NEWSOprah Winfrey Reveals Why She Left WeightWatchers After Serving on the Board Since 2015
Oprah Winfrey's exit as a WeightWatchers board member ultimately came down to a business decision.
Appearing on the Thursday, March 14, episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the 70-year-old revealed why she parted ways with the lifestyle brand after first buying a $43 million stake in the company in 2015.
Oprah Winfrey appeared on the Thursday, March 14, episode of 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!'
Winfrey admitted her upcoming special on ABC An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution was the main factor fueling her resignation.
"I decided that because this special was really important to me and I wanted to be able to talk about whatever I wanted to talk about, and WeightWatchers is now in the business of being a weight health company that also administers drug medications for weight. I did not want to have the appearance of any conflict of interest," the famed talk show star told late-night host Jimmy Kimmel.
The talk show star revealed why she left WeightWatchers after almost a decade.
"I resigned from the board and donated all of my shares to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. So nobody can say, ''Oh, she's doing that special, she's making money, promoting.' No, you cannot say that," Winfrey quipped.
Kimmel jokingly asked if "'people at Weight Watchers [cried] when you left?” to which Winfrey admitted, "they almost did."
Oprah Winfrey recently admitted to taking weight-loss drugs.
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"Yeah, I would imagine they wouldn't be that happy about it," Kimmel added.
Elsewhere in the interview, The Color Purple star opened up about what inspired her to essentially become an advocate for the discussion of weight loss, and how it led to the creation of Winfrey's upcoming primetime television special.
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The 70-year-old has an upcoming special on ABC.
"Well, I have had the experience of a lifetime. Because back in 2021, I had my knees done. Anybody here ever had their knees done? So for four years, I was in pain every time I walked down a hill, I was getting those injections in the knees, steroid injections. But as you know, if you continue to get them, it actually gets worse. You don't improve, you get worse. So I decided to have my knees done. And let me tell you, life changed!," Winfrey exclaimed.
She continued: "Life changed after that. And when you first come home, I could not lift my leg off the bed. I couldn't move my foot. And I made a vow that if god, if you let me walk again, I promise I will get myself in shape, I promise I will use my body to the highest possible good for myself and my health. And that's how it all started."
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The journey wasn't easy, however, as she had to gain the strength to walk again — at first with the help of crutches, then a cane, before finally regaining enough muscle to take steps on her own.
"The first time I did a mile, it took me almost two hours to finish a mile. And every day I would try to do a little more, a little more. And I was not eating past 4 o'clock and watching all the right meals. I felt like I had to do it my way and had to prove that I could do it on my own. Even though I was hearing all along people talking about the medications. I felt like, I've gotta do it," Winfrey detailed of how she started using a weight-loss drug.
