Dr. Phil Says Stars Shouldn't Be Shamed for Using Ozempic, Critics Should 'Mind Their Own Damn Business'
“I say more power to ‘em and don’t feel guilty about it," the 73-year-old said
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Dr. PhilDr. Phil McGraw is joining the conversation about Ozempic trending for weight loss.
In an interview with Extra, published May 31, the TV personality, 73, gave his opinion on those who are taking Ozempic, an FDA-approved prescription medication for people with type 2 diabetes.
It's one of the brand names for semaglutide — also known as Wegovy — which works in the brain to impact satiety. Over the past year it has become very popular for weight loss, both in and out of Hollywood.
The Dr. Phil star said it “drives me crazy” when headlines say that celebrities “admit” to using the medication.
“‘Admits’ suggests some kind of wrongdoing, like they’re confessing having done something wrong,” he told the outlet. “First off, what business is it of anybody else how someone is managing their health?”
“If someone is using a tool to help them get back to health, help them lose weight, which takes the pressure off their heart, this isn’t something they should be criticized about,” he continued. “I say more power to ‘em and don’t feel guilty about it and don’t be shamed from people saying something about it. Tell them to mind their own damn business.”
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Dr. PhilMcGraw’s comments come as he was discussing his longtime friend Oprah Winfrey revealing that she has been using a weight-loss medication after years of struggling with her health.
"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," Winfrey told PEOPLE in December. "Obesity is a disease. It’s not about willpower — it's about the brain."
Once she understood the science behind it, Winfrey said she "released my own shame about it" and consulted her doctor, who prescribed a weight-loss medication. "I now use it as I feel I need it, as a tool to manage not yo-yoing," she said, opting not to name the specific drug she takes.
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"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, and not something to hide behind and once again be ridiculed for,” she said at the time. “I’m absolutely done with the shaming from other people and particularly myself."
Winfrey is aware of the buzz around her body size, especially as the use of medications like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro for weight loss has surged in popularity. But she stressed it has not been a magic bullet or singular solution.
"It’s everything," she said of her all-encompassing health and fitness routine. "I know everybody thought I was on it, but I worked so damn hard. I know that if I’m not also working out and vigilant about all the other things, it doesn’t work for me."
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