Elon Musk calls himself "Ozempic Santa" and says he takes Mounjaro

Elon Musk posted a photo of himself in a Santa costume on Christmas Day with the caption "Ozempic Santa," then noted that the drug he actually takes is Mounjaro ^[1]. Axios reported the Dec. 25 post the following day and described it as a marker of how mainstream weight-loss medications have become ^[1].

In a follow-up post on X, Musk wrote, "Technically, Mounjaro, but that doesn't have the same ring to it" ^[1]. Axios said he showed off a trimmer figure in the photo and revealed he has been taking an anti-obesity drug to shed pounds ^[1]. Musk did not say how long he has been taking it, at what dose, or under whose care; those details have not been reported ^[1].

Mounjaro, Ozempic and Wegovy are part of a class of drugs known as GLP-1 agonists, which Axios describes as potential game-changers for patients with obesity and diabetes and for people at risk of heart attack and stroke ^[1]. The same article notes the drugs have also grown popular among patients who do not necessarily need them for those conditions, and that interest from celebrities and TikTokers has helped drive shortages for patients who need them ^[1].

Musk is not the first public figure to talk about using one of these drugs. Comedian Jim Gaffigan told People magazine in November that he had used Mounjaro to lose weight ^[1]. Singer Kelly Clarkson said in a May episode of her show that she had been taking a medication to help her lose weight after her "bloodwork got so bad," though she did not name the drug ^[1].

Musk has also weighed in on price and access. "Nothing would do more to improve the health, lifespan and quality of life for Americans than making GLP inhibitors super low cost to the public," he wrote in an X post earlier in December ^[1]. Axios notes that high price tags and insurance restrictions have made the drugs difficult to access for many everyday Americans ^[1].

Why it matters for patients

The post itself is a celebrity moment, not a change in how these drugs are regulated, priced or prescribed ^[1]. Nothing in it alters insurance restrictions or eases a shortage ^[1]. Musk's own correction does point to a practical detail: Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro are different products, and using "Ozempic" as shorthand for all of them can blur which drug is which ^[1].

Two policy fights are running alongside the jokes. In November, the Biden administration proposed a rule that would require Medicare and Medicaid to cover anti-obesity drugs ^[1]. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Trump's nominee for Health and Human Services secretary, has criticized the use of Ozempic, putting him at odds with that proposal and with Musk's stated position ^[1]. How those two threads resolve would affect patients far more directly than any holiday post ^[1].

What happens next

The Medicare and Medicaid coverage proposal was put forward in November and would have to move through federal rulemaking; no timeline for it has been reported ^[1]. Kennedy has been nominated to lead Health and Human Services, and his criticism of Ozempic use has made weight-loss drug policy part of the debate around him; no dates for that process have been disclosed ^[1]. Musk has not said whether he plans to keep talking about the drugs or about their pricing; that has not been reported ^[1].