Chelsea Handler, Kyle Richards and More Celebrities Who’ve Spoken About the Ozempic Weight Loss Trend

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Chelsea Handler, Kyle Richards and More Celebrities Who've Spoken About the Ozempic Weight Loss Trend

Ozempic has become a hot topic when it comes to weight loss — with some stars confirming they have used the drug while others denied it. The Type 2 diabetes medication, which is traditionally used to improve glycemic control, has made headlines due to various Hollywood stars allegedly using it to quickly shed pounds. Stars like Chelsea Handler, Kyle Richards and more have spoken about the diet trend. Handler, for her part, admitted during a January 2023 episode of the “Call Her Daddy” podcast that she unknowingly took the medication. She explained her anti-aging doctor prescribed her something called Semaglutide, which is another name for Ozempic. The Chelsea Lately alum claimed that her doctor told her the medicine was good to use if she wanted “to drop five pounds.” The comedian didn’t realize what the medication was until a friend informed her. “I came back from a vacation and I injected myself with it,” the former Chelsea host recalled. “I went to lunch with a girlfriend a few days later, and she was like, ‘I’m not really eating anything. I’m so nauseous, I’m on Ozempic.’ I was like, ‘I’m kind of nauseous too.’ But I had just come back from Spain and I thought I was jet-lagged. I had been there for like a month. White privilege.” [jwplayer qyG98Vwk-zhNYySv2] After Handler learned about what the prescription really was, she stopped using it but admitted that she still has some in her house. “I’m not on it anymore. That’s too irresponsible,” the Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea author clarified. “I’m an irresponsible drug user, but I’m not gonna take a diabetic drug. I tried it, and I’m not gonna do that. That’s not for me. That’s not right for me.” Richards, meanwhile, was accused of using the diabetes medicine in January 2023 after posting a picture of herself showing off her abs in a bathing suit. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star took to social media to address the speculation. “I am NOT taking Ozempic. Never have,” Richards commented on Page Six’s Instagram at the time. The reality star responded to another Instagram user adding, “I have never tried Ozempic and this is not from plastic surgery. I did have a breast reduction in May. I’m honest about what I do. But if giving plastic surgery the credit makes you feel better then pop off sister 😘.” After slamming the rumors, fellow Bravo personality Melissa Gorga admitted that even she thought Richards was using Ozempic at first. “I’m not gonna lie, when I first saw her, I was like, ‘Oh she’s taking that stuff,’” the Real Housewives of New Jersey star said during a January 2023 appearance on the “Jeff Lewis Live” SiriusXM radio show. “And then, when she [denied it], I’m like, ‘Oh, OK, maybe not.’ You know, I don’t know. I didn’t even text her and ask her.” Keep scrolling to see what other celebrities have said about Ozempic:

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Ana Navarro

The View cohost addressed rumors that she's been using Ozempic after sharing Instagram photos in May 2023 from a trip to Colombia. In a lengthy comment, she explained that she's lost "about 4-5 lbs a month" thanks to healthy tips she learned at a "wellness spa" the previous summer.

"I also sought professional help - nutritionist, medical supervision (I was on the verge of pre-diabetes), pilates coach (I joined a Pilates club in Miami and NYC), and pickleball coach (I try to play at least twice a week)," she added. "So it's been a complete lifestyle change -except for the damn rosé and margaritas, which I can't give up."

She continued: "I am not equipped to give anyone advice or endorse any solution. We all have to figure out what works for each us. It is a daily struggle for me. I still really like tequila and staying in bed with my poodle…🤷🏻‍♀️."

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Brittany Cartwright

The Vanderpump Rules alum denied using Ozempic in May 2023 after an Instagram user asked whether she'd been taking the drug. "It’s actually the .5 zoom on the iPhone camera lol," Cartwright replied in a comment.

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Mama June

“I don’t want to try Ozempic because, honestly, I’ve heard about so many bad side effects,” the reality star said during an interview with the Daily Mail in May 2023. “It is using a drug that isn’t really prescribed to do that. They’re using a diabetic drug to take care of weight loss.”

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Crystal Kung Minkoff

In April 2023, the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star — who is in recovery for bulimia — said that she's considered using Ozempic but ultimately decided it wouldn't be the right decision. "It’s not a good place for me, personally for my recovery," she told Page Six. "I’ve never judged or looked down on anyone that finds different avenues for [weight loss]. I would be lying if [I said] I haven’t thought about it. And then I have to check myself if that’s right for my recovery, and I’m in a very specific situation.”

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Martin Short

During Molly Shannon’s April 2023 stint as Saturday Night Live host, she used her monologue to sing a rendition of Gypsy’s “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” — and ask the crowd what their own “problem” was. The camera quickly turned to Short, who stood beside executive producer Lorne Michaels, with a glass of champagne in hand.

“I ran out of Ozempic!” the Only Murders in the Building star quipped, throwing a tantrum and then shoveling a hamburger into his mouth. (Eating the hamburger seemingly served a spoof of the weight loss medication’s side effects when you stop taking the injections.)

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Andy Cohen

During an April 2023 episode of his SiriusXM show Radio Andy, a viewer called out Cohen for "congratulating" guests on "looking so thin and asking if they are on Ozempic."

The Bravo host conceded that the viewer was "right" and admitted that he didn't always know how to address weight loss on the show. “I’m trying to deliver the goods for my audience watching,” he explained. "I mean, if Dolores shows up looking 15 pounds lighter, I gotta find out how it happened.”

The Missouri native also praised Catania for being honest about using the controversial weight loss method "because there are so many people who aren't." 

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Bethenny Frankel

The Skinnygirl founder slammed using the drug for weight loss in an April 2023 Instagram video.

"If someone is struggling with obesity and working with a doctor, that is one thing (and this is all new in this application) but thin rich country club cul de sac Americans, buying this online and at Mexican pharmacies is another thing," she wrote in the caption.

In the clip, Frankel warned her followers about the potential side effects of Ozempic and other similar medications. "I’m hearing stories about it affecting people’s personalities," she claimed. The New York native added that the full scope of the drug's adverse effects could years to come to light, comparing it to the opioid epidemic.

"Mark my words, we’re not going to hear about this s—tshow for months and years to come," she said. "It’s going to be a f—king s—tshow.”

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Dolores Catania

In April 2023, the Real Housewives of New Jersey star confirmed she was taking Mounjaro for weight loss. “I wasn’t going to come to the reunion looking any bigger than anyone else, so I got on the bandwagon,” she said during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.

Catania noted that the only side effect from the prescription medication was a lack of hunger. “The reunion is in two weeks. I do have a trainer," she clarified before noting that she wanted to "tell the truth" about her experience.

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Sophie Turner

The Game of Thrones alum reposted an Instagram Story about a New York City subway advertisement for a company that sells Wegovy, a drug similar to Ozempic that is also used off-label for weight loss. "The ozempic ads plastered across the Times Square subway station can f–k all the way off," read the original post. Turner added the comment, "WTF."

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Jennifer Fessler

On a March 2023 episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, the Real Housewives of New Jersey star explained her "glow up" to the Bravo host. 

"What am I on? Well, I did have a facelift. ... And a nose job!" she explained. "And I did lose a lot of weight. I took peptides, and I don't know if you've heard of medications associated with that that help people lose weight," she teased. After Cohen name-dropped Ozempic, Fessler responded, "You said it, I didn't. But … whatever works, here I am."

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Julia Fox

"All these people are coming for me saying that I take the weight loss things — people are saying that I'm taking Ozempic or whatever it's called," the model told Entertainment Tonight in March 2023. "I'm not and I've never have. I would never do that. There are diabetics that need it."

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Alexia Nepola and Marysol Patton

During a February 2023 episode of the Real Housewives of Miami, Nepola and Patton were seen taking injections and viewers thought it was potentially Ozempic. The Cuba native set the record straight that the duo were actually doing B-12 shots.

“It’s for energy, and it has, like, other nutrients,” the reality star explained to Page Six in March 2023. “The doctor had given it to Marysol because she felt weak and lethargic, and [it] maybe had to do something with her diet, but the B-12 always adds to anybody’s health.”

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Golnesa ‘GG’ Gharachedaghi

“I had to get a lot of steroid injections last year, which caused me to really pack on some weight. And I don’t know if it’s because I’m 41 years old or I’ve had a baby — whatever it is, I’ve been having a very, very, very hard time getting rid of that weight,” the Shahs of Sunset alum said via Instagram in February 2023. “I am on the weight-loss shots, honey, OK. I’m just not going to lie about it because I always keep it real about what is fake.”

Gharachedaghi noted she went from 137 pounds to 126 in four weeks.

“If you see people out there who just got skinny so fast all of a sudden and claimed they got healthy for the first time in their lives or that they got sober from alcohol that was causing them to gain so much weight … most likely, they’re just doing the shots,” she said. “We know who you are. We see how skinny y’all are getting. It’s not rocket science. Just saying.”

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Meghan McCain

The political commentator said in February 2023 that friends had "urged" her to take Ozempic just weeks after giving birth to her second daughter, Clover. "It's horrifying, unfair and disturbing — and I refuse," she wrote in a column for the Daily Mail. "Our culture has made incredible strides towards body-type acceptance over the past few decades. And this celebration of Ozempic threatens all of that. I am realistic about how long it takes to have your body feel normal again post-baby. So, don't rush me!" 

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Jillian Michaels

“I have taken at least eight family friends' parents off of this drug,” the former Biggest Loser coach told People in February 2023. “They [were] getting heart palpitations, they're nauseous, they feel like s—t. They feel so awful that it's motivated them to reverse their type 2 diabetes. Once they get off of the drug, it does the rebound effect. So you're not gaining anything.”

She added: “You get off the drug in a year and go all the way back. You've not learned anything. You've not built any physical strength or endurance. You haven't learned how to eat healthy. The truth of the matter is, Ozempic has some pretty significant side effects. Do your homework on it. The results are not lasting, in very large part.”

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Kyle Richards

After being accused of using the diabetes medicine in January 2023, the Halloween actress set the record straight.

“I have never tried ozempic and this is not from plastic surgery,” she replied to one Instagram comment at the time. “I did have a breast reduction in May. I’m honest about what I do. But if giving plastic surgery the credit makes you feel better then pop off sister 😘.”

Richards also credited her body transformation to abstaining from alcohol for several months.

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Chelsea Handler

In February 2023, the former Chelsea host got candid about her past experience using Ozempic.

“So my anti-aging doctor just hands it out to anybody, right? Obviously, now I can’t say her name, but I didn’t even know I was on it,” she claimed to Alex Cooper, later explaining that her friend told her what the medication was after Handler was unsure about what she was taking.

“I’m not on it anymore. That’s too irresponsible,” she clarified. “I’m an irresponsible drug user, but I’m not gonna take a diabetic drug. I tried it, and I’m not gonna do that. That’s not for me. That’s not right for me.”

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Khloe Kardashian

Speculation sparked that the Kardashians star was taking the diabetes drug after she shared photos of her abs from a January 2023 photoshoot for Sorbet magazine. Kardashian clapped back via social media and denied that she was using Ozempic.

“Let’s not discredit my years of working out. I get up 5 days a week at 6am to train. Please stop with your assumptions,” she responded. “I guess new year still means mean people.”

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Rosie O’Donnell

The A League of Our Own actress opened up about her holiday weight loss in a January 2023 TikTok. She shared with her followers that her doctor put her on a diabetes medication called Mounjaro and a cholesterol medicine called Repatha. O’Donnell, who is diabetic, made it clear she was not on Ozempic and not taking the medicine specifically for weight loss.

“And my appetite has decreased significantly, it’s probably the meds,” she recalled at the time. “And I’m trying to move more. So you know all those things combined, that’s what it is.”

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Remi Bader

The TikToker opened up about her doctor prescribing her Ozempic during a January 2023 appearance on the “Not Skinny But Not Fat” podcast.  

"[My doctors] said I need this. And I had a lot of mixed feelings," Bader said after revealing she went on the medication because she was diagnosed as pre-diabetic in 2020. "A few months later I went off it and got into the bad binging."

She continued: "I saw a doctor and they were like, it's 100 percent because I went on Ozempic. It was making me think I wasn't hungry for so long, I lost some weight. I didn't wanna be obsessed with being on it long-term. I was like, I bet the second I got off I'm gonna get starving again. I did, and my binging got so much worse. So then I kind of blamed Ozempic. [I] gained double the weight back."

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Jameela Jamil

The Good Place alum got candid about her thoughts on people allegedly using Ozempic purely for weight loss.

"I have said what I have said about the potential harm of people using the diabetes medication for weight loss only. I fear for everyone in the next few years,” she wrote via Instagram in January 2023. “Rich people are buying this stuff off prescription for upwards of 1000 dollars. Actual diabetics are seeing shortages. It's a now mainstream craze in Hollywood. HOPE this doesn't end the same way we were told opioids were safe. There is little to no discussion of the side effects in any advertising online. I'm deeply concerned but I can't change any of your minds because fat phobia has our generation in a chokehold.”