Celebrity Endorsements & the GLP-1 Phenomenon

How Hollywood Made a Diabetes Drug Famous
The Celebrity Disclosure Timeline
Social Media as the Accelerant
Off-Label Use and the Demand Surge
When Diabetic Patients Couldn't Get Their Medicine
The Body Image Debate
Regulatory Gaps in the TikTok Age
The Cultural Shift Around Weight Loss
FAQ
The Bottom Line
References

How Hollywood Made a Diabetes Drug Famous

Semaglutide was designed for people with type 2 diabetes. Novo Nordisk spent years running clinical trials, building a safety profile, and getting FDA approval for Ozempic in 2017. The drug worked well for blood sugar control and showed cardiovascular benefits.

Then Hollywood discovered it made people thin.

By late 2022, the phrase "Ozempic face" had entered the cultural lexicon. Red carpet commentators speculated about who was using it. Tabloids ran before-and-after photo comparisons. A diabetes medication became the worst-kept secret in entertainment, and that transformation from clinical tool to cultural phenomenon happened faster than any pharmaceutical marketing campaign could have engineered.

The numbers tell the story. Between January 2021 and December 2023, semaglutide prescriptions surged 442%. Nearly 2% of Americans were prescribed semaglutide by 2023 --- a 40-fold increase over five years. Celebrity visibility didn't cause all of that growth, but it was the spark that lit public awareness on fire.

The Celebrity Disclosure Timeline

The wave of celebrity GLP-1 disclosures didn't happen all at once. It built slowly, then accelerated.

The early mentions (2022-2023) were cautious. Elon Musk posted on Twitter in October 2022 that he used "fasting and Wegovy" to lose weight, one of the first high-profile figures to name the drug directly. Chelsea Handler mentioned on a podcast that she'd been given Ozempic without fully realizing what it was. These off-the-cuff admissions generated headlines, but they were isolated.

By 2024, the floodgates opened. Rebel Wilson told the Sunday Times she'd briefly used Ozempic to address binge eating behaviors. Amy Schumer revealed she'd lost 30 pounds on Ozempic but quit due to severe nausea that left her bedridden --- she later switched to Mounjaro with better results.

Oprah Winfrey's disclosure changed the conversation. When one of the most influential media figures in American history openly discussed starting a GLP-1 medication in 2023, then quitting, then gaining back 20 pounds, she made the drug's limitations as visible as its benefits. Winfrey hosted an ABC special on weight loss drugs that drew millions of viewers.

2025 brought the biggest surge in disclosures. Serena Williams launched an ad campaign with telehealth company Ro, and Zocdoc data showed a 27% spike in weight loss drug appointments following the August 2025 campaign release. Chrissy Teigen shared on her podcast Self-Conscious that she'd used Ozempic after a miscarriage. Meghan Trainor pointed to Mounjaro as part of her health journey. Rosie O'Donnell posted her transformation on Instagram, reflecting on her experience with Mounjaro.

Not everyone confirmed use. Kim Kardashian never acknowledged Ozempic directly, but her increasingly slim frame through 2024 and 2025 kept public speculation alive.

Celebrity disclosures were only half the story. Social media turned individual admissions into a cultural wildfire.

The hashtag #Ozempic accumulated millions of views on TikTok as users documented their weight loss in real time. Before-and-after videos became a content genre. "What I eat in a day on Ozempic" posts generated engagement that algorithm systems rewarded with broader distribution.

A December 2024 Digital Health Survey found that 22% of millennials and Gen Z respondents had seen a celebrity endorsement of a GLP-1 medication. Over half in each generation had encountered GLP-1 content on social media platforms. The pipeline from celebrity mention to TikTok trend to doctor's office visit was direct and fast.

This wasn't traditional pharmaceutical marketing with FDA-required risk disclosures and fair balance language. When a celebrity mentions Ozempic on a podcast or an influencer shares injection day content on Instagram, there's no black box warning, no list of side effects, no "talk to your doctor" caveat.

The Harvard Petrie-Flom Center described this as "a regulatory nightmare waiting to happen" --- current FDA and FTC frameworks, designed for traditional media, are poorly equipped to address informal, non-sponsored celebrity mentions online.

Off-Label Use and the Demand Surge

The celebrity visibility machine drove something measurable: a significant increase in off-label prescribing.

Ozempic is FDA-approved for type 2 diabetes. Wegovy is the semaglutide product approved specifically for chronic weight management. But by 2023, roughly one-third of Ozempic prescriptions were written for weight loss rather than diabetes. The Health Care Cost Institute found that the percentage of Ozempic users without a diabetes diagnosis increased steadily over time.

A 2024 analysis of more than 4 million prescriptions showed that 16.2% of GLP-1 prescriptions were for weight loss patients, while 83.8% were for diabetes. That weight-loss share was growing quarter over quarter.

The demand surge wasn't just American. Global interest in semaglutide and tirzepatide created supply pressure across markets, with younger adults --- the demographic most active on social media --- particularly likely to seek prescriptions for weight loss alone.

When Diabetic Patients Couldn't Get Their Medicine

The consequences of this demand explosion hit hardest where they shouldn't have.

From early 2022 through February 2025, semaglutide was on the FDA's drug shortage list. For nearly three years, people with type 2 diabetes --- the patients the drug was originally made for --- struggled to fill prescriptions. The telehealth company Ro launched a shortage tracker that received 35,000 reports within its first two weeks.

For diabetic patients, missed doses aren't an inconvenience. Uncontrolled blood sugar can cascade into kidney damage, vision problems, and cardiovascular events. While some patients had the resources to locate supply through multiple pharmacies or telehealth platforms, others were simply left without their medication.

The ethical tension was stark. People using Ozempic off-label for cosmetic weight loss competed for the same supply as patients managing a chronic metabolic disease. A PMC-published analysis described "inequitable access, where those with financial means obtain the drug off-label, while patients with diabetes or obesity face barriers due to limited supply."

Public opinion reflected this unease. In survey data, 58% of respondents expressed concern about supply shortages caused by off-label use, and 63% worried about safety in off-label contexts.

The shortage also fueled the compounded semaglutide market, as patients and telehealth companies turned to compounding pharmacies for alternatives --- a move that would create its own controversy.

The Body Image Debate

Celebrity GLP-1 use reignited a cultural argument that never fully went away: what does society expect bodies to look like?

On one side, proponents argued that GLP-1 drugs reduced stigma around weight loss medication. Oprah's candid discussion about regaining weight after stopping her medication humanized the struggle. Serena Williams framing her GLP-1 use around post-pregnancy health and joint pain normalized medical intervention for legitimate health reasons.

On the other side, critics pointed to an uncomfortable pattern. Celebrities who lost dramatic amounts of weight received praise, media attention, and brand deals. The message, whether intentional or not, was that thinness remained the currency of public approval. Meghan Trainor noted after her 2025 Billboard Women in Music win that most online comments focused on her body rather than her achievement.

Eating disorder specialists raised alarms. The visibility of rapid, drug-assisted weight loss on social media could trigger relapse in vulnerable populations. The "Ozempic face" discourse --- discussion of facial volume loss as a side effect --- reframed normal aging and natural body composition as problems to be solved.

The backlash against celebrity "Ozempic extremes" gained its own momentum. Reports of stars facing criticism for excessive weight loss created a second wave of coverage. The question lingering into 2026, as one analysis put it: "In a world watching every pound, how much responsibility do stars carry when their transformations spark worry instead of inspiration?"

Regulatory Gaps in the TikTok Age

The pharmaceutical industry operates under strict advertising regulations. Companies can't promote drugs for off-label uses. Direct-to-consumer ads must include fair balance information about risks. The FDA and FTC enforce these rules.

But none of those rules apply when a celebrity talks about their personal experience on a podcast, when a TikTok user documents their weight loss journey, or when an Instagram influencer posts a "day in my life" that includes an injection pen.

Pharmacy Times documented how celebrity mentions operated in a gray zone --- technically personal speech, not paid endorsements, but with measurable effects on prescribing patterns and drug demand. The FTC requires disclosure of paid partnerships, but many celebrity GLP-1 mentions appear to be organic rather than sponsored, making enforcement nearly impossible.

Some celebrities did enter formal partnerships. Serena Williams' Ro campaign was a paid endorsement with appropriate disclosures. But the vast majority of celebrity influence operated informally --- through interviews, podcasts, social media posts, and red carpet appearances.

The regulatory framework, built for a world of TV commercials and magazine ads, hasn't adapted. Until it does, the gap between pharmaceutical marketing law and celebrity influence will keep widening.

The Pharmaceutical Industry Response

The pharmaceutical industry's relationship with celebrity GLP-1 culture has been complicated --- profiting from the awareness while distancing from the consequences.

Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly didn't pay celebrities to promote their drugs (at least not in the early phases). The initial wave of celebrity mentions was organic. But the companies weren't blind to the effect. Marketing budgets shifted to capitalize on the cultural moment. Direct-to-consumer advertising for Wegovy and Zepbound increased across television and digital platforms during 2024 and 2025.

The companies also faced pressure to respond to the negative effects of celebrity-driven demand. Manufacturing capacity expansions accelerated. Novo Nordisk invested billions in new production facilities. Patient assistance programs expanded. Pricing came under scrutiny from Congress, media, and patient advocacy groups.

Telehealth companies positioned themselves as intermediaries. Ro partnered with Serena Williams. Hims & Hers built an entire GLP-1 business line. These platforms understood that celebrity awareness created demand, and they built infrastructure to capture it --- prescribing GLP-1 medications through virtual consultations and partnering with compounding pharmacies to fulfill orders at lower price points. The regulatory and legal battles that followed reshaped the telehealth industry.

The economic ripple effects were measurable. The GLP-1 drug class grew from a niche diabetes treatment to a market projected to exceed $150 billion annually by 2030. Celebrity culture didn't create the drugs, but it created the demand curve that turned them into the most commercially significant pharmaceutical category of the decade.

The Cultural Shift Around Weight Loss

Celebrity GLP-1 use both reflected and accelerated a broader cultural change: the mainstreaming of pharmaceutical weight management.

For decades, weight loss drugs carried stigma. Fen-phen's withdrawal in 1997 after reports of heart valve damage created lasting public skepticism. Diet pills were associated with desperation, not health. Admitting to using weight loss medication was embarrassing.

GLP-1 drugs, backed by strong clinical trial data and celebrity normalization, changed that calculus. When Oprah talks about her medication on ABC, when a professional athlete partners with a telehealth company to promote access, when a tech billionaire casually mentions his drug on social media --- the stigma erodes.

The language shifted too. "Weight loss drug" became "metabolic medication" or "obesity treatment." Framing changed from vanity to health. Celebrities who disclosed GLP-1 use spoke about cardiovascular risk factors, joint pain, insulin resistance, and sleep apnea --- not fitting into a dress. That reframing, whether fully sincere or partly strategic, moved the public conversation from cosmetic to medical.

For physicians, the cultural shift meant different conversations with patients. Doctors reported increases in patients specifically requesting GLP-1 prescriptions, often mentioning celebrities by name. The semaglutide vs. tirzepatide comparison became dinner party conversation. Primary care physicians who previously referred obesity questions to specialists found themselves at the center of a prescribing boom.

The GLP-1 market is projected to continue expanding through 2026 and beyond. Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly are investing billions in manufacturing capacity. New oral formulations are hitting the market. The pipeline includes next-generation drugs with even greater efficacy.

Celebrity influence didn't create the science behind these drugs. But it shaped public perception in ways that clinical trials and medical conferences never could. For better or worse, Hollywood's adoption of GLP-1 medications turned a prescription drug category into a cultural movement.

FAQ

Which celebrities have confirmed using Ozempic or other GLP-1 drugs? Oprah Winfrey, Serena Williams, Amy Schumer, Rebel Wilson, Chrissy Teigen, Meghan Trainor, Rosie O'Donnell, Elon Musk, and Lizzo have all publicly discussed their GLP-1 use. Others, including Kim Kardashian, have been the subject of widespread speculation without confirmation.

Did celebrity use cause the Ozempic shortage? Celebrity visibility was one factor among several. The shortage resulted from rapidly growing demand across all patient populations --- both diabetic and weight loss --- that outpaced Novo Nordisk's manufacturing capacity. Celebrity attention accelerated public awareness, which contributed to the demand surge.

Is using Ozempic for weight loss the same as what celebrities do? It depends. Some celebrities use Wegovy, which is FDA-approved for chronic weight management, or Mounjaro/Zepbound, which have weight loss indications. Others use Ozempic off-label. Medical appropriateness varies by individual health profile, and decisions should involve a physician.

Are celebrities required to disclose GLP-1 use? No. Celebrities are not required to disclose personal medication use. The FTC requires disclosure of paid endorsements, but personal mentions of a drug on podcasts or social media fall outside advertising regulations.

How did GLP-1 celebrity culture affect drug prices? Increased demand contributed to sustained high pricing, though direct causation is hard to isolate. Novo Nordisk has since reduced prices through government negotiations and direct-to-consumer programs, partly in response to public and political pressure around access.

The Bottom Line

The celebrity GLP-1 phenomenon is a case study in how public figures shape healthcare behavior outside traditional channels. Celebrity disclosures brought awareness to effective medications, reduced stigma around weight management, and helped millions of people learn about treatment options they might not have discovered otherwise.

But that awareness came with costs: a three-year drug shortage that harmed diabetic patients, a surge in off-label prescribing without adequate medical oversight, reinforced cultural pressure around body size, and regulatory gaps that remain unfilled. The science behind semaglutide and tirzepatide is strong. The data from clinical trials supports their use for appropriate patients. But the path from celebrity Instagram post to prescription pad skips steps that matter --- medical evaluation, informed consent about side effects, and honest conversation about long-term use.

As the GLP-1 market matures, the question isn't whether celebrities will keep influencing drug demand. They will. The question is whether regulators, physicians, and the public can build systems that preserve the benefits of awareness while protecting against its excesses.

References

AJMC. "An Ongoing Crisis: Semaglutide Shortage Raises Dual Concerns for Obesity and Diabetes Treatment." https://www.ajmc.com/view/an-ongoing-crisis-semaglutide-shortage-raises-dual-concerns-for-obesity-and-diabetes-treatment
Health Care Cost Institute. "The Share of Ozempic Users with Diabetes has Decreased Over Time." https://healthcostinstitute.org/hcci-originals-dropdown/topics/diabetes-and-insulin/ozempic-users-with-diabetes-have-decreased-over-time-indicating-increased-off-label-use
Harvard Petrie-Flom Center. "Ozempic, Celebrities, and TikTok: A Regulatory Nightmare Waiting to Happen?" https://petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/2025/06/26/ozempic-celebrities-and-tiktok-a-regulatory-nightmare-waiting-to-happen/
NPR. "Shortages of Ozempic and Other Drugs Harms Type 2 Diabetes Patients." https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2024/07/10/nx-s1-5006103/ozempic-wegovy-semaglutide-shortage-type-2-diabetes-obesity
PMC. "From Prescription to Trend: The Misuse of Ozempic in the Age of Social Media." https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12577951/
HealthEconomics.com. "The Rise of GLP-1 Influencers: Celebrity Endorsements and Social Media's Role." https://healtheconomics.com/the-rise-of-glp-1-influencers-celebrity-endorsements-and-social-medias-role-in-the-ozempic-weight-loss-craze/
eMarketer. "Celebrity Influence Drives GLP-1 Demand." https://www.emarketer.com/content/celebrity-glp-1-use-triggers-surge-weight-loss-drug-appointments--per-zocdoc-data
Cambridge Core. "The Prevalence and Consequences of Support for Off-Label Ozempic Prescriptions." https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/health-economics-policy-and-law/article/prevalence-and-consequences-of-support-for-offlabel-ozempic-prescriptions/45D1BB9616BBF5937F856CC3E2B2AFC9
Pharmacy Times. "Celebrity Endorsements in Ozempic." https://www.pharmacytimes.com/view/pharmacy-focus-limited-series-celebrity-endorsements-in-ozempic
Today.com. "26 Celebrities Who've Opened Up About Taking Ozempic or Weight-Loss Drugs." https://www.today.com/health/celebrities-on-ozempic-rcna129740

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