In a world that glorifies toned bodies, some people are willing to do whatever it takes to feel more confident when they look in the mirror.
Naturally, the pressure to be slim can feel especially urgent for those in the spotlight.
Ozempic—the commercial name for semaglutide—provides an alternative route to weight loss. The drug is actually an anti-diabetic medication used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and hasn’t received FDA approval for external purposes.
Still, stars have been injecting themselves with it—or the similar anti-diabetic drug, Mounjaro—raving about its rapid changes or warning their fans about its negative side effects.
Below, Bored Panda presents a list of 17 celebrities who have admitted to using the medication in the past.
#1 Sharon Osbourne
The English TV personality had to stop taking Ozempic after losing much more weight than she intended to.
The process of watching the number go down on the scale as the months progressed became addictive to Sharon. "I couldn't stop losing weight, and I can't afford to lose anymore," the mother said.
The former "X-Factor" judge says she lost over 45 lbs (20 kilos) on the medication, and her weight fell down to 97 lbs (43 kilos).
Sharon recently told The Guardian that she stopped injecting herself with the drug and has "finally become more accepting" of her body.
Image credits: Loose Women
#2 Oprah Winfrey
The iconic television host lost more than 40 lbs (18 kg) over recent months.
After vowing she'd never use Ozempic because it was the "easy way out," Oprah revealed during a December 2023 interview with People that she has since changed her mind about anti-diabetic medications. Now, she sees them "as a tool to manage not yo-yoing."
"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.
The 70-year-old has also changed her lifestyle, starting by "clearing out" her fridge. Another healthy habit she implemented is drinking a gallon of water each day.
Image credits: CBS Evening News
#3 Chelsea Handler
The 49-year-old comedian was unaware that she had been prescribed Ozempic.
Once she realized what she had been taking, she decided to stop using it.
"'So, my anti-aging doctor just hands it out to anybody," Chelsea explained while on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast in January 2023.
"I didn't even know I was on it. If you ever want to drop five pounds, this is good."
The stand-up comedian discovered she had been on Ozempic while chatting with one of her friends, who told her that she had been feeling nauseous due to the drug.
When Chelsea revealed that she had been feeling the same way after injecting herself with semaglutide, her friend exclaimed, "That's Ozempic!"
Image credits: Chelsea Handler
#4 Elon Musk
Tesla’s CEO revealed that he lost over 20 pounds (9 kilos) while taking the drug.
When someone inquired about the secret behind his physical transformation in October 2022, Elon responded, "Fasting + Ozempic/Wegovy."
"Does it give you those nasty burps? Taste like rotten eggs lol ugh," someone asked the 52-year-old on his platform, X (formerly known as Twitter).
"Yeah, next-level," the billionaire responded.
Unlike Ozempic, Wegovy—another brand name for semaglutide— has received FDA approval for weight loss.
Image credits: Ben Shapiro
#5 Robbie Williams
"Babe, I'm on Ozempic," Robbie told The Times in October 2023. "Well, something like Ozempic."
The British singer-songwriter lost 25 pounds (over 11 kilos), a change he referred to as a "Christmas miracle."
The singer-songwriter disclosed that he struggles with body dysmorphia.
According to the NHS, body dysmorphic disorder is a mental health condition where a person spends a lot of time worrying about flaws in their appearance. These flaws are often unnoticeable to others.
"I need it, medically. I've been diagnosed with type 2 self-loathing," the 50-year-old "Angels" singer said.
Image credits: Robbie Williams
#6 Boy George
"I have struggled with my weight most of my life, and being under public and media scrutiny doesn't help," the British singer wrote in his memoir, "Karma: My Autobiography."
The Culture Club star admitted to taking Ozempic before switching to Mounjaro, a similar drug with a main active ingredient of tirzepatide.
"I love food, and I can't control my appetite, but I think I have finally got it under control," the musician, who previously underwent an abdominoplasty surgery, wrote.
"Well, I'm on Mounjaro. Isn't everyone? Trust me, anyone who was fat last year and is not skinny is on the wonder drug."
Image credits: 60 Minutes Australia
#7 Amy Schumer
During an interview on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen" in June 2023, Amy confirmed that she did try Ozempic but gave it up due to its negative side effects.
"I was one of those people that felt so sick and couldn't play with my son. I was so skinny," the comedian said.
“And you're like, ‘OK, this isn't livable for me.’”
Additionally, Amy revealed that she underwent liposuction, a type of surgery that uses suction to remove fat from specific areas of the body.
“I just wanted to say that because if anybody sees me in pictures or anything and they're like, ‘She looks thinner, and whatever’: It's because I had a surgery.”
Image credits: The View
#8 Remi Bader
Remi explained that after she stopped using the drug, she gained back twice the weight that she had lost.
"I was like, 'I bet the second I go off I'm going to get starving again,'" she told the "Not Skinny But Not Fat" podcast in January.
"And I did. My binging got so much worse, so then I kind of blame Ozempic. I gained double the weight back after.
"I saw a doctor, and they were like, 'It's 100% because you went on Ozempic.'"
The TikTok star and plus-size model was prescribed the drug when she was diagnosed with prediabetes, a condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes.
Image credits: Remi Jo
#9 Tracy Morgan
Tracy revealed that taking Ozempic "cut [his] appetite in half."
During an appearance on the "Today Show" in August 2023, the stand-up comedian said he injected himself with the drug once a week to aid with weight loss.
When the "30 Rock" actor was complimented on the show for working out and looking healthy, he said, "No, that's Ozempic."
"That's how this weight got lost. I went and got a prescription, and I got Ozempic. And I ain't letting it go!"
"It cuts my appetite in half. Now I only eat half a bag of Doritos."
The side effects of Ozempic include severe abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and gastroparesis (a disorder that slows or stops the movement of food from your stomach to your small intestine), according to research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Image credits: The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
#10 Kelly Osbourne
The daughter of Ozzy and Sharon sparked controversy after praising Ozempic as "amazing" and saying those who criticized it are "pissed off" they can’t bear the cost of getting the medication.
"There are a million ways to lose weight — why not do it through something that isn't as boring as working out?" Kelly said while speaking to E! Online in February.
"People hate on it because they want to do it," she added. "And the people who hate on it the most are the people who are secretly doing it or pissed off that they can't afford it."
The TV personality shared that losing weight was "miserable" and "a lot of work," but ultimately, she became "really happy with the results."
Image credits: Kelly Osbourne
#11 Golnesa "Gg" Gharachedaghi
"Shahs of Sunset" alum Golnesa Gharachedaghi didn't mention the name "Ozempic," but she said she had been using a generic version of semaglutide to help with weight loss.
"I did what all the people are doing and lying about. I'm on the weight-loss shots, honey, okay?" GG said in a video shared on Instagram.
"I'm just not gonna lie about it because I always keep it real about what is fake."
In June 2023, the 42-year-old shared a concerning health update in which she announced that she would be "cutting back" on the drug.
"When I started semaglutide shots, I was 138 lbs [62 kilos]. Now, I'm about 110 lbs [almost 50 kilos]. As you can see, I've lost a little more weight than I was anticipating to lose."
Image credits: Golnesa 'GG' Gharachedaghi
#12 Patti Stanger
Patti's Ozempic journey was short-lived, lasting only three weeks. The reality TV star decided to quit its use due to the drug's challenging side effects.
"I got the worst acid reflux. And I was not feeling good," the CEO of the professional matchmaking service "Millionaire's Club International" explained on the "Behind the Velvet Rope" podcast in February 2023.
Hoping for a change, Patti then switched to Mounjaro, a drug that many of her friends had raved about. She didn't experience the same side effects while taking this medication.
Image credits: The Real Daytime
#13 Gracie Mcgraw
The 26-year-old daughter of Tim McGraw and Faith Hill revealed on social media that she jumped on the Ozempic craze last year.
Now, she's on a "low dose" of Mounjaro.
Gracie takes the medication for her polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This hormonal disorder can lead to irregular periods, abnormal hair growth, weight gain, oily skin or acne, thinning hair, and infertility.
"I did use Ozempic last year, yes. I am now on a low dose of Mounjaro for my PCOS, as well as working out. No need to accuse when I have been open about it," Gracie wrote on Instagram.
Image credits: Gracie McGraw
#14 Heather Gay
Heather didn't notice a significant body transformation after taking Ozempic.
"I've been on it for a long time, but hadn't really seen much results," the "Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" star told People last November.
She also mentioned that people have been treating her differently since her weight loss.
"You lose five pounds, people are nicer to you," the 49-year-old said.
"I don't know why. It's just the way the world works, and that makes me sad for women."
"But I'm happy that I'm down five."
Image credits: E! News
#15 Dolores Catania
The "Real Housewives of New Jersey" star explained that she began taking Ozempic because she didn't want to look "bigger" than her castmates.
"I wasn't going to come to the reunion looking any bigger than anyone else, so I got on the bandwagon," Dolores told Andy Cohen on "Watch What Happens Live" in June 2023.
After dropping 20 pounds (9 kilos), she quit the injectable medication because it was too expensive.
"But being healthy and living a healthy lifestyle is cheap — it's free!" she told The U.S Sun.
"I work out regularly. There is no easy fix for weight loss, and I have to watch what I eat."
Image credits: Dolo Catania
#16 Emily Simpson
Emily started taking the medication last December after a doctor suggested she may be prediabetic.
The "Real Housewives of Orange County" star said Ozempic helped her kick unhealthy habits like "grazing" and "not really paying attention" to her nutrition.
Eventually, she quit the medication because it drained her energy.
"I didn't like the way it made me feel lethargic, and it made me just not have a lot of energy, which was hard with three little kids, but it does make you feel full," she said.
Image credits: Emily Simpson
#17 Lauren Manzo
Lauren started struggling with weight loss fluctuation in her twenties.
"You guys have seen me struggle with [my weight] since [I was] 20 years old, and it's been really hard for me," the 35-year-old said in May 2023 while appearing on Page Six's "Virtual Reali-Tea" podcast.
"I've lost a lot of weight from being on that whole Ozempic thing."
The daughter of "Real Housewives of New Jersey" star Caroline Manzo also revealed she lost 30 pounds (13 kilos) on Mounjaro.
Image credits: Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
