Oprah Winfrey has set an hour-long ABC primetime special about weight loss drugs following her exit from the board of WeightWatchers after revealing her personal use of them. The special, titled “An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution,” will air later this month. Oprah recorded the special in front of a live studio audience and gathers medical experts to discuss weight loss drugs such as Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy.
“It is a very personal topic for me and for the hundreds of millions of people impacted around the globe who have for years struggled with weight and obesity,” said Oprah in a statement. “This special will bring together medical experts, leaders in the space and people in the day-to-day struggle to talk about health equity and obesity with the intention to ultimately release the shame, judgment and stigma surrounding weight.”
The medical experts featured in the primetime special are Cleveland Clinic’s Dr. W. Scott Butsch, ABC News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton, ABC News medical correspondent Dr. Darien Sutton and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center’s Dr. Amanda Velazquez. Oprah also will interview patients from around the country who used weight loss medications. Questions addressed in the special include: Who are the medications really intended for? Who is eligible to receive weight loss drugs? What are the short-term and long-term side effects?
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“We are thrilled to work with Oprah and the voices she has assembled to open a dialogue that destigmatizes and educates viewers on the important and polarizing topic of weight loss,” said Craig Erwich, president of Disney Television Group, in a statement. “I can think of no one better to lead this meaningful conversation about such a critical issue that touches all of our lives.”
News of the primetime special comes several days after Oprah announced she was stepping down from the board of WeightWatchers after almost 10 years because she had used weight loss drugs. She had served on the company’s board since 2015, when she acquired a 10% stake in WeightWatchers.
“I look forward to continuing to advise and collaborate with WeightWatchers and CEO Sima Sistani in elevating the conversation around recognizing obesity as a chronic condition, working to reduce stigma, and advocating for health equity,” Winfrey said in a statement.
Winfrey told People magazine last December that she decided to start taking a weight-loss medication after coming to the realization that weight management does not hinge solely on a person’s self-control. She did not identify which weight loss drug she took.
“The fact that there’s a medically approved prescription for managing weight and staying healthier, in my lifetime, feels like relief, like redemption, like a gift, and not something to hide behind and once again be ridiculed for,” Oprah told People.
“An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution” airs Monday, March 18 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and streams on Hulu the next day.
