Oprah's Got a Big Special on Weight Loss Coming Up

As WeightWatchers deals with the aftermath of Oprah Winfrey's exit, the TV icon is making her next big move on the weight-loss scene. CNN reports that Winfrey will host An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame, and the Weight Loss Revolution, set to be released later this month on ABC and Hulu.

• The special: The program will be recorded in front of a live audience and will entail "a sit-down conversation" with medical experts "around the radical impact of prescription weight-loss medications" like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro, addressing "prevailing questions and concerns surrounding the impact on our health care, economy, lifestyle, and culture," per a release. Interviews with patients who've taken weight-loss drugs will also be featured.

• The experts: Included in this conversation will be Dr. W. Scott Butsch of the Cleveland Clinic; ABC News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton, as well as network medical correspondent Dr. Darien Sutton; and Dr. Amanda Velazquez of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, per Variety.
• Controversy: Eyebrows raised when Winfrey announced in December that she'd been taking a weight loss medication that brought her within just a few pounds of her target weight. TMZ notes that just a few months before, Winfrey had slammed such meds as an "easy way out." It's not clear which weight loss drug Winfrey has taken.
• 'Who will tell her to sit down?': That's the reaction of Stephanie Holland at the Root, who says the Winfrey situation feels "disingenuous." Holland concedes that the drugs may indeed be effective, but "we've been doing this dance with Oprah for decades. She discovers a new method, undergoes a huge transformation, then uses her platform to expound on the very specific technique she used." Holland adds: "When it comes to weight loss, I can't trust or believe her anymore."
• Oprah's take: "It is a very personal topic for me and for the hundreds of millions of people impacted around the globe who have for years struggled with weight and obesity," says Winfrey, 70, noting that the goal of the special "is to ultimately release the shame, judgment, and stigma surrounding weight."
• Release date: The special debuts March 18 on ABC at 8pm ET, then starts streaming on Hulu on March 19.

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