Queen Latifah continues to use her platform to uplift and inform. From music and film to TV and philanthropy, the legendary multihyphenate also teamed up with Novo Nordisk to raise awareness about the link between weight and heart health. The campaign’s website, TruthAboutWeight.com, offers resources to help people better understand obesity as a chronic condition and start more informed, judgment-free conversations with their doctors — especially in communities where stigma often stands in the way of care. It’s a mission that hits close to home for Latifah, who recalled being asked to lose weight during her “Living Single” days despite starring on a hit show.

REVOLT caught up with the icon to talk about the campaign, her reflections on “The Equalizer” ending after five seasons, her future as a producer and actress, and yes — whether new music is on the way. Read the full conversation below.

You’ve had an incredible career spanning music, film, TV, and now you’re using your platform to raise awareness about health — specifically the connection between weight and heart health. What made you want to get involved in this conversation around obesity and heart health?

Well, it was a conversation that Novo Nordisk and I had. They came in to visit me on the set of one of our movies in New Mexico and said they wanted to do a campaign that knocked down the stigma and bias of people living with obesity. I thought that was a great idea, and it was just about figuring out how to do that. Here we are years later down the line with our relationship and we’ve made so much progress. We wanted to talk about truthaboutweight.com, which has a lot of information that people can really use because we do need to make sure that people understand that obesity is a disease, that it's an epidemic here, and that it impacts two out of five Americans — disproportionately people of color — and that it is chronic, but it's manageable.

We also needed to raise the connection between obesity and cardiovascular disease. Seventy percent of the people living with obesity die from cardiovascular disease, and that is just too large of a number to be acceptable when there's something that you can do about it. Getting the word out about it — dealing with stigma and bias is one thing — but really getting the word out about how severe a medical situation this could be is important, especially if there's something that you can do to change that outcome. And that's what we want to do: change the outcomes. People want to live long, healthy lives, enjoy their families and reach their goals in life. And if there's something that can be done to change that, then that's something that we need to know.

Were there any personal experiences or stories that made this mission even more meaningful to you?

I mean, there have been many stories along the way. You know? When you do what I do for a living, you step into a lot of spaces where people don't look like you. And I also realized that I was representing for a lot of people. So, for me, just looking the way I do, having the body that I have. There are times when it was great for me to be heavier in my body because I represented so many women who felt underrepresented. At the same time, we want to live long, healthy lives too. So, health is what is most important.

At one point, we were approached while doing “Living Single,” and I was probably 24. We had the No. 1 show among Black and Latino households, and we were told that the word came down that they wanted us to lose weight. And my instant reaction to that was absolutely not. I'm not losing a pound. Are you crazy? Like, what are you talking about? We look like what real women look like. We are representing what four women from Brooklyn look like. And we all look different from one to the next. We have such a successful show, we’re doing all the right things, and this is the one thing that you actually have to say, and you don't even know what you're talking about. Maybe you should go take a trip to Brooklyn over the summer and see what people from Brooklyn actually look like. That’s the way I felt at that time.

That being said, again, we want to be healthy. We want to feel good about our bodies. We want to feel good about our self-image, our self-esteem, but we also want to be healthy. So we want to make sure that we're sharing the information that allows us to live long, healthy lives. Combating living with obesity is one of the things we have to do because there are ways that we can do that, and that's something that you have to deal with, with your physician. You gotta get in the office, and y'all have to talk it out, and you have to open up and be real about what you're feeling, get those numbers, see where you are, and see what the plan is. And it's not as simple as, “Oh, you're not trying hard enough,” or “You're not thinking about this the right way,” or “You're not walking enough,” or “You're not working hard enough.” No, it has nothing to do with any of those things. It's really about it being a medical condition that should be dealt with in a medical setting with a professional who can help guide you through it. Even that is about empowering people. Empowering not just women, but men as well. A lot of men are dealing with this as well. So empowering everyone to be able to combat it.

What’s one thing you wish more people knew about the link between weight and heart health that you’ve learned through this partnership with Novo Nordisk?

That so much of the illness of it is preventable with more awareness, and with more support, and with more tools, and with greater understanding. You know? Now that I'm thinking about it, it's not just a cousin that I've lost to this. One of my really good friends who, if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here — he dealt with heart disease, cardiovascular disease, and obesity and weight issues that were progressive over time. Because I had known him since he was in high school, I watched this happen over a period of time. I watched the challenges that he faced with weight, with heart disease.

Also, my producer, The 45 King, I watched what he went through, dealing with cardiovascular disease, also related to his weight. We had conversations about it. He lost a hundred pounds. I remember him telling me, “I stopped eating this, and I cut out that. My doctor told me about this, and I started doing that.” He really was very proud of himself and how he was able to take this thing down over time. Now, unfortunately, a lot of the damage was done. Had this been something he was able to approach honestly at an earlier age, at an earlier time in his life, I think he might have been able to overcome it. But maybe not. Maybe he was actually just able to extend his life a longer. So, it's not just like some magic thing that happens that takes it all away but if you can live longer and live healthier for that period of time, then how many more memories is that? How many more graduations is that? How many more births of family members? How many more barbecues, and how many more records, and movies, and vacations, and just how much more love do you get to share because you had this many more years in your life? And I know for me as a parent, and for anybody I know who's a parent, would love to have more time with their children. So, this is one of the ways that can happen.

Now switching gears a bit, “The Equalizer” came to a close after an amazing five-season run. Congrats on all the success with that show. Looking back, what are you most proud of from the series?

Thank you and oh my goodness, there's so many proud moments I have from “The Equalizer.” I mean, just the fact that we went from just shooting a pilot to all of a sudden, “Don’t worry about the pilot.” They ordered 13 episodes. And I was like, “Huh? Okay.” I wasn’t quite in my karate-fit shape that I wanted to be, but okay. So, I’m just happy that we were able to get a show off the ground during a pandemic. We were one of the first shows to go into production, and we shot under some extremely difficult circumstances. We assembled an amazing cast, an amazing crew, great writers, and we were able to create a hit show on a network in the middle of this time when every streaming service went up and everything was happening, and more content was being required of people than ever. We managed to make something that was a quality show that people loved and really came to rely on. And a show that was based on seeking justice every week.

I’m very proud of what we were able to do. We made it through a writers’ strike that went on for quite a long time. We made it through an actors’ strike. I mean, we all went on strike, and we managed to make it through that period of time and still have the love of the people and the love of this show. I'm proud of all the fans who stuck with us through it. I just think it was a fantastic show. Every department came through. And even the city of New York and New Jersey were also the stars of this show, just in location, in backdrop, and just all of the people.

I’m also extremely proud of the diverse crew that we were able to cast, that we were able to create a show that had a woman at the helm of the studio, at the helm of the producers’ tables, and as a star of the show — No. 1 on the call sheet. We brought a great deal of directors to that show to direct episodes. I would put my money on anybody on my crew. We were able to shoot through some hellified conditions with masks in a terrifying time in our world. So, I think they can go on and do anything. There's nothing that they can’t do. So, I feel very proud to have been a part of it.

You mentioned you’ll be “kicking a**” in another project. Can you give us any hints on what you've signed on for as an actress or a producer?

You know, I have so many things on my plate right now that I'm not doing anything. I've decided I gotta just sit and pray about it and just enjoy reading the many scripts and enjoy my family because I’ve been sharing my family with this show. My son is six now and he was a baby when this all started. I get to sing “Twinkle Twinkle” in person and I take a great deal of pride in that. I’m actually just enjoying being home for a minute. Whatever will be next, y’all will be the first to know about it. So, I just hope you support the next thing like you’ve been supporting me on all the other crazy stuff we’ve done throughout these years.

You’ve done it all — music, TV, film, producing, advocacy, and more. Is there something you haven’t done yet that’s still on your bucket list?

I need to figure out how to manage to get eight hours of sleep for, like, seven days in a row. You know what I mean? I’ve been working on it for years. I can’t quite nail it. [Laughs] No, just kidding. I’m sure there’s a bunch of things I’m probably not thinking of right now. But right now, I think I’ll be happy to help with this mission right here, which is to get people to truthaboutweight.com. If I can help affect their lives, then I’ve done my job. That means somebody else gets to go on and live and do great things with their lives, and that halo effect right there is good. I’m good with that.

The people want to know… are we ever getting another Queen Latifah album? Or maybe a surprise feature or tour?

You see, you remember when I said I was gonna pray about it just a second ago? Because everybody wants all those things, and I have a lot of that at my disposal. So, I’m just trying to figure out what comes first. We are definitely gonna drop some new music, and we’ll see what happens from there.

What keeps you going? What’s your personal definition of success?

Coffee. Coffee keeps me going. Success is getting my cup of coffee in the morning — and then it’s on. If I can get my coffee before everybody gets me, then I have already won. Do you understand? It’s the simple things in life. Let me get up and get to the coffee first, and then we can do anything. [Laughs] But, no, I’m already successful. I’m blessed. I got a family who loves me. I have friends who care about me. I got God in my life. I’m blessed. That’s my definition of success, having that.