Elon Musk posts as "Ozempic Santa"

On Christmas Day, Elon Musk posted a photo of himself on X dressed in a Santa costume with the caption "Ozempic Santa" ^[1]. He then clarified in a follow-up post that he was actually using Mounjaro, not Ozempic, joking that "technically, Mounjaro... doesn't have the same ring to it" ^[1].

The joke plays on the fact that Ozempic has become a catch-all nickname for weight-loss drugs in general, even though it is a specific brand of semaglutide made by Novo Nordisk, while Mounjaro is a different medicine, tirzepatide, made by Eli Lilly ^[1]. Musk's photo showed a noticeably trimmer figure, and the post was widely read as confirmation that he has used an anti-obesity drug to lose weight ^[1].

Musk's admission followed a string of other public figures who have spoken openly about using these medications. Comedian Jim Gaffigan told People magazine in November 2024 that he had used Mounjaro to lose weight, and singer Kelly Clarkson said on her talk show in May that she had been taking a weight-loss medication after her "bloodwork got so bad," though she did not name the drug ^[1]. Axios described Musk's post as a marker of how mainstream drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy have become, as celebrities increasingly admit to using them, changing public conversations around weight loss ^[1].

Musk has also weighed in on drug pricing and access. Earlier in December 2024, he wrote on X that "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" ^[1]. That statement stands in some tension with the stance of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., then President-elect Trump's nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, who has publicly criticized the use of Ozempic ^[1].

Why it matters for patients

Musk's post is a cultural marker, not a medical one. It does not change what either drug does, how it is prescribed, or what it costs. But it reflects a broader shift: GLP-1 drugs like semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) are now common enough in public life that people can joke about them by brand name, even when they mix up which specific drug they mean ^[1].

That blurring of brand names matters for patients trying to understand their own treatment. Ozempic and Mounjaro are approved for different uses and are different molecules made by different companies, and Axios noted the drugs have surged in popularity even among people who don't necessarily need them for diabetes or obesity treatment, which has in the past contributed to supply shortages for patients who do need them ^[1].

Musk's public comments on cost also point to an ongoing access problem. High price tags and insurance restrictions have made these drugs difficult to obtain for many Americans, even as some public figures and, at the time, the outgoing Biden administration pushed for broader coverage ^[1]. In November 2024, the Biden administration proposed a rule that would require Medicare and Medicaid to cover anti-obesity drugs, a policy that had not been finalized as of the date of Musk's post and whose fate under the incoming administration was not yet known from these sources ^[1].

What happens next

As of this report, it is not known from the available sources whether the Medicare and Medicaid coverage rule proposed in November 2024 will be finalized, given the tension between Musk's stated support for low-cost access and RFK Jr.'s public criticism of Ozempic as he entered the incoming administration's health leadership ^[1]. No further details on Musk's own dosing, prescriber, or reason for using Mounjaro were provided in the source material ^[1].