Celebs Who Look Totally Different After Using Weight-Loss Medications Like Ozempic

When it comes to weight-loss solutions, it feels like Ozempic is everywhere right now. While some people say it should be left to its originally intended purpose of treating diabetes, others enthusiastically tout its slimming benefits. To get the skinny (no pun intended), Glam spoke exclusively to Dr. Amy Lee, founder of Nucific. Her take? There's more than a grain of truth to Ozempic's effective reputation. "Ozempic contains the ingredient semaglutide, and those who use it for weight management can often start seeing a change in their weight as early as the 2nd or 3rd month," says Dr. Lee. "We are talking about 15.8% weight loss in 68 weeks of time vs. the use of an older generation medication, which is typically 5%. So it is a very powerful class of medication that has evolved to be used for both sugar control and weight management."

With numbers like that, it's no wonder that Ozempic use has skyrocketed, especially among the Hollywood elite, who endure endless scrutiny and often have better means to pay for the pricey treatment. "In the past eight years of my career at my current weight loss company, the use of this class of medications known as GLP1 has increased at least 200%," says Dr. Lee. And this demand isn't just for name-brand Ozempic — patients are also asking for similar drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound, showing the widespread demand for weight-loss options.

Of course, these treatments aren't without risk. The risks of using the diabetes drug even include a phenomenon called "Ozempic face," which contributes to sagging skin and jowls. However, that hasn't deterred some big-name stars from trying out weight-loss medications like Ozempic. From funny woman Rebel Wilson to singer-turned-talk-show host Kelly Clarkson, many celebs look totally different after taking GLP1 drugs.

Actor and comedian Rebel Wilson made her name by being a larger-than-life screen presence, an image that initially hinged on her looks as well as her boisterous personality. Her breakout role in 2012's "Pitch Perfect" was even called Fat Amy, and the movie's contract forbade her from losing more than 10 pounds. In short, the industry had certain expectations for Wilson, and it's only in recent years that she's taken steps to redefine those expectations, from pursuing different film roles to prioritizing her physical health.

There have been various starts, stops, and stages throughout Rebel Wilson's complete weight-loss journey. At first, people around the "Senior Year" star actually discouraged her efforts to lose weight. As Wilson told CBS News, "My agents were against [my] losing weight because they thought, 'Well, you've got such a ... valuable pigeonhole — being the fat, funny girl — so we don't really want you to lose that.'"

Despite these naysayers, Wilson started making efforts to change her lifestyle, such as getting a personal trainer and switching up her eating habits. In fact, the bulk of her weight loss was through nothing but sweat, tears, and hard work — a fact that her trainer, Jono Castano, has celebrated. "Friday vibes but @rebelwilson has been putting in the yards 7 days a week! Proud of you gurl," Castano posted on Instagram in January 2020. Eventually, Wilson's efforts included trying Ozempic to help her maintain all of the progress she'd made. "Someone like me could have a bottomless appetite for sweets, so I think those drugs can be good," she told The Times in early 2024, though she eventually gave up the injections, happy to keep her frame "still curvy and solid."

From acting in classics like "The Color Purple" to building a publishing empire, Oprah Winfrey has spent a lot of time in the public eye. Sadly, a lot of this attention was focused not on Winfrey's many achievements, but on her fluctuating weight, which she battled to stabilize for decades. From Weight Watchers to Ozempic, Oprah Winfrey's weight-loss transformation has been a regular talking point. As Winfrey told People in 2023, "It was public sport to make fun of me for 25 years. ... I was on the cover of some magazine and it said, 'Dumpy, Frumpy, and Downright Lumpy.'"

Winfrey's struggle wasn't just physical; she also felt like she had no willpower. "I have been blamed and shamed," she continued, "And I blamed and shamed myself." Winfrey finally reached a tipping point in her relationship with her own body after having knee surgery in 2021. The talk-show host started setting herself distance goals for daily and weekly walks, an approach that helped change her outlook on wellness. Moreover, she gave herself the grace to try weight-loss injectables like Ozempic without worrying about anyone else's opinions.

"I now use [an unnamed weight loss drug] as I feel I need it, as a tool to manage not yo-yoing," Winfrey added to People. "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." Summing up her new philosophy on weight loss and health, she concluded, "I'm absolutely done with the shaming from other people and particularly myself."

Award-winning actor Kathy Bates' long and varied career has spanned from titles like "Misery" and "Fried Green Tomatoes" to appearances on "American Horror Story." However, one thing has been a constant: her difficulties with food and body image. "I ate because I was afraid, and I ate because it was an FU to my self-esteem," she told People in 2024.

In fact, it took health issues to push Bates out of her comfort zone and into some positive lifestyle changes — namely, when she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes circa 2017. "[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," she confessed to People. Bates started listening more closely to her hunger signals, setting aside food once her body gave an "involuntary sigh" of fullness. She also started cutting out the less-nutritious mainstays of her diet — such as burgers, pizza, and soda — and would no longer eat after 8 p.m.

Over seven years, she lost about 80 pounds through sheer determination. Then, she lost a further 20 pounds by trying out weight-loss injectables. "There's been a lot of talk that I just was able to do this because of Ozempic," Bates said, reflecting on her weight loss. "But I have to impress upon people out there that this was hard work for me, especially during the pandemic. It's very hard to say you've had enough."

Beloved actor and "The View" co-host Whoopi Goldberg isn't usually preoccupied with her appearance. She's never been very interested in fashion, and she's one of those celebrities who proudly show off their gray hair — looking all the more fabulous for it. However, Goldberg started to think critically about the intersection of her looks and her health after a rude comment from a film-goer.

Referencing her 2022 film "Till" in a 2024 interview on "The Kelly Clarkson Show," Goldberg revealed, "I made a movie and the woman thought I was wearing a fat suit. ... I was indignant. I was like, 'This is not a fat suit. This is me!'" The comedian went on to explain that, with so many other things going on in her life, her weight hadn't been a priority. But after the comments around her appearance in "Till," Goldberg realized that she wanted to make some changes in her physicality and come down from her weight of about 300 pounds. "When you realize it, you go, 'Well, damn.' And everyone says, 'Well, I thought you knew!'"

One of the steps Goldberg took was trying weight-loss injectables. Speaking to Clarkson, the "Sister Act" star hinted, "I am doing that wonderful shot that works for folks who need some help, and it's been really good for me." On "The View," Goldberg further revealed that she was using Mounjaro — a different type 2 diabetes drug that, like Ozempic, can contribute to weight loss. And it certainly seems that Goldberg's new lifestyle has made a huge difference. As she proudly told Clarkson, "I've lost almost two people."

Kelly Clarkson's talk show guests aren't the only ones reaping the benefits of weight-loss drugs. While Clarkson specifies that she's never tried Ozempic, she has admitted to using another unnamed treatment. "Mine is a different one than people assume, but I ended up having to do that too because my bloodwork got so bad," she revealed during that same on-screen conversation with Whoopi Goldberg. Unlike many other image-conscious celebs, Clarkson's decision to try weight-loss drugs didn't come after years of self-recrimination. "I was never insecure about it. ... I was happy," she told Goldberg, explaining that she didn't recognize how her weight had gradually snuck up on her or how it was impacting her overall health. "My doctor chased me for two years, and I was like, 'No, I'm afraid of it. I already have thyroid problems.'"

It was only after watching back a 2023 taping of her Birthday at the Belasco concert in Los Angeles, where she'd performed her entire "Chemistry" album in honor of her 41st, that Clarkson realized she didn't recognize herself. "I was like, 'Who the f*** is that?'" she recalled. This was the push she needed to accept a prescription, though she still hasn't named the particular drug. "Everybody thinks it's Ozempic, but it's not. It's something else. It's something that aids in helping break down the sugar. Obviously, my body doesn't do it right," the "Stronger" singer explained.

Ultimately, the most important factor is that Clarkson and other patients are happy with their health, both physically and mentally. And with weight-loss drugs quickly saturating the market, we're bound to get more and more candid reports, especially as experts like Dr. Terry Dubrow from "Botched" advocate to stop shaming users of the "miracle" drug Ozempic.