After serving on WeightWatchers’ board since 2015 when she acquired a 10% stake in the company, Oprah Winfrey finally decided to exit the company’s board of directors. The entertainment mogul and TV talk show host announced last month that she will not stand for reelection to the board of WeightWatchers.
Appearing on a recent episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! Oprah Winfrey explained the reason behind her decision to exit WeightWatchers’ board. Following her use of the controversial weight-loss drug – Ozempic, back in 2023, Winfrey decided to quit her role and donate her WeightWatchers shares to the National Museum of African-American History and Culture.
Oprah Winfrey’s Exit from WeightWatchers’ Board of Directors
The human-centric technology company WeightWatchers, built to offer effective weight loss and weight management programs, has been running successfully in the US for decades. Helping people build healthy habits with a weight-loss program and nutritionist-designed food plan, the company had previously hired entertainment mogul Oprah Winfrey as a stakeholder and member of the board of directors.
Serving on the company’s board since 2015 after acquiring a 10% stake in WeightWatchers, Oprah Winfrey finally decided to quit her role. In February 2024, Winfrey announced that she would not stand for re-election to join the board of WeightWatchers at the annual meeting of shareholders. After serving for nearly a decade, the talk show host decided to exit, in an attempt to avoid conflict of interest.
Appearing on Thursday’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Oprah Winfrey explained why she decided to part ways with the company. Claiming how she was held back from talking about her controversial weight loss with Ozempic while being a part of WeightWatchers, Winfrey noted parting ways in order to “be able to talk about whatever I want to talk about” regarding weight-loss issues.
Oprah Winfrey Revealed Using Controversial Weight-Loss Drug
Oprah Winfrey’s initial exit from the board of directors came after she revealed in 2023 that she was taking a controversial weight-loss drug. But being a part of WeightWatchers, the actress was unable to speak openly about her journey, as there came a conflict of interest. Therefore, as Winfrey decided to discuss her weight loss journey and use of medications, she decided to quit the company.
Now Winfrey is set to have a pre-recorded hour-long ABC primetime special – An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution, scheduled to air Monday, March 18. Therein, the TV show host is set to talk in front of a live studio audience and gather medical experts to discuss openly about weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, Mounjaro, and Wegovy.
“I decided [to leave the WeightWatchers board] because this special was really important to me, and I wanted to be able to talk about whatever I want to talk about. [WeightWatchers] is now in the business of being a weight-health company that also administers drug medications for weight. I did not want to have the appearance of any conflict of interest.” Winfrey told Kimmel.
Therefore, willing to speak about her weight loss and use of certain drugs to achieve that, Oprah Winfrey decided to quit the board of directors at WeightWatchers. As per Variety reports, Winfrey even announced donating her shares of the company to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Finally, last month the company issued a statement addressing the actress’ final exit from the company.
