Key Takeaways
- Lizzo, Gunna, and others pushed back on Ozempic rumors by sharing their real fitness and diet routines.
- Oprah Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg publicly discussed using GLP-1 medications to support their weight loss.
- These stories reveal how public figures navigate health, stigma, and self-image in the spotlight.
Conversations about weight loss tend to be really complicated, even more so for those whose work involves performing for thousands, being on social media, or simply existing under the spotlight.
Some of the world's greatest entertainers — Lizzo, Oprah Winfrey, and SZA, just to name a few — have all faced criticism for their weight. Thankfully, many of them have openly shared their experiences and the ways they've approached weight loss. Gunna and Timbaland hit the gym, Anthony Anderson and Jennifer Hudson focused on eating smarter, and others have turned to medications like Ozempic to help manage their health.
With that in mind, here are 10 Black celebrities who’ve shared their experiences with weight loss and the different paths that got them there.
1. Lizzo
Fed up with social media wanting her to “be on Ozempic so bad,” Lizzo revealed the truth behind her incredible weight loss in July 2025. “I work my a** off,” the “About Damn Time” artist wrote in a since-deleted Instagram post that included before-and-after photos of her transformation.
On top of cutting out “sugary Starbucks, full-fat sodas, and potato chips,” the Houston rapper revealed she was “training three times a week, [doing] daily sauna and cardio [sessions],” and reintroduced “animal protein” to her diet with the help of a chef who assisted with meal prep.
2. Oprah Winfrey
“The Oprah Winfrey Show” ran for 25 seasons, which is an incredibly long time to be in the public eye. For years, the talk show host faced relentless scrutiny over her weight, leading her to experiment with several weight-loss methods. In 1988, Winfrey notably shed 67 pounds on a liquid diet, only to gain the weight back once she “returned to real food.” As she later explained, “Since I wasn’t exercising, there was nothing my body could do but regain the weight.”
Fast forward to 2015, Winfrey partnered with WeightWatchers, ultimately losing over 40 pounds through the program. However, the Color Purple star stepped down from the WW board not long after revealing she had started using GLP-1 medication (Ozempic and Trulicity are among its doctor-prescribed brands). It just goes to show that weight loss is rarely ever a straight line.
3. Timbaland
Timbaland’s weight loss journey started with a dream that made him feel like “death was near.” He told Men’s Health, “I saw myself with a white face.” At the time, the “Holy Grail” producer — who was already prediabetic and a father of three — was abusing painkillers like OxyContin and Percocet while eating poorly, which caused his weight to climb to 350 pounds.
That terrifying wake-up call inspired Timbaland to ditch the pills and take up boxing. He lost 50 pounds in the first year alone, and by the time his interview with Men’s Health came out in 2020, he’d shed an impressive 130 pounds. “The only things that got me through it were my kids, my girl, [and] the help of God keeping my mind still,” he shared.
4. Mo’Nique
For Mo’Nique, weight loss came down to “putting in the work and not giving up.” In 2018, she celebrated weighing under 200 pounds for the first time since she was 17. “I wanted to let y’all know it’s possible, we can do it, and we can get there,” she said in a video shared on Instagram. “For me, it was with no surgery, no pre-packaged foods, [and] not listening to no spokespeople saying, ‘It’s easy, you can do it.’”
5. Whoopi Goldberg
In a 2024 interview on "The Kelly Clarkson Show," Whoopi Goldberg joked that she “lost almost two people” worth of weight. The actress and "The View" co-host said she “was 300 pounds” at her heaviest, before revealing how she slimmed down. “I’m doing that wonderful shot that works for folks who need some help,” Goldberg explained. “And it’s been really good for me.”
6. Gunna
Gunna came home from prison in 2022 looking like a whole new man (well, maybe not entirely new, but definitely in incredible shape). Speaking with Men’s Health, the “Oh Okay” rapper shared that he started “working out in jail a little bit” but really took fitness more seriously once he got home, incorporating three-mile runs, walks on the trails behind his house, and hitting the gym consistently.
As for how he lost “about 30 to 40 pounds,” Gunna credited a good chunk of his transformation to “less eating.” He told XXL, “I got a trainer. I work out six days a week. I eat better. I eat clean.”
7. Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Hudson went from a size 16 to a size 6, which is no small feat by any means. In a 2017 interview with “Lorraine,” the singer and actress shared that she lost 80 pounds primarily through diet, since she “didn’t really have time to do much” exercise back then. “I'm very careful and cautious of what I'm eating, so I just try to pace those meals throughout the day. Like, okay, eat here, don't eat here,” Hudson explained.
8. Ma$e
Like several celebrities on this list, many assumed Ma$e’s weight loss came from using Ozempic, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. In 2024, during an episode of his “It Is What It Is” show with Cam’ron, the “What You Want” rapper explained, “I signed up with this coach named Ricky Moore, [who’s] a professional bodybuilder, and he just put me on the alkaline diet. I’m only eating fruit, vegetables, and water for now.” According to Cam’ron, his co-host “lost 70 pounds” as a result.
9. Anthony Anderson
Anthony Anderson decided to “make a drastic change” to his health after being cast in “Law & Order” in 2008, he told People magazine. “I just started making healthier choices,” the “black-ish” star said. By 2014, he had gone “vegan-ish,” which also contributed to him losing about 47 pounds. Before that, Anderson — who lives with Type 2 diabetes — had weighed 270 pounds at his heaviest: “Being overweight was never an issue for me,” he admitted.
10. Missy Elliott
Not everyone loses weight by choice. Missy Elliott, who was diagnosed with Graves’ disease in 2008, opened up to Billboard about “losing an extreme amount of weight.” Her close friend Sharaya J told the outlet that the “Work It” hitmaker experienced “physical changes, extreme headaches, [and] extreme weight loss” as a result of the condition.
"I was on medication for a short while but have been off it for quite some time now," Elliott later said at ESSENCE’s 2018 Black Women in Music event, according to ABC News. She added, "I manage the condition through diet and exercise."