Oprah Winfrey opens up about her weight loss; says, “Was made fun of for 25 years'

Oprah Winfrey is once again using her platform to spark honest dialogue, this time about body image, shame, and the complex path to weight loss. In an interview with People magazine, Oprah opened up about how she internalised decades of public scrutiny and how her relationship with her body evolved over time.

“It was public sport to make fun of me for 25 years. I have been blamed and shamed, and I blamed and shamed myself,” Oprah told People, as she reflected on the immense pressure and ridicule she faced throughout her career.

In 2021 she underwent knee surgery. What began as physical therapy soon transformed into an active lifestyle. “I could eventually hike three to five miles every day. I felt stronger, more fit, and more alive than I’d felt in years,” she said.

Oprah Winfrey also revealed she now uses a doctor-prescribed GLP-1 medication to support her weight goals, though she did not disclose the name. She called it a “tool” to help her avoid the cycle of yo-yo dieting. “I have a predisposition that no amount of willpower is going to control. I now use it as I feel I need it,” she said.

Still, she insists medication is just one part of a much larger picture. “It’s not one thing, it’s everything. I know that if I’m not also working out and being vigilant, it doesn’t work for me,” she emphasised.

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Oprah has also spoken about the stigma she’s faced due to her weight. From condescending treatment in stores to being subtly shamed on red carpets, she said, “There is stigma.” One especially painful memory dates back to the 1980s, when she was told to lose weight before a TV appearance. “I just sat there smiling breezily, wanting nothing more than to crawl under my chair,” she recalled in her 2017 book Food, Health, and Happiness.

She no longer chases a number on the scale. “I don’t have a goal in mind, I’ll know what it is when I get there,” she had said in a 2020 Q&A with WeightWatchers.