Oprah Winfrey showcased her slim figure in a sleek, long-sleeved white gown on Tuesday night as she joined her friend, Gayle King, and the co-author of her new book, Dr. Ania M. Jastreboff, in conversation.
The TV personality was glowing with confidence as she stepped out in the white dress, which featured a high neckline and a mermaid hemline. She accessorized with white hoop earrings and white heeled boots, and wore her hair in a voluminous, curled style.
Oprah sat down with her friends in New York to discuss her new book, Enough: Your Health, Your Weight, and What It's Like to Be Free. She has lost almost 50 lbs since her weight loss journey began, sparked by a knee operation in 2021.
The 71-year-old opened up about the negative comments she was subjected to before her weight loss journey began, which deeply impacted her self-worth.
Learn more about Oprah's health journey below...
"What I felt all those years, the shame and the blame that I gave to myself, I felt it was because it was my fault. I felt it was my fault I was overweight," she said during an appearance on The View.
"So, when comedians made fun of me, I felt like, 'Well, it's okay for me to be the butt of their jokes because I should be losing the weight. I should be able to keep the weight off.' I felt embarrassed every time I put the weight back on. I accepted it because I felt that they were right."
Oprah recalled the moment when comedienne Joan Rivers made inappropriate comments about her weight during her first-ever appearance on The Tonight Show in 1985.
"Joan Rivers said to me, 'Shame, shame, shame on you for not losing the weight. How did you gain the weight?'" she said, adding that the "horrible moment" came "when I was so excited to be there for the first time, and I bought these new shoes, and I spent my entire paycheck."
"I remember leaving feeling embarrassed, but she said I could come back if I lost 15 pounds. I wasn't even upset with her. I thought, ''I've got to get on it, I've got to lose those 15 pounds.'"
Oprah's weight loss journey has been aided by the use of GLP-1 medications like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro, although she has not specified which brand she chose.
GLP-1 medications work to suppress appetite and aid weight loss, and several high-profile celebrities have admitted to using them, including Serena Williams, Rebel Wilson, Kathy Bates and Amy Schumer. Oprah shared on CBS Mornings that she felt shame about taking weight loss drugs, as it was often viewed as a shortcut.
"I was so motivated by shame that I felt I could not take the drug," she said. "Because if I took the drug – I, who had been the poster child for I can do it, I can do it, I can do it, willpower, willpower, let's just get more willpower – if I couldn't do it, then I would be shamed, and ashamed of myself for not being able to do it myself."