Amy Schumer calls on celebrities to stop lying about Ozempic
Comedian Amy Schumer said on Bravo's "Watch What Happens Live" that Ozempic left her too sick to function, and criticized celebrities who credit dramatic weight loss to eating less \u2014 a rare public note of caution during a wave of star disclosures.
Amy Schumer used an appearance on Bravo's "Watch What Happens Live" to say that Ozempic made her too sick to function, and to call out other public figures who attribute sudden, dramatic weight loss to "smaller portions." Her comments turned a celebrity gossip story into a question about honesty: when famous people change shape quickly, does the public deserve to know whether a prescription drug is involved?
The full transcript of Schumer's remarks is not included in the source material available here, so the exact wording of her quotes is not confirmed beyond the description of the segment. What is documented is the broader disclosure wave she was reacting to.
What the drugs actually are
Ozempic is semaglutide, approved to treat type 2 diabetes, with weight loss as a prominent side effect \u2014 which is why it is often prescribed off-label for weight loss [1]. The same molecule is approved for obesity under the name Wegovy [1]. Novo Nordisk, which makes Ozempic, has told TODAY.com that it does not support off-label use of its medications [1].
Eli Lilly makes the other major option: Mounjaro, approved for diabetes, and Zepbound, approved for obesity [1]. Both are tirzepatide.
That distinction matters in celebrity coverage, because the word "Ozempic" is frequently used as a catch-all. Several stars who have disclosed drug use were specific about the brand, and several were not.
Who has said what
TODAY maintains a running list of celebrities who have spoken openly about weight-loss medications, and the entries show how varied the accounts are [1].
Some describe clear benefit. Actor Eric Stonestreet said he takes Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes, a diagnosis he kept private for years out of shame, and called it "a game changer" that "changed my approach to eating, changed my approach to exercise" [1]. Oprah Winfrey told People in December 2023 that she uses an unspecified weight-loss drug "as I feel I need it, as a tool to manage not yo-yoing," and said she had spent years blaming herself for "a predisposition that no amount of willpower is going to control" [1].
Others describe real trouble. Podcast host Bunnie XO said she experienced "a bout of suicidal ideation" while taking a GLP-1, telling People it was "horrific" and that she had never had depression before [1]. Chrissy Teigen said she struggled with the loss of hunger cues, saying it was "frustrating" because "logically you need food to have energy" [1]. Savannah Chrisley said she initially stopped a weight-loss drug because of how it changed her appetite \u2014 "I love food" \u2014 before switching to tirzepatide [1].
And some push back on the framing that drugs are cheating. Serena Williams, who used a GLP-1 after her second child, told TODAY.com: "A misconception is that (a GLP-1 is) a shortcut" [1]. Meghan Trainor said she worked with a dietitian and a trainer and also "used science and support (shoutout to Mounjaro!)" after her second pregnancy [1].
Why it matters for patients
The practical issue Schumer raised is expectation-setting. When a public figure attributes rapid weight loss only to portion control, people trying the same approach may conclude that something is wrong with them when it does not work. When a public figure names a drug, the comparison becomes more accurate \u2014 but still incomplete, because celebrity accounts rarely include dose, duration, cost, insurance coverage or medical history.
Schumer's account also points to something the enthusiastic testimonials can crowd out: some people cannot tolerate these medications. Nausea and appetite suppression severe enough to interfere with daily life are part of the documented range of experiences, as are the mood effects Bunnie XO described [1].
The other gap is indication. Stonestreet takes Mounjaro for diabetes [1]. Others in the same list are using the drugs for weight after pregnancy or during menopause [1]. Those are different clinical situations with different risk calculations, and celebrity coverage tends to flatten them into one story.
What happens next
The disclosure wave did not stop with Schumer's comments. Winfrey's interview came in December 2023 [1], and TODAY's list has continued to grow with entries through 2025 [1]. Whether more stars name specific drugs \u2014 and whether they describe side effects as readily as results \u2014 remains the open question Schumer put on the table.
Sources
Semaglutides.org is for information only and is not medical advice. Always talk to a licensed healthcare provider about your own care. Some links to telehealth services are affiliate links, labeled where they appear.