Media mogul Oprah Winfrey has opened up about a painful childhood memory involving her father that shaped her relationship with her body for decades.
The Haunting Hallway Remark
During a recent appearance on NBC's Today with Jenna & Sheinelle, the 71-year-old broadcasting legend recounted the moment her late father, Vernon Winfrey, made a comment that would linger for years. The incident occurred as a young Oprah stepped onto a scale in her family home.
"I was in the hallway and I had gotten on a scale," Winfrey recalled. "My dad came by as I was standing on the scale and said, 'there is no need to weigh yourself because you always will be big.' I was like, 'what?'"
Vernon Winfrey, who passed away in 2022 at the age of 88 following a battle with cancer, compounded the remark by adding that her mother and aunts were also big, claiming they had once weighed down his Buick car.
Winfrey admitted the comment left her deeply "embarrassed" at the time and created a lasting echo. She revealed that during numerous subsequent diet attempts over the years, she would hear her father's words ringing in her ears.
A New Perspective and Modern Tools
Today, Winfrey's view on that pivotal moment has evolved. "I know now that he was right," she told the hosts. "I would always be big because I had the biology that would allow myself to become obese."
This biological understanding now informs her approach to weight management. In 2023, Winfrey disclosed she had begun using a GLP-1 agonist medication—the class of drugs that includes Ozempic, Mounjaro, and Wegovy—as a "maintenance tool." While she never specified the exact drug, she credited it with helping her lose weight and quieting the persistent "food noise" in her mind.
She now describes these pharmaceuticals as a "tool to help me manage my entire health," a regimen she combines with a revamped diet and a rigorous exercise routine that includes regular seven-mile hikes.
The Challenge of Maintenance
However, Winfrey's journey has not been without its setbacks. She detailed a period where she stopped taking the medication and subsequently regained weight.
"I got off of it and then I gained three pounds, then five pounds, then ten pounds," she explained, noting the troublesome food noise also made a swift return. Despite efforts to eat healthily, the weight piled back on.
Drawing a powerful analogy, she stated, "If you are on blood pressure medication and you stop your blood pressure medication, your blood pressure is going to go up. The same thing is true with this medication." In total, she regained 20 pounds during that break from the treatment.
Oprah Winfrey's candid discussion highlights the complex, lifelong impact of childhood comments on body image and the modern, multifaceted approach many are now taking towards health and weight management.
