Key Takeaways<\/strong><\/p>\n Trending<\/strong><\/p>\n Lizzo, Gunna, and others pushed back on Ozempic rumors by sharing their real fitness and diet routines.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n Oprah Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg publicly discussed using GLP-1 medications to support their weight loss.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n These stories reveal how public figures navigate health, stigma, and self-image in the spotlight.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n 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.<\/p>\n Some of the world’s greatest entertainers \u2014 Lizzo, Oprah Winfrey, and SZA, just to name a few \u2014 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<\/a> to help manage their health.<\/p>\n With that in mind, here are 10 Black celebrities who\u2019ve shared their experiences with weight loss and the different paths that got them there.<\/p>\n Fed up with social media wanting her to \u201cbe on Ozempic so bad,\u201d Lizzo revealed the truth behind her incredible weight loss in July 2025. \u201cI work my a** off,\u201d the \u201cAbout Damn Time\u201d artist wrote in a since-deleted Instagram post<\/a> that included before-and-after photos of her transformation.<\/p>\n On top of cutting out \u201csugary Starbucks, full-fat sodas, and potato chips,\u201d the Houston rapper revealed she was \u201ctraining three times a week<\/a>, [doing] daily sauna and cardio [sessions],\u201d and reintroduced \u201canimal protein\u201d to her diet with the help of a chef who assisted with meal prep.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Oprah Winfrey Show\u201d 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 \u201creturned to real food.\u201d As she later explained, \u201cSince I wasn\u2019t exercising, there was nothing my body could do but regain the weight.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Timbaland\u2019s weight loss journey started with a dream that made him feel like \u201cdeath was near.\u201d He told Men\u2019s Health, \u201cI saw myself with a white face.\u201d At the time, the \u201cHoly Grail\u201d producer \u2014 who was already prediabetic and a father of three \u2014 was abusing painkillers like OxyContin and Percocet while eating poorly, which caused his weight to climb to 350 pounds.<\/p>\n That terrifying wake-up call inspired Timbaland to ditch the pills and take up boxing<\/a>. He lost 50 pounds in the first year alone, and by the time his interview with Men\u2019s Health came out in 2020, he\u2019d shed an impressive 130 pounds. \u201cThe only things that got me through it were my kids, my girl, [and] the help of God keeping my mind still,\u201d he shared.<\/p>\n For Mo\u2019Nique, weight loss came down to \u201cputting in the work and not giving up.\u201d In 2018, she celebrated weighing under 200 pounds for the first time since she was 17. \u201cI wanted to let y\u2019all know it\u2019s possible, we can do it, and we can get there,\u201d she said in a video shared on Instagram. \u201cFor me, it was with no surgery, no pre-packaged foods, [and] not listening to no spokespeople saying, \u2018It\u2019s easy, you can do it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n In a 2024 interview on “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” Whoopi Goldberg joked that she \u201clost almost two people\u201d worth of weight. The actress and “The View” co-host said she \u201cwas 300 pounds\u201d at her heaviest, before revealing how she slimmed down. \u201cI\u2019m doing that wonderful shot that works for folks who need some help,\u201d Goldberg explained. \u201cAnd it\u2019s been really good for me.\u201d<\/p>\n 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\u2019s Health, the \u201cOh Okay\u201d rapper shared that he started \u201cworking out in jail a little bit\u201d 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<\/a> consistently.<\/p>\n As for how he lost \u201cabout 30 to 40 pounds,\u201d Gunna credited a good chunk of his transformation to \u201cless eating.\u201d He told XXL, \u201cI got a trainer. I work out six days a week. I eat better. I eat clean.\u201d<\/p>\n Jennifer Hudson went from a size 16 to a size 6, which is no small feat by any means. In a 2017 interview with \u201cLorraine,\u201d the singer and actress shared that she lost 80 pounds primarily through diet, since she \u201cdidn\u2019t really have time to do much\u201d exercise back then. \u201cI’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,\u201d Hudson explained.<\/p>\n\n
1. Lizzo<\/h2>\n
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2. Oprah Winfrey<\/h2>\n
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3. Timbaland<\/h2>\n
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4. Mo\u2019Nique<\/h2>\n
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5. Whoopi Goldberg<\/h2>\n
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6. Gunna<\/h2>\n
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7. Jennifer Hudson<\/h2>\n
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8. Ma$e<\/h2>\n