Oprah Winfrey Says World "Has Always Shamed Overweight People"

American host and television producer Oprah Winfrey is known for tackling tough topics head-on, and her own journey with weight management is no exception. The media icon is using her influential voice to openly share her personal experiences with weight loss.

Recently discussing the use, safety, and efficacy of GLP-1 drugs that help in weight loss with Dr Ania Jastreboff on the January 14 episode of "The Oprah Podcast," the TV host mentioned how people fat-shame overweight people in general life and how fat people had to accept these hurtful attitudes as a normal part of life.

Winfrey also shared how her struggles with weight loss played out in the public eye and took a toll on her.

"Every week [I was] exploited by the tabloids," she said, referring to the years she spent hosting her hit daytime talk show. "Anytime any comedian wanted to make fun or make a joke about it, they would make a joke about it. And I accepted it because I thought I deserved it."

"I realised I'd been blaming myself all these years for being overweight, and I have a predisposition that no amount of willpower is going to control. Obesity is a disease. It's not about willpower-it's about the brain."

She continued, "This is a world that has shamed people for being overweight forever, and all of us who have lived it know that people just treat you differently. They just do."

"And I am Oprah Winfrey, and I know all that comes with that, and I get treated differently if I am 200-plus pounds versus under 200 pounds."

Winfrey added, "There is a condescension. There is a stigma."