By Megan Riedlinger
10:47am PDT, Oct 23, 2023
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These days, it seems a drug intended to treat diabetes is how Hollywood stars and other notable names are losing weight. Ozempic is all the rage… but which of your favorite characters have fessed up to using the medication to drop some weight? Join Wonderwall.com as we round them up…
Disgraced politician George Santos — a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York who in 2023 was indicted by a federal grand jury on multiple counts of everything from wire fraud, money laundering and making false statements to theft of public funds, falsifying records, aggravated identity theft and more — confirmed he's been using Ozempic since 2022.
"In January 2022, I weighed myself in at 350 pounds and I said, 'No. This has to change.' In December 2022, I weighed myself in before the New Year rang in and I was 251 pounds, so that's 99 pounds in a year," he said on an October 2023 episode of the podcast "Meghan McCain Has Entered the Chat," as reported by Page Six.
"I was pre-diabetic. It totally helped. I think the FDA should really consider looking into it and seeing it as an option for weight loss. Obesity is the number one cause of death in this country," he continued.
He further shared that he'll always be on the drug because of his pre-diabetes status: "It's fantastic," he said, adding, "I love it."
Keep reading for more stars who've revealed that they're taking the controversial drug…
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In May 2023, Sharon Osbourne opened up about her weight loss journey and the negative repercussions she faced. Though she didn't name Ozempic specifically, she shared on an episode of her U.K. show "The Talk" that she took an injectable weight loss drug for months. "The first couple of months, I just felt nauseous. Every day I felt nauseous, my stomach was upset," Sharon explained, "but I took it. I took it for four months and I lost 30 pounds, but like everything, there's always no quick recipe."
A few months later in September 2023, Sharon (seen here in August 2023) sparked concern about her weight when she appeared on talk TV's "Piers Morgan Uncensored" looking skinnier than ever. "I didn't want to go this thin," she admitted. (See the images that had everyone talking here.)
She also made headlines when she revealed on an episode of her family's "The Osbournes" podcast that every week, she goes "at least three days without eating."
The comments came a few weeks after she told E! News, "In my life, the heaviest I was 230 pounds and I'm now under a hundred. And I want to maintain at about 105 because I'm too skinny. But I'm trying to have a healthy balance." Sharon also said no one should be ashamed of using a drug to help with weight loss. "It's not a dirty little secret when you've taken something to help you lose weight, which is perfectly fine. We don't have to bulls***."
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These days, it seems a drug intended to treat diabetes is Hollywood's latest weight loss secret. Ozempic is all the rage… but which of your favorite stars have fessed up to using it drop weight? Wonderwall.com is rounding them up…
Amy Schumer shared her experience with Ozempic during a June 2023 appearance on "Watch What Happens Live" and explained that being a mom while on the drug was difficult. Though she lost weight, she also noted that the medication made her feel "so sick" that she was unable to play with her son. "I was so skinny and he's throwing a ball at me and [I couldn't]." This ultimately made her decide Ozempic was not for her.
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Slimmed-down comedian Tracy Morgan revealed on the Aug. 14, 2023, episode of the "Today" show that his "weight got lost" thanks to an Ozempic prescription and he "ain't letting it go." The "30 Rock" alum shared when he gets his weekly shot — "I take Ozempic every Thursday," he said — and revealed the semaglutide drug "cuts my appetite in half. Now I only eat half a bag of Doritos." He also works out. "I get up at 7 every morning, and I'm in the gym at 10," he said. "Then I go back to sleep. And that's my life."
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"The Real Housewives of New Jersey" star Dolores Catania has not been shy about discussing her Ozempic use. On an April 2023 episode of Page Six's "Virtual Reali-Tea" podcast, the Bravo star explained how she started on the drug, saying that she took it for medical reasons. "I'm going through menopause, I have a thyroid issue, I have inflammation and weight is hard to take off. And I work out, and I don't eat crazy, and I was gaining weight, and it's a lot of different layers… Let's just let everybody know," she said. She spoke about it again later that month on an episode of "Watch What Happens Live," explaining, "I wasn't going to come to [the] reunion looking bigger than anyone else, so I got on the bandwagon."
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In June 2023, Emily Simpson from "The Real Housewives of Orange County" opened up about her time on Ozempic. On the "Jeff Lewis Live" show, Emily revealed she was on the buzzy drug in December 2022. While it "worked amazing" and served as a "kick start" for a healthier lifestyle, she said, she ultimately stopped after losing about five pounds. "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," Emily shared. After getting off Ozempic, she underwent liposuction and a breast reduction in January 2023 and continued her journey toward a healthier lifestyle with an exercise regime she documented on Instagram.
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Chelsea Handler was taking version of Ozempic — and she didn't even know it! The comedian told a story on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast in January 2023 revealing that she only learned she was taking the popular weight loss drug when a friend who was also using it figured it out. Chelsea had been injecting a medication she got from her anti-aging doctor and was feeling nauseous — and her friend realized it was a side effect of semaglutide, the active ingredient in the buzzy name-brand drug. "I'm not on it anymore. I'm an irresponsible drug user, but I'm not gonna take a diabetic drug. I tried it, and I'm not gonna do that. That's not for me. That's not right for me," Chelsea explained.
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Golnesa Gharachedaghi, aka GG from Bravo's "Shahs of Sunset," took to Instagram to get real about Ozempic with her followers. The former reality star posted a video in March 2023 in which she explained, "I am on the weight-loss shots, honey, OK. I'm just not going to lie about it because I always keep it real about what is fake." She showed followers how she does the injection and also revealed she went from 137 to 126 pounds in four weeks.
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Margaret Josephs opened up to People magazine in April 2023 about her peptide and hormone replacement protocol, calling it "life-changing." The "Real Housewives of New Jersey" star raved about losing 22 pounds, explaining, "the peptides are giving me a new pep." Those peptides are similar to semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, though she didn't specify which brand she was taking.
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Clearly, Ozempic has caught the attention of the cast of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey." Newcomer Jennifer Fessler also fessed up to using the medication. She appeared on "Watch What Happens Live" in March 2023 and alluded to using Ozempic or something similar, sharing, "I did lose a lot of weight. I took peptides, and I don't know if you've heard of medications associated with [peptides] that help people lose weight." Host Andy Cohen pressed her further, asking specifically if she took Ozempic, to which she responded, "You said it, I didn't. But … whatever works, here I am."
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Tim McGraw and Faith Hill's eldest daughter, Gracie McGraw, has been open about her experience with Ozempic. She first revealed she was taking the drug in an Instagram post in March 2022, explaining that she tried it after being diagnosed with PCOS. "During my appointment with my endocrinologist I realized that may had been a factor in my issues with weight, so we decided to try a medicine to regulate my body more normally and create the tools to continue to keep my body and myself healthy as I get older… The medicine I'm taking has given me a body I haven't had in years (maybe ever?) in a good way though," she wrote. She followed up in May 2023 when she posted photos of herself in a bikini and a follower called out her use of the drug. In response, Gracie shared that she was no longer taking it, writing, "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." Mounjaro is another anti-diabetic medication; its active ingredient is tirzepatide, which works similarly to the semaglutide found in Ozempic and Wegovy.
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Influencer Remi Bader is among the famous faces who've copped to using Ozempic. She's also raised alarms. The social media star was put on the drug due to being pre-diabetic and insulin-resistant but once she stopped taking it, she had a big problem. Remi explained on the "Not Skinny But Not Fat" podcast in January 2023 that after going off the drug, she gained back double the amount of weight she had lost.
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Former "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" daughter Lauren Manzo was candid about her Ozempic experience in May 2023 on an episode of Page Six's "Virtual Reali-Tea" podcast. The former reality star shared her history of battling her weight, explaining that she was considered "morbidly obese" and had lap band surgery that resulted in the need for an emergency removal. "You guys have seen me struggle with this since I'm 20 years old, and it's been really hard for me, and I've lost a lot of weight from being on that whole Ozempic thing," Lauren explained on the podcast. She also shared that she took Mounjaro, another anti-diabetic drug similar to Ozempic, and found great success. "This is the one thing, even above weight loss surgery that has helped me a lot and cured me and mentally made me so much better. I'm really grateful for it," she said.
