Oprah Winfrey has once again sparked conversation across social media over her dramatically slimmed-down appearance.
The 71-year-old media icon, who has been open about her evolving relationship with health and weight, posed for a new Oprah’s Book Club portrait that left fans stunned.
With her comments turned off on the post, speculation mounted quickly, especially regarding her confirmed use of weight loss medication.
On Tuesday, Oprah shared a self-portrait with her 22.5 million Instagram followers to promote Elizabeth Gilbert’s memoir ‘All the Way to the River.’
Dressed in a vibrant, V-neck blouse and leather trousers, the former talk show host looked confident, radiant and noticeably slimmer.
Oprah on weight loss medication
Oprah has long been candid about her decades-long struggle with weight, often speaking publicly about her experiences with dieting, body image, and public scrutiny.
But her admission in late 2023 that she had turned to GLP-1 weight loss medication marked a major shift, especially after previously calling such drugs an “easy way out.”
Oprah revealed that she had lost around 50 pounds with the help of a doctor-prescribed GLP-1, a class of medications originally designed for type-2 diabetes but now widely used to support weight loss.
“I now use it as I feel I need it, as a tool to manage not yo-yoing,” She told People in a December 2023 interview.
“I’m absolutely done with the shaming, from other people and particularly from myself.” This transparency followed years of denying her use of weight loss medications while facing ongoing public speculation.
Her journey toward transformation began in earnest in 2021, after undergoing knee surgery, which became a turning point.
“After knee surgery, I started hiking and setting new distance goals each week,” she said, explaining that the physical rehabilitation opened the door to new habits and a fresh mindset.
By mid-2023, Oprah made the decision to change her approach for good.
‘She looks so different’
Netizens took to social media platforms and raised their concerns. A user noted, “She’s been extremely overweight all her life. Ozempic is a godsend for her. Unfortunately the craze for that drug for vanity usage has created a shortage for people who need it to live.”
Another claimed, “Big pharmaceutical marketing.” “Live your whole like Ms. Winfrey! Y’all really need to stop because Oprah is the Queen of everything!!! You look happy, confident and snatched,” added a user.
“Right, it’s the shaming that bothers her, not the yo-yoing or being fat. I love when a billionaire blames the rest of the world for their problems instead of just going to therapy,” added another user.