‘Matlock’ Star Kathy Bates Slams Critics Who Say All Her Weight Loss Came From Ozempic

Kathy Bates is shutting down critics who give Ozempic all the credit for her 100-pound weight loss.

The Matlock actress, 77, addressed the comments about her significant weight loss in an interview with Variety published Wednesday, revealing that while she did use the type 2 diabetes medication, it was only after years of slow progress that she introduced the drug.

“People say, ‘Well, it was the Ozempic.’ F— you, it was the Ozempic! It took me years to do this,” she told the outlet. “I got this diagnosis about diabetes — my father died of it; his mother died of it; one of my sisters is in peril. When they said ‘diabetes,’ I figured out what to do to slowly, over years, lose the weight.”

“And then when Ozempic came along, I was able to lose the last 15 to 20 pounds and keep it off,” she added.

Losing 100 pounds has been an emotional process for Bates. The Oscar winner recalled an instance in which she “melted down” after being given clothes to try on by her new stylist.

“She had a beautiful dress for me to try. I looked at it on the hanger, and I thought, ‘That’s not gonna fit.’ I put it on, and it fit, and I just melted down,” she revealed. “I just started crying and crying.”

“I’m still figuring out what it’s like to be without all of that weight,” the CBS star continued. “What was it for? What was I hiding myself from? What are the emotions that are pouring out because I don’t have that armor? It just really surprised me, really shocked me.”

Bates has been open about her weight loss over the years, revealing that it was her type 2 diabetes diagnosis in 2017 that inspired her to make a change.

“I ate because I was afraid, and I ate because it was a FU to my self-esteem,” she told PEOPLE in 2024. “[Diabetes] runs in my family, and I’d seen what my father had gone through. He had had a leg amputation. One of my sisters is dealing with it very seriously, and it terrified me. It scared me straight.”