(WJW) – While it’s known in polite company never to ask about someone’s weight, in American culture, we’ve been talking about Oprah Winfrey’s weight for decades.
And so has she.
"It was public sport to make fun of me for 25 years," she told People.
In an exclusive interview published Thursday, Winfrey, 69, revealed to People that she uses weight-loss medication as a maintenance tool to stay on top of things, and she says she’s "done" being shamed.
"Obesity is a disease," she told the outlet. "It’s not about willpower — it's about the brain."
Fans of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" will remember one of her most famous episodes from 1988, during which she wheeled out a red wagon filled with 67 pounds of animal fat — the same amount of weight she had recently lost.
Winfrey later said the segment was her biggest on-air regret. “It was one of the biggest ego trips of my life,” she told Entertainment Tonight in 2011.
Fast-forward to 2023, and Winfrey is telling People she has a better handle on her attitude toward weight.
"I realized I’d been blaming myself all these years for being overweight, and I have a predisposition that no amount of willpower is going to control,” she told the outlet.
Winfrey says her approach includes a lot of work, plus the weight-loss medication.
"I now use it as I feel I need it, as a tool to manage not yo-yoing," she said.
"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," she added.
Winfrey, in the interview, did not name the medication she's taking. But drugs like Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro have become popular weight-loss drugs over the last several years.
Winfrey revealed, however, that she's still hoping to lose a few more pounds to reach her goal weight of 160. But as long as she's healthy and happy, she says she's content with how the medication is working.
"It was a second shot for me to live a more vital and vibrant life," she told People.