he lost 32 pounds in two months after taking injections of semaglutide, the generic form of Ozempic.

“You know what’s annoying?” he said. “The regret of not starting it 10 years ago.”

Ree Drummond

The Pioneer Woman star shared on her blog in March 2024 that her 50-pound weight loss in 2022 was not due to taking Ozempic or similar medications.

She added, “But you’ll never hear a second of judgment from me about people who choose that direction!”

Tracy Morgan

In August 2023, the 30 Rock alum said on Today With Hoda and Jenna that he lost weight on Ozempic because it supressed his appetite.

In March 2024, his health journey appeared to take a surprising turn. “I’ve learned to out-eat Ozempic,” he said on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. “I gained 40 pounds.”

Later that month, he clarified to E! News that he was joking, adding, “Ozempic did great by me and I was glad to use it.”

Caroline Stanbury

The Real Housewives of Dubai star opened up about using Ozempic after going through a “midlife crisis” at 45.

“After 40, we all know it’s very, very hard to lose weight,” she said in the May 22 episode of her podcast Uncut & Uncensored With Caroline Stanbury. “But I met so many 40-year-old women going, ‘How have you done it?’ And I don’t want to lie to you, I used Ozempic, which I think is one of the best tools if you’re able to use it.”

Jennifer Aydin

The Real Housewives of New Jersey star declared “I am not on Ozempic” during a July 2024 Watch What Happens Live interview before hilariously adding, “I’m on Mounjaro, okay. I’m sorry! I love being this weight, I love it! I have so much energy if you couldn’t tell.”

Kandi Burruss

The Real Housewives of Atlanta alum revealed her failed attempt to lose weight with the injectable medication.

“It didn’t curb my appetite. I know some people are like, ‘Oh, I can’t eat.’ Not me! I was eating appetizers, a regular meal and dessert, okay? It didn’t stop anything for me,” she shared in June 2024. “When you see it worked for other people and it doesn’t work for you, it makes you depressed. Realistically, it makes you feel like, ‘What is wrong with me? Why is it not working for me?'”

Brooke Burke

“I can’t speak medically about it, but I do know that there’s so much information about what’s working and what’s not,” she shared during part of an interview with Fox News Digital. “I think that Ozempic has some great benefits, and I also think it has some dangers.”

Jade Thirlwall

The Little Mix alum, who has been open about her past struggles with anorexia, admitted that avoiding Ozempic was difficult amid online speculation about her weight

“I have a daily battle with myself not to go on Ozempic,” Jade told The Guardian in August 2025. “I don’t judge people that do, but because I have a history of eating disorders, I don’t know where taking something like that would end for me.”

Tori Spelling

The Beverly Hills, 90210 tried the drug to help her slim down after giving birth to her son Beau in 2017.

“I tried Ozempic and it didn’t work for me,” she shared in an April 2024 episode of her misSPELLING podcast, “so I went on Mounjaro, which did do the trick and I did lose weight.”

Raven-Symoné

“I think it’s very important we understand certain medications are made for certain people,” the actress told E! News’ Francesca Amiker, “and to not take that away just for glamazon purposes.”

Raven continued, “Do what you gotta do, just make sure you save the medication for the people who actually need it.”

Sharon Osbourne

The Talk U.K. host revealed in September 2023 that she shed 42 pounds after using Ozempic earlier in the year.

“Whatever you choose is up to you,” she exclusively told E! News. “It’s not a dirty little secret when you’ve taken something to help you lose weight, which is perfectly fine.”

She added, “We don’t have to bulls–t.”

Kelly Osbourne

Sharon’s daughter has also weighed in on the Ozempic trend.

“I think it’s amazing,” the Fashion Police alum told E! News in January 2024. “There are a million ways to lose weight, why not do it through something that isn’t as boring as working out?”

Kate Winslet

The Titanic star, who was once a target for tabloids when it came to her weight, shared what she thought about the weight loss trend.

“I actually don’t know what Ozempic is,” Kate admitted to The New York Times Magazine in an interview published in March 2024. “All I know is that it’s some pill that people are taking or something like that.”

“Oh, my God,” Kate remarked after learning about the injectable. “This sounds terrible.”

Heidi Montag

The Hills star revealed in December 2023 that she’d recently lost 22 pounds—without taking Ozempic. “There’s no shortcuts in life. And if you’re taking that shortcut, I don’t know,” she told Page Six of other celebrities using the drug. “I don’t want to name names or get into it, it’s just nothing I would ever do.”

Heidi noted, “I want something that is sustainable. I want something that does also require hard work.”

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