Chelsea Handler says she was prescribed Ozempic without knowing what it was

Chelsea Handler said she was taking Ozempic without realizing it, an account that became shorthand for how casually some doctors were writing prescriptions for the drug.

Handler described the episode on the Call Her Daddy podcast. She said her anti-aging doctor "just hands it out to anybody," and that she did not understand she was on Ozempic until a friend described the same nausea she was having ^[1].

Ozempic is approved to treat Type 2 diabetes and has weight loss as a prominent side effect, so it is often prescribed off-label for that purpose ^[1]. The active ingredient in Ozempic, semaglutide, is also approved to treat obesity under the brand name Wegovy ^[1]. Novo Nordisk, which makes Ozempic, has previously said it does not support off-label use of its medications ^[1]. Two other drugs in the same broad category are Mounjaro, approved for diabetes, and Zepbound, approved for obesity, both made by Eli Lilly ^[1].

Handler's account is one of many from public figures who have described taking these medications. The details vary widely, and so do the outcomes.

What other celebrities have said

Renee Graziano of "Mob Wives" said she had lost 52 pounds on Mounjaro by May 2025 ^[1]. Savannah Chrisley said she stopped her first weight-loss drug because she disliked how it changed her appetite, then lost 25 pounds after switching to another one; her company, Good Girl RX, now sells GLP-1 medications ^[1]. Kelly Clarkson said on her talk show that she takes a weight-loss drug that is not Ozempic, and that she weighed about 203 pounds at her heaviest while standing 5 feet 3 1/2 inches ^[1]. Eric Stonestreet said he has taken Mounjaro for his Type 2 diabetes since before it reached the market in May 2022 ^[1]. Serena Williams said she turned to a GLP-1 after the birth of her second child, and Meghan Trainor said she used Mounjaro after her second pregnancy ^[1].

Not all the accounts are positive. Bunnie XO said in December 2025 that she had "a bout of suicidal ideation" while taking a GLP-1, and described the period as one of the darkest times of her life ^[1]. She said she tried the drug because both of her parents had diabetes, and she told People she is "good now" ^[1].

Why it matters for patients

Handler's story is not about weight-loss results. It is about a patient not knowing which medication she had been given.

That distinction has practical consequences. Ozempic and Wegovy contain the same molecule, semaglutide, but they carry different approved uses ^[1]. Mounjaro and Zepbound are different products from a different manufacturer, Eli Lilly ^[1]. A patient who does not know the name on their prescription record has no straightforward way to look up the drug's approved use, its listed warnings, or how it might interact with other medicines they take.

The accounts above also show that these drugs are not one thing. The range runs from Graziano's 52 pounds and Chrisley's 25 pounds to Bunnie XO's report of suicidal thoughts while on a GLP-1 ^[1]. Naming the drug and the reason it was prescribed is the starting point for checking how it is meant to be used and what to watch for.

Handler's case is also a reminder that "Ozempic" is often used as a catch-all term for a group of drugs with different makers, different molecules and different approvals — a shorthand that can blur which medication a person is actually taking ^[1].

What happens next

It has not been reported whether Handler is still taking Ozempic or whether she changed doctors after the podcast appearance. No regulatory action tied to her account has been announced, and the maker of Ozempic has not issued a statement about it ^[1].