*Oprah Winfrey is seeing Ozempic in a new light. Initially, she criticized users of the weight-loss drug for taking “an easy way out” by using it.
The Wall Street Journal reports Winfrey bought nearly 3,700 shares of WeightWatchers stock last week after the company endorsed the use of drugs like Ozempic to treat obesity. In March, WeightWatchers paid $106 million to acquire Sequence, a telehealth subscription service that prescribes Ozempic and other drugs used for weight loss. Customers pay around $100 a month to use the service.
$Ka-ching!
Winfrey, who once owned a 10% stake in WeightWatchers before selling off most of her shares, bought nearly 3,700 shares of company stock last week. As of August, Winfrey owned a stake in the company worth about $12 million, The Journal noted. She’s also a board member.
The former talk show host generated headlines last month when speaking with WeightWatchers CEO Sima Sistani. During the discussion, Winfrey stated she would not take Ozempic and similar weight-loss medications in light of her view of them being “an easy way out.”
News of Winfrey’s stance regarding Ozempic has resulted in her clarifying her remarks in a statement to The Journal. In the statement, Winfrey said her comments were “misconstrued” and “taken out of context.”
“To be clear, I believe that prescription medications are an important and viable option to consider for people who struggle with weight and health-related issues,” she told The Journal. “Every person should be able to choose what wellness and good health means for them without scrutiny, stigma or shame.”
This past summer, Winfrey, who owns more than 1.1 million shares of WeightWatchers stock, saw a dip in her stake in the company as it went from 10% in 2015 to just 1.4%.
“I chose to rebalance my overall portfolio, which had included a significant stock position in WeightWatchers,” said Winfrey in her statement.
“I’m enthusiastic about the company’s Sequence purchase and am in favor of potential new treatment options for obesity and related health issues.”
Touching on WeightWatchers’ co-sign of Ozempic, Sistani acknowledged the role it may have played a role in “shaming” customers into thinking it was their fault for being obese.
“We introduced the shame for people for whom diet and exercise wasn’t enough,” Sistani was quoted as saying during the livestream event with Winfrey.
“We want to be the first to say where we got it wrong,” Sistani said.
For more on WeightWatchers and Winfrey’s new stance on Ozempic, click here.
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