Oprah Winfrey is opening up about her decision to leave the WeightWatchers board.
The 70-year-old media mogul appeared in a recent episode. Jimmy Kimmel LiveShe revealed that she was resigning from her position on the WeightWatchers board of directors after nearly a decade due to an upcoming special on the prescription weight loss drug.
“I decided to do this feature because it was really important to me and I wanted to be able to talk about whatever I wanted to talk about, and WeightWatchers is now in the business of being a weight health company that also manages medications for weight loss. “I didn’t want to give any appearance of a conflict of interest,” Winfrey said.
The former talk show host acknowledged that she resigned from the board as a result of the TV special titled “The Oprah Special: Shame, Blame, and the Weight Loss Revolution,” which airs March 18 on ABC. She later donated her entire stake in the company to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
“So no one can say, ‘Oh, that person is doing something special.’ She's making money and getting publicity.' no. You can’t say that,” Winfrey emphasized. Asked by Kimmel if he cried when WeightWatchers announced his resignation, the filmmaker said, “I almost cried.”
In February, Winfrey announced that she was resigning from the WeightWatchers board of directors. The Oscar winner first became involved with the company when she used her weight loss program for herself, and she has since acquired a significant stake, and she became a member of its board of directors in 2015. In her statement, Winfrey noted that she will continue to engage with the message behind WeightWatchers. .
“I look forward to continuing to advise and collaborate with WeightWatchers and CEO Sima Sistani in recognizing obesity as a chronic disease, working to reduce stigma, and advocating for health equity,” she said.
“Weight health is a very important topic and one that needs to be addressed on a broader scale. I plan to participate in several public forums and events where I can use my voice to advance this conversation,” Winfrey added.
The announcement comes just months after the billionaire revealed he was using prescription weight loss drugs. Winfrey didn't name the brand of weight loss pills, but praised the pills for helping him live a healthier lifestyle while he has faced scrutiny about his weight throughout his career.
Winfrey explained in an interview with Kimmel that after rehab following knee surgery in 2021, she was initially inspired to lose weight without using weight-loss drugs. But doctors told the OWN founder that “obesity is a disease” and that her weight would always fluctuate.
“I’ve been in a whirlwind of weight loss and recovery. Losing weight, gaining it back, listening to doctors and realizing, you always put it back on, is like holding your breath underwater and trying not to get up,” she explained.
Prescription medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro have recently become popular due to their off-label weight loss side effects. Ozempic is a once-weekly injection used to treat type 2 diabetes that works by mimicking the hormones that regulate appetite and make you feel full. Wegovy is another semaglutide injectable specifically approved for the treatment of obesity and weight loss, and Mounjaro is the first diabetes drug to target a second hormone, GIP.
Winfrey's feature, “Shame, Blame, and the Weight Loss Revolution,” discusses questions and concerns about the popular semaglutide, or glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) injections, as well as the effects of prescription weight loss drugs. The special airs Monday, March 18th at 8pm ET on ABC.