Oprah Winfrey is departing the WeightWatchers’ board and will donate her stake in the company to “eliminate any perceived conflict of interest around her taking weight loss medications,” the firm that is also known as WW International announced on Wednesday.
Oprah Leaves WeightWatchers Board
The New York Post reported that after Oprah’s exit was announced, shares for WW International fell by 27% in extended trading. This came after it was confirmed that Oprah, 70, will not be standing for reelection at the May 2024 WeightWatchers shareholder meeting.
Oprah had been on the WeightWatchers board for nine years, and her 1.4% stake in the New York-based weight loss program is worth around $12 million, which will be donated to the National Museum of African American History and Culture next month during the company’s open trading window.
After Oprah joined WeightWatchers in 2015, her name and image were used frequently in the company’s marketing and advertising ventures. After publicly battling issues with her weight for decades, Oprah claimed to have lost 42 pounds with WeightWatchers, raving about how the company’s point system helped her get her blood sugar and blood pressure back into a healthy range.
Related: Oprah Addresses Rumors She’s Feuding With Major Hollywood Star
Oprah Taking Weight-Loss Drug
That’s why it came as a massive shock back in December when Oprah admitted to using a prescription weight-loss drug “as a tool to manage not yo-yo-ing.”
“I had an awareness of [weight-loss] medications, but felt I had to prove I had the willpower to do it. I now no longer feel that way,” Oprah told People Magazine. “I was actually recommending it to people long before I was on it myself.”
Oprah went on to say that she finally “released my own shame about it” and consulted her doctor, who prescribed a weight-loss medication to her. While Oprah declined to name the specific weight-loss medication, popular ones at the moment among celebrities in particular include Ozempic and Wegovy.
“I now use it as I feel I need it, as a tool to manage not yo-yoing,” she said. “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. I’m absolutely done with the shaming from other people and particularly myself.”
Oprah recalled that she took the medication before Thanksgiving “because I knew I was going to have two solid weeks of eating,” and “instead of gaining eight pounds like I did last year, I gained half a pound . . . It quiets the food noise.”
Related: Oprah Reportedly Wanted To Run For President With Mitt Romney In 2020 To Stop Trump
Oprah Previously Slammed Weight-Loss Drug
Oprah was singing a very different tune back in October, when she said that taking a weight-loss drug like Ozempic would be “the easy way out.”
“Shouldn’t we all just be more accepting of whatever body you choose to be in? That should be your choice,” Oprah told Yahoo News at the time. “Even when I first started hearing about the weight loss drugs, at the same time I was going through knee surgery, and I felt, ‘I’ve got to do this on my own.’ Because if I take the drug, that’s the easy way out.'”
It was just a few weeks later that Oprah would cave and take “the easy way out” herself.
Though it has cost them financially, we can certainly see why WeightWatchers has parted ways with Oprah. In the end, Oprah has shown once again with this entire situation that she’s just another hypocritical member of the liberal elite.
More About:Celebrity Entertainment