Oprah Winfrey Was 'Embarrassed' and 'Disappointed' by Her 'Overweight Body' Before Using GLP-1 Drugs: 'I Felt It Was My Fault'

Oprah Winfrey spent years feeling shame and blaming herself for being overweight — until she was saved by GLP-1 drugs.

In a new interview published Tuesday, December 30, the former talk show star opened up about the public humiliation and internal struggles she endured for decades over her weight while thanking newfound medications for helping shift her understanding of obesity.

Despite projecting confidence throughout her career, the legendary television personality admitted she always felt insecure when it came to her body.

"I've always been confident in whatever I was doing, but I was at the same time disappointed in my overweight body," Winfrey said while speaking to People over Zoom. "Was I embarrassed by it? Yes. Was I disappointed in myself for continuing to fail? Yes, every single time. I felt it was my fault."

Winfrey said her feelings felt heavier because of the immense resources available to her, with that access only intensifying her self-criticism.

In her new book, Enough: Your Health, Your Weight and What It’s Like to Be Free, co-written by Winfrey and obesity expert Dr. Ania M. Jastreboff, the media mogul writes about how failure to shed pounds "felt doubly shameful because I have access to so much: chefs and trainers and the healthiest of foods."

During her recent interview, Winfrey reflected on how she participated in the culture of weight shaming while dealing with her own struggles in front of the spotlight.

Most famously, Winfrey successfully completed an intense diet in 1988, consuming only liquid shakes for months before appearing on her talk show pulling a wagon filled with 67 pounds of fat — a visual meant to represent her weight loss.

The 71-year-old mentioned in her book how she participated in the dramatic challenge "all to prove I could get back into a pair of size 10 Calvin Klein jeans."

Years later, she similarly lost 20 pounds at the suggestion of Vogue's global editorial director and former editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour, before appearing on the magazine's cover in 1998.

"I was just doing what the rest of the world was doing. I thought I had proven that I had willpower," Winfrey recalled.

The Color Purple actress tried desperately to learn to love her body no matter its size, though she never was able to find contentment when looking in the mirror or trying on clothes.

"I wanted to be one of those people who could be at peace with myself being overweight," she confessed. "But everything in my life, in the culture, in society, in my brain, was telling me the opposite: 'You have failed because you have not conquered this thing.'"

Plus, Winfrey pointed out: "I was not healthy at 211 pounds. A lot of people tell me they can be overweight and healthy. I was not. I was pre-diabetic, and my cholesterol numbers were high."

A turning point came in 2023 while hosting a special on obesity, when Winfrey says she experienced an "epiphany."

After years of avoiding the term, Winfrey learned that "overeating doesn’t cause obesity. Obesity causes overeating," calling the realization "mind-blowing" and deeply freeing.

Though she initially paused her use of weight-loss injections in early 2024 and saw weight return despite maintaining healthy habits, Winfrey now understands the medication can and will be a long-term commitment.

She described GLP-1 drugs as "a tool to help you manage the messages that are being sent to your brain about overeating," noting she typically administers the medication weekly with minimal side effects.

"Sometimes I can go 10 or 12 days [without an injection] because I still feel the effects of the week before," she mentioned.

As for what specific side effects Winfrey has faced, the What I Know for Sure author shared: "I had some digestion issues, so I have to drink enough water, and I have to take magnesium. You need to start slow and gradual. If you start by taking too much at one time, you have more of a chance of messing yourself up."

The medication's reduction in "food noise" has had a profound impact on her life, she added.

"Everything is just calmer and stronger," Winfrey detailed. These changes have been so meaningful to the beloved celebrity that she's even paid for several other people's GLP-1 medication out of pocket in cases where they could not afford it themselves.

Winfrey encouraged others to learn more about weight-loss drugs and expressed hope for her story to loosen the stigma surrounding weight and body types.

"If you have obesity in your gene pool, I want people to know it’s not your fault," she declared. "I want people to stop blaming yourself for genes and an environment you can’t control. I want people to have the information, whatever you choose to do with it, whether you get the medications, or whether you want to keep dieting."