Star Jones Reflects on Her Life-Saving Weight-Loss Journey: 'I Would Be Dead'

Star Jones got candid about her significant weight loss two decades ago, and the open-heart surgery she was later able to have as a result.

The TV personality made a guest appearance on The View in late September, joining in on a lively conversation around weight loss.

The panel was discussing Illinois Governor 's recent weight loss and whether it would help his political career, when Jones chimed in with her lived experience.

"He saved his own life," Jones, who was a principal cast member on The View between 1997 and 2006, said. "I mean, trust me. I was 307 pounds at my heaviest, sitting at this table. And the table wasn't this big, OK? And I'm 5'5''. Nobody should be..."

Responding to a comment from Joy Behar, she added, "Being obese made me look fat. I saved my own life, and I used whatever method that was available to me at the time. It is 23 years later and I've kept the weight off."

The audience clapped heartily at this stage.

For Jones, there was an especially important benefit to losing the weight.

"It makes a difference," she said. "I would not have been able to have open-heart surgery. They wouldn't have put me on the table to crack my chest and take my heart out of my body at 300 pounds. I would be dead!"

She continued, "I would not have a husband that I love. I would not have a son. I would not have any part of the life."

Jones has been married to Ricardo Lugo since 2018 and is a loving stepmom to his son Jake, 21.

The TV star underwent heart surgery in 2011 after experiencing symptoms such as shortness of breath and dizziness, which she'd originally attributed to her excess weight.

Since then, she has been a tireless advocate for heart disease awareness.

"Heart disease is still the number one killer of women, still the number one killer of Americans, still the number one killer of African Americans," she said on the Tamron Hall Show in 2025. "And this is my mission in life. This is why I wake up in the morning: to say to women, take care of yourself. Put yourself on the front burner. It is important for you."

GLP-1s have been a major topic of discussion on The View, which makes sense given the high proportion of Americans now taking the drug for weight loss purposes.

Most recently, Ana Navarro admitted to taking Mounjaro, while Whoopi Goldberg, Sunny Hostin and Behar have also opened up about their GLP-1 use.