Oprah Winfrey is sparking a debate around weight, willpower and perception after the media mogul revealed her perceptions about “thin people” and what she called “food noise” while discussing taking a prescription weight loss drug on her podcast this week.
The media mogul’s lifelong struggle with her weight has become a component of her personal brand and was a key topic of her blockbuster daytime talk show, which ran on ABC from 1986 to 2011 and catapulted her to global fame. Winfey’s frank discussions around her fluctuating weight and diet struggles helped cement her relationship with audiences as she entered their homes nationwide at 4 p.m. every weekday.
On this week’s episode of the billionaire’s Super Soul podcast, this theme returned in a conversation around prescription components of weight loss plans like the diabetes drug Ozympec, which has become a sensation for millions looking to drop weight.
“One of the things that I realized the very first time I took a GLP-1 [Glucagon-like peptide-1] was that all these years I thought that thin people had more willpower,” Winfrey told Dr. Ania Jastreboff, an endocrinologist and associate professor at the Yale School of Medicine. “They ate better foods. They were able to stick to it longer. They never had a potato chip.”
The host then went on to explain that she believes that it’s a lack of intrusive thoughts about hunger in the day-to-day that prevents overeating, which can lead to obesity. These types of thoughts are an aspect of what is discussed as “food noise,” a major barrier for weight loss for many people; GLP-1 injectable drugs help curb these thoughts by sending a signal to the brain that reduces appetite.
“I realized the very first time I took the GLP-1 that they’re not even thinking about it. They’re eating when they’re hungry and they’re stopping when they’re full,” she said of “thin people” and those with no food noise issues.
The beloved former talk show host received mixed reactions online about these comments, with many Instagram users indicating that thin people often do struggle with intrusive food noise every day but create lifestyle habits and find other ways to not overeat.
“Thin people also think about food all the time, but they work hard to manage their physical and mental needs in a healthy way, and not by taking medication,” one user wrote.
Winfrey’s supporters on the matter wrote about their belief in the existence of food noise. One responder noted that Winfrey must understand that her perception of reality is not the final word.
Winfrey was the subject of speculation around her possible use of a GLP-1 in 2023 and initially denied taking the injectable. In December of that year, she spoke out about taking an unnamed drug, saying she was “done with the shaming” around her use of the pricey medication, whose intended use is to help diabetic people but soon became a weight loss sensation. Initially, she called the drug an “easy way out” but at the end of 2023, Winfrey praised the medication for allowing her to live a healthier lifestyle She lost 40lbs while on the drug and was careful to mention the regular exercise she incorporated into her routine that contributed to her slimming down.
In the episode, Winfrey also recalls how her weight discussions on her show spiraled out into the media in an unwelcome manner.
“Every week [I was] exploited by the tabloids, anytime any comedian wanted to make fun or make a joke about it, they would make a joke about it,” she said,
On this week’s Super Soul, Winfrey discusses the years of speculation, shaming and ridicule she was subjected to over her weight for decades.
“Every week [I was] exploited by the tabloids, anytime any comedian wanted to make fun or make a joke about it, they would make a joke about it,” Winfrey said, “And I accepted it because I thought I deserved it.”
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