In a recent interview with Page Six , fitness instructor Jillian Michaels expressed her concerns about Oprah Winfrey’s potential financial gains from the weight loss drug Ozempic.
Michaels, known for her no-nonsense approach to fitness and health, believes that celebrities like Winfrey should not be considered as health experts. She urges people to research medications like Ozempic before considering their use.
While speculating Oprah’s alleged involvement, Michaels points out WeightWatchers, where the former talk show host reportedly purchased a 10 percent stake in 2015. To note, WeightWatchers has expanded its services to include “doctor-led access to prescription medication,” which now includes Ozempic, a Type 2 diabetes medication. “Oprah has a financial incentive with Ozempic,” Michaels claimed in an exclusive interview with the outlet. “Oprah, I believe, is one of the biggest shareholders of WeightWatchers, and WeightWatchers is now in the Ozempic business. “I believe [WeightWatchers] bought a company that provides access to these drugs, now there is a financial interest in these drugs. I think it’s important to put that out there right off the bat.” While a rep for Winfrey has not commented on her claims, Michaels also did another interview with Fox News where she warned against using the drug and the celebrities who keep promoting it:
“If it was the easy way out, I would recommend it,” Michaels said during her Fox interview. “I’d be like, ‘Fantastic, let me get in the business. Let me get my app on board. Let me sell these drugs through my app.’ Just like Weight Watchers. “Of course, I would get in line and profit like crazy if I didn’t really believe these things were bad, based on the research that’s already out there.”
RELATED: Y’All Agree? Oprah Winfrey Says Taking Ozempic Is “The Easy Way Out” To A Slimmer Figure
As some are aware, Ozempic was originally approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes. However, the medication has interestingly been prescribed off-brand for weight loss.
Michaels went on to emphasize that celebrities should not be regarded as health experts, nutritionists, or fitness professionals. While they may have personal experiences and success stories, it does not make them qualified to provide medical advice.
“All these celebrities are not health experts,” Michaels said. “They’re not nutritionists. They’re not fitness experts. And they don’t spend all day talking to doctors.”
Jillian Michaels wants people to research Ozempic and any other medication they may want to take before making a decision.
“Every medication, whether it’s antibiotics or vaccines, have a cost-benefit analysis. They all have side effects,” she noted. “So, when we look at Ozempic and all of those drugs there are many side effects from extremely nefarious to just absolutely s—ty, no pun intended.”
More On Oprah Winfrey:
Late last year, Oprah admitted to using weightless medication… without naming Ozempic.
While exclusively speaking with PEOPLE, she said, I had an awareness of [weight-loss] medications, but felt I had to prove I had the willpower to do it. I now no longer feel that way. She added, “I was actually recommending it to people long before I was on it myself.”
“I now use it as I feel I need it, as a tool to manage not yo-yoing,” she says. “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. I’m absolutely done with the shaming from other people and particularly myself.”