Serena Williams goes public with Zepbound and joins Ro
Serena Williams told TODAY she used a GLP-1 medication to lose weight after her second child and is now a paid ambassador for telehealth company Ro — a reminder that celebrity weight-loss stories increasingly double as drug marketing.
Tennis champion Serena Williams said she used a GLP-1 medication to lose weight after having her second child, and on Aug. 21, 2025, direct-to-patient healthcare company Ro announced she had joined as a "celebrity patient ambassador" in a multi-year campaign to normalize GLP-1 use for weight loss [1][2].
Williams, described in Ro's announcement as a 23-time Grand Slam champion and four-time Olympic gold medalist, said conventional effort was not enough. "I trained at the highest level, ate a clean diet, pushed myself, and still, after having kids, my body just wouldn't respond," she said in the announcement. "I realized it wasn't about willpower; it was biological. My body needed the GLP-1 and clinical support" [1]. She added: "This isn't a shortcut. It's healthcare" [1].
In her interview with TODAY, Williams said she walked for hours, switched to a vegetarian diet and then a vegan one, and still struggled to lose weight. "A misconception is that (a GLP-1 is) a shortcut," she said. "As an athlete and as someone that has done everything, I just couldn't get my weight to where I needed to be at a healthy place — and believe me, I don't take shortcuts" [2]. She said that since starting a GLP-1, her blood sugar levels have improved and her joints feel lighter [2].
What the sources do and don't say
Neither Ro's announcement nor TODAY's account names a specific medication or a specific amount of weight lost; TODAY refers only to "a GLP-1 medication" [1][2]. Reporting elsewhere has tied Williams to Zepbound (tirzepatide) and a 31-pound loss, but those details are not in the sources here, so they are not confirmed by this material.
The commercial arrangement is spelled out in the announcement. Williams stars in a national marketing campaign spanning digital, broadcast and out-of-home advertising, and Ro directs readers to a dedicated page at ro.co/weight-loss/serena [1]. Ro also disclosed that Williams' husband is an investor in the company and sits on its board [1]. Ro CEO Zach Reitano said Williams is "opening doors for millions of people who have felt shamed for needing support to lose weight" [1].
This is not Ro's first such deal. The company said NBA legend Charles Barkley joined in April as its first GLP-1 celebrity patient ambassador [1]. Ro describes itself as offering nationwide telehealth, labs and pharmacy services, and says it has served patients in nearly every U.S. county since 2017, including 99% of what it calls primary care deserts [1].
Why it matters for patients
Celebrity disclosures are one of the main ways Americans now learn about these drugs — and increasingly, those disclosures are paid. Williams is not simply describing a personal experience; she is the face of an advertising campaign for a company that sells access to GLP-1 prescriptions, and her family has a financial stake in that company [1]. That does not make her account untrue, but it is context worth holding alongside the message.
It also helps to keep the drug names straight, because coverage often blurs them. Semaglutide is sold as Ozempic (approved for type 2 diabetes), Wegovy (approved for obesity) and Rybelsus; tirzepatide is sold as Mounjaro for diabetes and Zepbound for obesity, both made by Eli Lilly [2]. Novo Nordisk has told TODAY it does not support off-label use of its medications [2].
The TODAY roundup that includes Williams also shows how different individual experiences can be. Actor Eric Stonestreet called Mounjaro for his type 2 diabetes "a game changer" [2], while podcast host Bunnie XO told People in December 2025 that she experienced "a bout of suicidal ideation" while taking a GLP-1 and described that stretch as one of the darkest times of her life [2]. Chrissy Teigen said she struggled with the drop in hunger cues, noting, "logically you need food to have energy" [2].
What happens next
Ro said the Williams partnership is multi-year, so more advertising is expected rather than a one-time announcement [1]. The company has since said it offers Eli Lilly's Zepbound KwikPen and Foundayo (orforglipron), Lilly's newer GLP-1, to eligible patients, though the timing of those launches is not given in the material reviewed here [1]. Whether Williams' campaign shifts public attitudes — or mainly shifts sign-ups — is not yet known.
Images from the sources
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.