Oprah Winfrey’s Latest Scandal, Explained

Oprah Winfrey has stirred up some controversy among her fans and colleagues. A few months back, Winfrey, 70, revealed that she is using an unspecified weight-loss drug. As a result, Oprah Winfrey is vacating her position on the board of WeightWatchers after almost 10 years. The former talk show host announced at the annual shareholders meeting this week that she has decided not to stand for reelection in May 2024. 

“I look forward to continuing to advise and collaborate with WeightWatchers and CEO Sima Sistani in elevating the conversation around recognizing obesity as a chronic condition, working to reduce stigma, and advocating for health equity,” Winfrey said in a statement. She said she planned to donate her shares in the company to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Winfrey served on the company’s board since 2015 when she acquired a 10% stake.

Thilo Semmelbauer, WeightWatchers’ chairman of the board, called Winfrey “an inspiring presence and passionate advocate” for all of the company’s members. “What I know for sure, we will dearly miss her presence on the Board,” he added.

The media mogul told PEOPLE in 2023 that she decided to start taking a weight-loss medication after realizing that weight management doesn’t hinge solely on a person’s self-control. “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.

That’s not to say Winfrey didn’t experience success with WeightWatchers. By 2017, she reportedly lost 42 pounds while on the program and was one of the company’s most prominent celebrity spokespeople, appearing in several ad campaigns.

In a world where weight-loss medications are becoming more and more commonplace, WeightWatchers has recently begun evolving its program to account for those taking prescription medications as a method to lose weight. However, Winfrey’s announcement drew a mixed response that reflected ongoing discourse around Hollywood’s embrace of Ozempic, a diabetes treatment that manages blood sugar levels, for weight loss.

Many celebrities — such as Chelsea Handler, Sharon Osbourne, Kelly Osbourne, Tracy Morgan, Real Housewives of Orange County star Emily Simpson, Amy Schumer, Real Housewives of New Jersey star Dolores Catania, Sheryl Underwood, and Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Heather Gay — have admitted to using Ozempic or Wegovy. The drug’s popularity has reportedly led to a global shortage, meaning that many patients with Type 2 diabetes have been unable to access it.