Hollywood’s biggest stars gathered at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles last night for the 97th Academy Awards. Anora dominated the evening, winning five awards, including Best Picture and Best Actress for Mikey Madison.
In addition to celebrating the outstanding achievements in filmmaking, another major talking point of the Oscars was the performers' remarkable body transformations, which many have attributed to Ozempic.
Highlights
- Ozempic, a medication for treating diabetes, is rumored to be used off-label by celebrities for weight loss.
- At the Oscars, stars like Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, and Julianne Hough sparked speculation about Ozempic use.
- Whoopi Goldberg revealed that she took Mounjaro, another diabetes medication, for weight loss.
Though it's only been FDA-approved for treating Type 2 diabetes, the medication is often prescribed off-label for weight loss, as it suppresses appetite and contributes to a feeling of fullness.
Celebrities stunned the internet with their drastic weight loss transformations at the Oscars
Image credits: Oscars
Among the celebrities rumored to have used Ozempic is Ariana Grande, nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Wicked.
The singer and actress opted for a strapless Schiaparelli gown that drew attention to her slender shoulders and arms.
Ariana's svelte figure previously sparked concerns among fans during her Wicked promo tour, with many suggesting that her noticeable weight loss transformation was compromising her health.
Ariana Grande's red carpet appearance reignited concerns about her health
Image credits: Gregg DeGuire/Penske Media
"Ariana Grande is so skinny I'm surprised she doesn't disappear. It's so sad she looked better before," one fan wrote in reaction to her red-carpet pictures.
"I wish Ariana Grande would leave the Ozempic alone," another said.
"For real tho. Is Ariana Grande OK? She is so thin and talks so slowly now. I'm actually worried," a third fan added.
In 2023, Ariana publicly commented on fans' concerns over her weight, saying on TikTok that what some people considered her "healthiest" body was far from it.
"The body that you've been comparing my current body to was the unhealthiest version of my body.
"I was on a lot of antidepressants, and drinking on them, and eating poorly, and at the lowest point of my life when I looked the way you consider my healthy, but that, in fact, wasn't my healthy."
Cynthia Erivo's one-shoulder dress highlighted her collarbones and slender arms
Image credits: John Shearer/97th Oscars/The Academy
Ariana's Wicked co-star, Cynthia Erivo, also raised speculation about her possibly taking Ozempic to look slim.
Some netizens said Cynthia had an "Ozempic face," characterized by hollow cheeks. "Ozempic is the most likely cause and Hollywood being obsessed with extreme thinness again," one Redditor wrote, referring to the Tony winner's small frame.
Cynthia has never confirmed whether she's taken the semaglutide medication.
Demi Moore wore a fitted, glittery gown that accentuated her slim frame
Image credits: Amy Sussman/Getty Images
Another actress who sparked health concerns over her slim figure was Demi Moore, who was nominated for Best Actress for The Substance. Demi donned a fitted Armani Privé gown that accentuated her slender frame.
"OMG, Demi Moore's arm! Stop the Ozempic," one netizen commented.
Demi previously opened up about her obsession over her appearance, sharing in her 2019 memoir, "[I was] dieting and exercising in a very obsessive-compulsive way… I changed my body over multiple times but wasn't really myself."
While filming the Oscar-nominated film, the 62-year-old star contracted shingles, a painful rash illness she said made her lose 20 pounds (approx. 9 kg).
The Ghost actress revealed last September that she was able to become more flexible with her exercise regime and accept her "natural size."
"After I finished G.I. Jane is when I had a huge shift, because I had manipulated my body, I had changed it multiple times, through just pure force and discipline, and when I finished that film, I was so kind of worn down in this battle that I had been in that I finally surrendered," she told The New York Times.
"I just started to ask to be my natural size because I didn't know what it was. I literally couldn't go to a gym. I couldn't control food in that way."
Georgina Chapman's look also reignited rumors about Ozempic
Image credits: Frazer Harrison/WireImage
Other stars who appeared noticeably slimmer include Mindy Kaling, who revealed she dropped 40 lbs (approx. 18 kg) in 2023, and Georgina Chapman, who attended the ceremony to support her boyfriend, Adrien Brody, and has also been the subject of health concerns. Neither of them has addressed speculation about Ozempic.
While Mindy said she runs 20 miles (approx. 32 km) each week and weight lifts with her trainer, Georgina starts her day with a workout or a yoga session five or six times a week and does body sculpting.
"I tried a juice cleanse once and lasted about 12 hours. I thought I was going to die—I need food!" Georgina told Harper's Bazaar.
"My favorite cuisine is Italian; I love the simplicity and freshness. I eat a lot of fish and poultry, but I haven't touched red meat since I was 18."
Mindy Kaling revealed she dropped 40 lbs (approx. 18 kg) in 2023
Image credits: Neilson Barnard/Getty Images
Julianne Hough, who hosted the Oscars red carpet show, appeared noticeably thinner in an asymmetrical, one-shoulder dress by Christian Dior.
Addressing the commentary that she looked "boney" in a video posted last October, the actress and dancer said she's never "been healthier."
Julianne Hough appeared noticeably thinner in an asymmetrical dress by Christian Dior
Image credits: Frazer Harrison/WireImage
"I was full of inflammation in my 20's and had a marker for an autoimmune that I addressed and committed to over a year and a half ago. I've frozen my eggs over the last few years which also shifts the body fluctuation," Julianne shared.
"I've never been healthier or happier from the inside out. Grief, loss. Sadness and fear also get stored in the body and we hold on to that in different ways.
“I made it a huge priority to accept, express, process, and release a lot of emotions over the years."
Julianne created her own fitness app, Kinrgy. To maintain her health, she drinks protein shakes and eats grilled chicken or salmon with veggies for dinner.
Selena Gomez attributed her weight fluctuations to her lupus medication
Image credits: Neilson Barnard/Getty Images
Though some attributed Selena Gomez's drastic weight loss to Ozempic, the Emilia Pérez actress shared that her weight fluctuations are due to her lupus medication, which causes water retention.
Lupus is a disease that causes the body’s immune system attack its own tissues and organs.
"When I’m taking [the medicine], I tend to hold a lot of water weight, and that happens very normally. And then when I’m off of it, I tend to kind of lose weight,” the Texas native said.
“My weight would constantly fluctuate because I would be on certain medications,” she added. “And obviously, people just ran with it. It was like they couldn’t wait to find a thing to bring me down. I was being shamed for gaining weight because of my lupus.”
Whoopi Goldberg revealed she took Mounjaro, a diabetes medication used for weight loss
Image credits: Earl Gibson III/Penske Media
Whoopi Goldberg, who presented the tribute to Quincy Jones alongside Oprah Winfrey, also drew attention to her weight-loss transformation.
"Oprah and Whoopi being a walking billboard for Ozempic," one viewer commented, while another said, "My mother just referred to Whoopi Goldberg as Miss Ozempic."
"Whoopi and Oprah serving Ozempic opulence," a separate viewer added.
Image credits: ABC
The Sister Act star revealed that she started taking Mounjaro, another diabetes medication, when she weighed 300 pounds (approx. 136 kg).
"I made (2022 drama Till), and a woman thought I was wearing a fat suit," she said in May 2024.
"I'm doing that wonderful shot that works for folks who need some help, and it's been really good for me. It's all the weight I've lost. I’ve lost almost two people."
Addressing the stigma surrounding weight loss, the EGOT winner said the “key is to stop judging everybody.”
“My weight has come and gone, and up and down, but it’s never been an issue for me because I don’t listen to what other people say about me so it has never been a problem," she shared on The View after Oprah Winfrey’s special Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution.
"But I think it’s very hard for people to just know what a normal weight would be. Everyone has something to say but no one said, ‘How you doing?’ Because it involves so many other things.”
Expert reveals GLP-1 medications are "powerful weight-loss tools" but their long-term consequences need to be studied
Image credits: Haberdoedas/Unsplash
Harvard Health notes that gastrointestinal symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, are the most common side effects of GLP-1 medications.
Less common but more serious side effects include pancreatitis, gastroparesis, bowel obstruction, and gallstone attacks and bile duct blockage.
Areesha Moiz, who conducted a study with over 15,000 participants to evaluate Ozempic's efficacy in weight loss treatment, concluded that GLP-1 agonists are “powerful weight-loss tools, though their long-term impacts are still being explored." The medication led to weight loss of up to 14% after 16 months.
"This has gone too far," one netizen said about the stars' alleged use of Ozempic
