Oh, oh, oh, are we still talking about Ozempic? We are.
And for those who are considering giving the injectable medication—originally marketed for treating Type 2 diabetes—a shot, well, Jillian Michaels has a few words of caution.
"I think the situation is becoming even more concerning as new information gets out about the drugs," the trainer noted in an exclusive interview with E! News. And, as one might expect from the no-bulls--t host of podcast Keeping It Real, she didn't hold back when asked about her apprehension toward the semiglutide injectable used by stars like Sharon Osbourne (who has since said she's struggled to put weight back on) and Chelsea Handler, who said she didn't like how it made her feel.
"With anything medical, whether we're talking about a vaccine or antibiotics, there's always side effects," she explained, listing the potential downsides. "So let's start out with the side effects that are on the f--king website: We've got thyroid tumors, gallbladder problems, pancreatitis, kidney issues, vision loss, stomach problems now including stomach paralysis. There's a class action lawsuit for stomach paralysis." (A spokesperson for Novo Nordisk told Reuters, the company "believes that the allegations in the lawsuit are without merit, and we intend to vigorously defend against these claims." A hearing is set for Jan. 25.)
More anecdotally, she continued, experts like Dr. Peter Attia have warned of significant muscle loss and the oft-mentioned "Ozempic face," in which the drastic weight loss can lead to sagging and other facial changes.
"People are always like, 'Oh, It's because of rapid weight loss," noted Michaels. "No, it's not."
Across 11 seasons on The Biggest Loser and even more as a personal trainer, "I've taken a tremendous amount of weight off of arguably tens of thousands of people," explains the founder of The Fitness App. "I've seen a bazillion before and afters to my website. For everything I've ever done, personally, people always looked better, they never look worse. So anecdotally there's something happening, in my opinion, that's arguably causing the breakdown of collagen."
Throw in vomiting, diarrhea and the number of hairdressers speculating about why they've been seeing increased hair loss in their clients, and it's a strong no from Michaels.
And, to be clear, she's not shaming those who have considered giving the seeming cure-all a shot. "I form zero, and I mean, zero judgment on this," she insisted. "And what's sad is that people are like, well, I don't want to take the easy way out. And trust me, life is hard enough. If this was an easy way out, I would be the first one signing everybody up and selling the drugs through my website."
But the way she sees it, hopping onto the Ozempic bandwagon "is the opposite of an easy way out."
For starters, she explained, she doesn't see a clear path for getting off of the drug. "And if you do all of the meta analyses shows that you gain the weight back—two-thirds within the first year alone and then some," Michaels explained. "It is yo-yo dieting on crack." (Responding to a 2022 study that showed patients regain the weight, Novo Nordisk, the makers of Ozempic and Wegovy, said in a statement, "Not unexpectedly, patients experience weight regain once they stop taking the medication. Obesity is a chronic disease that requires long-term management, much like high blood pressure or high cholesterol.")
With the medication imitating GLP-1—a hormone that naturally occurs in the body, to lower blood sugar levels—it manages appetite by affecting both the stomach and brain.
"If I'm not giving my body food, and I'm consistently eating less than I burned in a day, it's not like f--king Stephen King's Thinner, where you eventually disappear," continued Michaels. "The body is like, 'Oh, wow, we've got to change some things around here biochemically. And we've got to lower our metabolic setpoint.' And it does this by changing out what hormones are released when and so on and so forth. So now you've lowered your metabolism, you've f--ked up your hormone balance, you've lost a ton of muscle. You're working from all the way behind the eight ball if you ever get off of it."
It's also worth noting that Ozempic maker Novo Nordisk previously told E! News that the drug is not FDA-approved for chronic weight management, nor is it marketed as a weight loss aid.
For those that plan to keep using the medication forever and are willing to navigate both the hefty price tag and the supply issues caused by its increased popularity, a plateau looms.
While the experience varies from patient to patient, basically, hypothosized Michaels, the body will adapt to the medication "the way you adapt to coffee. Just the way people adapt to any other drug. Just the way we become insulin resistant or leptin resistant. And you plateau."
Which is why she predicts a backlash will come next.
"Two years from now, you're going to see the fallout from this, just like we did with all the other diet drugs over the years," said Michaels. "And the fallout will be significant. Right now everyone is like, 'I've been on for six months, I look and feel great.' And then what happens when it's no longer impacting your appetite and you plateau in a year and a half? Or what happens when you experience one of these side effects? Or all of a sudden your hair starts falling out six months in or you look like complete s--t?"
In other words, she summed up, "I cannot issue a strong enough warning."
For those curious what Michaels is recommending it's a return to the basics: Eat less, move more.
"I'm not saying it's easy," she admitted, "I'm saying it's simple."
She suggests springing for a smartwatch like her go-to iTOUCH Wearables and using it to track how many calories you burn each day.
From there, "You've got to spend two weeks learning how many calories are in the things you eat regularly," she said. And while she understands calorie-counting gets a bad rap, "if I don't tell you how to do it, you won't be able to actually effectuate change. And then you don't believe what I'm saying because you don't realize how much you're eating and you get discouraged and become vulnerable to more fads and trends."
The goal, she continued, is to create a 500-calorie-a-day deficit, which will translate to losing roughly a pound each week.
And while, yes, she jokes, "I want you to eat, like, Moringa greens, grown by Tibetan monks in the third phase of the crescent moon," she also wants to meet people where they're at.
"If it's too much to ask people to switch that pizza to a chicken salad, here's what we're going to do," Michaels said. "Instead of half the pie, you're going to do one slice of pizza and you're going do a side salad. Or two slices of pizza and a side salad with the dressing on the side. And we're going to opt out of the Coke. Or the two glasses of wine. Done. And all of this will work. I promise."
In fact, noted Michaels, one of the benefits of the Ozempic obsession has been that "it's evidenced what I've said for three decades. When you eat less food, you will lose weight."
It's just that her way of doing things, she noted, while undoubtedly slower, is also safer. "We're not dealing with significantly less food forever, we're eating a little bit less food," she explained. "And we're still able to get the nutrients from our food, we're not messing with our biochemistry and our hormones. So we don't have any of those negative side effects biochemically."
Of course, the fitness pro isn't the first to sound off on Ozempic's increasing popularity. Keep reading to see what others have said about Hollywood's most popular injectable.
Jonathan Van Ness
The Queer Eye star explained in October 2025 that they started using a GLP-1 after a health scare in 2023.
“I decided then that after the medical issue, I was going to get a colonoscopy,” Jonathan said in a TikTok video, “and if I didn't have anything severely wrong with me, I was going to go on a GLP-1, because I just didn't feel good.”
They added, “As I've lost weight and I got into [Pilates classes at] Solidcore, my body has never looked like this,” Jonathan said. “My body's never in my whole life—I've always wanted to have an ab. I've never had abs. And I feel really good, so I'm taking my shirt off a lot.”
Despite losing 70 pounds with the help of the drug, Jonathan re-emphasized their stance on body positivity.
"I'm all about body neutrality,” they continued. “The way that you look does not define your worth, doesn't define your lovableness. You are worth love and worth celebration no matter what your body looks like.”
Rosie O'Donnell
The comedian has been on the anti-Type 2 diabetes medication Mounjaro since late 2022. In May 2025, she showcased her dramatic weight loss.
"I cant believe this is me now," Rosie wrote on her Instagram, "#mounjaro #weightloss #bodydismorphia."
Meghan Trainor
The couple that pees together also pokes together. Following the 2021 birth of eldest son Riley, singer Meghan Trainor and her actor husband Daryl Sabara did the 75 Hard challenge, "and, man, did we crush,” Meghan detailed during the April 9 episode of the couple’s Workin’ On It podcast. “Then, we heard more and more of our friends—and even our doctors—were on Mounjaro and Ozempic.”
They each opted to get on the lowest dose possible of Monjaro, combining the shots with exercise and balanced meals. “Daryl and I both do everything together," the "All About That Bass" singer explained. "And we started that journey.”
Kendra Wilkinson
Former Girls Next Door star Kendra Wilkinson gave one unnamed weight loss injectable a shot. Exactly one, to be precise. “I started the weight loss shots,” she wrote on her Instagram Stories in April 2025. “Only did one. Nevermind. Throwing away!!”
Ultimately, said the Playboy model, she wasn't interested in hopping into any potential health risks. “Heard too many horror stories around me,” explained the mom of two. “People end up in ER. Surgeries. No thanks.”
Nikki Glaser
The Golden Globes host fiercly defended the use of Ozempic in March 2025, calling for people to be more open about using the medication.
“I love it. I’m like, ‘Do it,’” she said on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. “I have no judgment. If you want to do Ozempic, hell yeah, girl.”
She added, “I want people to feel more comfortable talking about doing it, because I feel like there's this shame,” she continued. “The shame is only from thin people who want you to stay fat. That's really where it's coming from. They're so mad that you're getting thin now, because that's all they have, right? You’re dynamic, you have a good personality, and they're so mad.”
Brooks Nader
In December 2024, the model said she had once taken Ozempic but stopped after she started competing on Dancing With the Stars the previous fall.
"I took, like, a little bit when it first came out, and everyone was doing it," Nader told Us Weekly. "It made me really nauseous. I liked it—I am not going to lie—and when I went on Dancing with the Stars, I could not do both."
Brooks said she "lost a little bit of the motivation and the strength to work out" by taking the medication. "It was one or the other," she said, "and I picked dancing. I put the shot away."
Bonnie Chapman
Dog the Bounty Hunter's daughter shared Nov. 1 that she had lost 58 pounds in 10 months thanks to a change in diet and the use of the weight loss medication Tirzepatide, adding, "I am able to look at myself in the mirror and feel so proud of where I've gotten."
But before finding the solution that works for her, she had a rough go with Ozempic. "I hated it," she revealed to E! News. "I could not eat without feeling nauseous. I could not eat at all, sometimes. My body did not like it."
Jessel Taank
The Real Housewives of New York City star shot down speculation about her glow-up between seasons 14 and 15.
“I think that when you’re in reality TV, it’s so natural to be like, ‘Oh, she got plastic surgery or she did this or she’s on Ozempic,’” she told Us Weekly in October 2024. “I actually f--king hate Ozempic. I would never put needles in myself.”
Lizzo
After several fans speculated on social media that Lizzo used Ozempic to lose weight, following a post she shared in which she showcased a slimmer figure, the Grammy winner posted this video, set to a viral TikTok sound bite of Christoph Waltz's character saying, "It's like a reward" from Django Unchained.
Lottie Moss
Kate Moss' little sis revealed why getting on Ozempic was "the worst decision I ever made," during a September 2024 episode of her Dream On podcast.
After taking a dosage meant for those roughly 220 pounds or more, the model was struggling to keep any food or water down and landed in the emergency room.
“I literally had a seizure from how dehydrated I was, which honestly was the scariest thing that’s ever happened to me in my life,” she admitted. “My friend had to hold my feet down. It was so scary, the whole situation. My face was clenching up, my whole body was tense.”
Jon Gosselin
The Jon & Kate Plus 8 alum told Page Six in April 2024 that he lost 32 pounds in two months after taking injections of semaglutide, the generic form of Ozempic.
"You know what's annoying?" he said. "The regret of not starting it 10 years ago."
Ree Drummond
The Pioneer Woman star shared on her blog in March 2024 that her 50-pound weight loss in 2022 was not due to taking Ozempic or similar medications.
She added, "But you'll never hear a second of judgment from me about people who choose that direction!"
Tracy Morgan
In August 2023, the 30 Rock alum said on Today With Hoda and Jenna that he lost weight on Ozempic because it supressed his appetite.
In March 2024, his health journey appeared to take a surprising turn. "I've learned to out-eat Ozempic," he said on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. "I gained 40 pounds."
Later that month, he clarified to E! News that he was joking, adding, "Ozempic did great by me and I was glad to use it."
Caroline Stanbury
The Real Housewives of Dubai star opened up about using Ozempic after going through a "midlife crisis" at 45.
"After 40, we all know it's very, very hard to lose weight," she said in the May 22 episode of her podcast Uncut & Uncensored With Caroline Stanbury. "But I met so many 40-year-old women going, 'How have you done it?' And I don't want to lie to you, I used Ozempic, which I think is one of the best tools if you're able to use it."
Jennifer Aydin
The Real Housewives of New Jersey star declared "I am not on Ozempic" during a July 2024 Watch What Happens Live interview before hilariously adding, "I'm on Mounjaro, okay. I'm sorry! I love being this weight, I love it! I have so much energy if you couldn't tell."
Kandi Burruss
The Real Housewives of Atlanta alum revealed her failed attempt to lose weight with the injectable medication.
"It didn't curb my appetite. I know some people are like, ‘Oh, I can't eat.' Not me! I was eating appetizers, a regular meal and dessert, okay? It didn't stop anything for me," she shared in June 2024. "When you see it worked for other people and it doesn't work for you, it makes you depressed. Realistically, it makes you feel like, ‘What is wrong with me? Why is it not working for me?'"
Brooke Burke
“I can’t speak medically about it, but I do know that there’s so much information about what’s working and what’s not,” she shared during part of an interview with Fox News Digital. “I think that Ozempic has some great benefits, and I also think it has some dangers.”
Jade Thirlwall
The Little Mix alum, who has been open about her past struggles with anorexia, admitted that avoiding Ozempic was difficult amid online speculation about her weight
“I have a daily battle with myself not to go on Ozempic,” Jade told The Guardian in August 2025. “I don’t judge people that do, but because I have a history of eating disorders, I don’t know where taking something like that would end for me.”
Tori Spelling
The Beverly Hills, 90210 tried the drug to help her slim down after giving birth to her son Beau in 2017.
"I tried Ozempic and it didn't work for me," she shared in an April 2024 episode of her misSPELLING podcast, "so I went on Mounjaro, which did do the trick and I did lose weight."
Raven-Symoné
"I think it's very important we understand certain medications are made for certain people," the actress told E! News' Francesca Amiker, "and to not take that away just for glamazon purposes."
Raven continued, "Do what you gotta do, just make sure you save the medication for the people who actually need it."
Sharon Osbourne
The Talk U.K. host revealed in September 2023 that she shed 42 pounds after using Ozempic earlier in the year.
"Whatever you choose is up to you," she exclusively told E! News. "It's not a dirty little secret when you've taken something to help you lose weight, which is perfectly fine."
She added, "We don't have to bulls--t."
Kelly Osbourne
Sharon's daughter has also weighed in on the Ozempic trend.
"I think it's amazing," the Fashion Police alum told E! News in January 2024. "There are a million ways to lose weight, why not do it through something that isn't as boring as working out?"
Kate Winslet
The Titanic star, who was once a target for tabloids when it came to her weight, shared what she thought about the weight loss trend.
"I actually don't know what Ozempic is," Kate admitted to The New York Times Magazine in an interview published in March 2024. "All I know is that it's some pill that people are taking or something like that."
"Oh, my God," Kate remarked after learning about the injectable. "This sounds terrible."
Heidi Montag
The Hills star revealed in December 2023 that she'd recently lost 22 pounds—without taking Ozempic. "There's no shortcuts in life. And if you're taking that shortcut, I don't know," she told Page Six of other celebrities using the drug. "I don't want to name names or get into it, it's just nothing I would ever do."
Heidi noted, "I want something that is sustainable. I want something that does also require hard work."
Amy Schumer
The Trainwreck star did not hold back when she called out celebrities for not being honest about using Ozempic as a weight loss tool during her June 8, 2023 appearance on Watch What Happens Live.
"Everyone and their mom is gonna try it. Everyone has been lying saying, 'Oh, smaller portions,'" she told Andy Cohen, who has also publicly weighed in on the Ozempic craze multiple times. "Like, shut the f--k up. You are on Ozempic or one of those things, or you got work done. Just stop."
Schumer, who has been open about her past medical procedures, added, "Be real with people. When I got lipo, I said I got lipo."
She admitted to becoming "immediately invested" in Ozempic in 2022, but explained that it was not "livable" for her to take the Type 2 diabetes drug as it hindered her ability to spend time with her son Gene.
"I was one of those people that felt so sick and couldn't play with my son," Schumer recalled. "I was so skinny, and he's throwing a ball at me and [I couldn't]."
Dr. Drew Pinsky
"People have a mixed feeling about interventions like this," Dr. Drew exclusively told E! News at Fox's Special Forces: World's Toughest Test season two event in Los Angeles on Sept. 12, 2023. "They're tantalized by it, but on the other hand, they have this weird judgment."
He continued, "If we have a medication that can be helpful, by all means, people should be encouraged to think about it."
Sophie Turner
Forget winter, a hot take is coming.
The Game of Thrones alum was not shy when it came to sharing her opinion about Ozempic and its advertisements.
In an April 5, 2023 Instagram Story, the actress reposted a tweet from writer Sophie Vershbow that read, "The Ozempic ads plastered across the Times Square subway station can f--k all the way off." One ad featured in Vershbow's Twitter photos read, "One shot to lose weight," while another offered similar text, "A weekly shot to lose weight."
Turner adding her own commentary, writing, "WTF."
Ozempic maker Novo Nordisk previously told E! News that the drug is not FDA-approved for chronic weight management.
"While we recognize that some healthcare providers may be prescribing Ozempic for patients whose goal is to lose weight, Novo Nordisk does not promote, suggest, or encourage off-label use of our medicines and is committed to fully complying with all applicable U.S. laws and regulations in the promotion of our products," the Danish pharmaceutical company said in a statement. "We trust that healthcare providers are evaluating a patient's individual needs and determining which medicine is right for that particular patient."
Chelsea Handler
Ozempic is no laughing matter for the comedian. Handler revealed her "anti-aging doctor" prescribed the medication without her realizing what the drug was.
"I didn't even know I was on it," she said during the Jan. 25, 2023 episode of Call Her Daddy. "She said, 'If you ever want to drop five pounds, this is good.'"
But while she tried the drug, Handler noted that she didn't like how it made her feel.
"I came back from a vacation and I injected myself with it," she recalled. "I went to lunch with a girlfriend a few days later, and she was like, 'I'm not really eating anything. I'm so nauseous, I'm on Ozempic.' And I was like, 'I'm kind of nauseous too.' But I had just come back from Spain and was jet-lagged."
Ultimately, Handler stopped using the drug because it wasn't medically necessary for her, adding that she gave away the remaining doses to friends.
"I've injected about four or five of my friends with Ozempic, because I realized I didn't want to use it because it was silly," she said. "It's for heavy people. I have people coming over to my house, and I'm like, 'OK, I can see you at 1, I can see you at 2.'"
Khloe Kardashian
Khloe Kardashian clapped back when commenters on Instagram speculated that she was taking Ozempic.
"Let's not discredit my years of working out," Kardashian wrote on a January 2023 post. "I get up 5 days a week at 6am to train. Please stop with your assumptions. I guess new year still means mean people."
Dr. Terry Dubrow
In addition to embracing the weight-loss drug, Dubrow actually revealed in January 2023 he temporarily used Mounjaro to learn how it affects the body.
"I thought it was amazing," the Botched star shared. "I didn't have that much weight to lose. But I wanted to try it because so many of my patients were on it and I wanted to see what it was like when you're not diabetic and you only have 10 to 15 pounds to lose."
Although Dr. Dubrow didn't disclose how much weight he lost or how long he took the medication for, he confirmed he's no longer using it.
"I thought, 'You know what, I kind of want to get my appetite back,'" he explained the reason for quitting the medication, noting he also experienced "low-grade nausea."