Oprah Winfrey had been a well-known board member and advocate for Weight Watchers for many years, but
following a significant disclosure, her affiliation with the organization is now terminated.
The 70-year-old talk show personality and media tycoon obtained a 10% share in Weight Watchers, which
is now known as WW, in 2015. She also joined the board of directors and served as the organization’s spokesman.
Oprah assisted in raising the company’s profile and quickly caused stock prices to rise. Oprah has been
endorsing the brand in advertisements for years, claiming that losing weight was achievable—even without giving up bread!
However, Oprah’s high-profile collaboration with WW is ending after almost ten years, since she disclosed that her weight loss journey entailed more than just diet control.
Oprah: takes medicine for weight loss
Oprah disclosed to People in December that she had taken an undisclosed weight-loss medication.
She told the newspaper, ‘I realized I’d been blaming myself for being overweight all these years, and no amount of
willpower is going to control my predisposition.” Obesity is an illness. It has to do with the brain, not willpower.
Her doctor granted her a prescription after she claimed to have ‘released her own shame’ over taking weight-loss medicine.
She told People, ‘I now use it as I feel I need it, as a tool to manage not yo-yoing.’ ‘I feel relief,
redemption, and gratitude that there is a medically approved prescription for weight management and maintaining health in my lifetime. It’s not
something to hide behind and face mockery for ever again. I have had enough of being shamed by others and especially by myself.
The information was released at a time when prescription anti-obesity drugs like Ozempic are becoming more and more well-liked.
Fans’ reactions to Oprah’s disclosure were divided; while some applauded her for being open about the subject,
others claimed that after years of endorsing diet plans, she was a hypocrite. (Oprah disclosed to People that she continues to use the Weight Watchers point system when tracking her weight.)
Leaving Weight Watchers behind
Following this declaration, Oprah declared two months later that she was leaving Weight Watchers.
Oprah revealed in a press release from WW that she would be donating her shares to the National Museum
of African American History and Culture and would not be running for reelection to the board of directors.
Oprah will continue to ‘advise and collaborate” with the organization and conduct events on weight health,
according to the announcement,
and the Board of Directors of Weight Watchers is ‘supportive’ of her choice to donate the shares.
Oprah declared in a statement that ‘weight health is a critically important topic and one that needs to be addressed at a broader scale.’
‘I intend to take part in several public forums and events, where I will actively promote the advancement of this dialogue.’
The Chairman of the Board, Thilo Semmelbauer, stated, ‘Oprah has been an inspiring presence and passionate advocate for our members,
providing critical insights and counsel that has helped shape Weight Watchers over these last 8 years.’
‘On behalf of the Board, I would like to express my gratitude for her enthusiasm, commitment, and future
role as a collaborator and thought partner. We will really miss her presence on the Board, that much is certain.
Stocks crash
However, Oprah’s removal from the board had an instant impact on the business; according to CNN Business, Weight Watchers’ stock fell 25% on Thursday and is now down about 70%.
It’s a sensitive time for the company, which has had to adapt to a changing culture around weight reduction
and rising competition from medications like Ozempic. Now, it will have to function without its most well-known spokeswoman.