When GLP-1 medications began gaining popularity, secrecy, shame, and stigma surrounded them. Not so today. In fact, many celebrities have gone public about their experience taking them. Called GLP-1 (or glucagon-like peptide 1) drugs, they include semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy). Separately, there is the dual GLP-1/GIP dual agonist tirzepatide (Mounjaro and Zepbound).
“There’s definitely a shift happening, and that shame is beginning to go away,” says Angela Fitch, MD, the current president of the Obesity Medicine Association and chief medical officer of knownwell.
Subsequently the public has become more aware of the real causes of obesity and being overweight — as in, it’s not simply a lack of willpower, according to Columbia Surgery. “Instead of thinking of obesity as a choice, people are beginning to realize it’s a chronic disease that contributes to a host of other chronic conditions,” says Dr. Fitch. And though GLP-1s aren’t perfect (they come with side effects, per the Mayo Clinic), they can help with those conditions related to obesity, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes, per Medline Plus.
“The more people who talk about using these drugs, the more the conversation is normalized, and it makes other people with similar struggles feel they are not alone,” says says Tina Marinaccio, RDN, a Denville, New Jersey–based registered dietitian who is certified in weight management from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Here are 13 famous faces who have spoken out about GLP-1 drugs.