Oprah Winfrey is parting ways with WeightWatchers after nearly a decade, a decision that comes on the heels of criticism about her proudly revealing she uses a weight loss drug. The weight loss company made it clear in its official statement Wednesday there’s no bad blood with Oprah, and her departure from the Board of Directors isn’t due to any disagreements with the company or anything related to the company’s operations, policies, or practices. WW’s CEO Sima Sistani says, “While I and the rest of our directors will certainly miss her in our board meetings following the end of her current term, she remains a strong strategic voice and collaborator with WeightWatchers.”
Key Takeaway
Oprah Winfrey is leaving WeightWatchers after facing criticism for her admission of using a weight loss drug, leading to a significant drop in the company’s stock value.
Oprah’s Weight Loss Drug Admission
Oprah’s departure comes a few months after confessing to using weight-loss drugs in December — the admission raised eyebrows, especially as she’d spoken out against medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro months earlier. As we reported, Oprah revealed she dropped 40 pounds in 2023, and part of her strategy involved medication prescribed by doctors — but she’s never revealed the drug’s name.
Criticism and Response
Some people, most notably fitness guru Jillian Michaels, criticized Oprah for not being transparent that WeightWatchers had invested in a popular weight loss drug. The speculation was Oprah stood to profit greatly from advocating for the use of such medication. Oprah’s actually directly addressing that criticism as she leaves the company — WW says she’s donating her 1.4% stake in WW to the National Museum of African American History and Culture to “eliminate any perceived conflict of interest around her taking weight loss medications.”
Stock Impact
BTW … the announcement her bolting from WW is putting a hurting on the company’s stock — it plummeted more than 20% immediately after the news broke Thursday morning. Wall Street’s bottom line … losing Oprah is never a good thing for any organization — but Oprah’s bottom line is she’s in the best place she’s ever been health-wise, both physically and mentally as she sheds pounds.
