Oprah Winfrey Opens Up About Weight Shaming | The View

LET’S TALK ABOUT WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE WORLD. LAST NIGHT ON LAST NIGHT’S OPRAH WINFREY SPECIAL, “SHAME, BLAME, AND THE WEIGHT LOSS REVOLUTION” SHE WANTED TO CHANGES CONVERSATION ABOUT OBESITY AND HOW SHE STRUGGLED WITH HER WEIGHT IN THE SPOTLIGHT. TAKE A LOOK. >> FOR 25 YEARS MAKING FUN OF MY WEIGHT WAS NATIONAL SPORT. OPRAH, FATTER THAN EVER. OPRAH HITS 246 POUNDS, FINAL SHOWDOWN WITH STEDMAN SENDS HER INTO FEEDING FRENZY. OPRAH WARNED, DIET OR DIE. SO, IN AN EFFORT TO COMBAT ALL THE SHAME, I STARVED MYSELF FOR NEARLY FIVE MONTHS AND THEN WHEELED OUT THAT WAGON

OF FAT THAT THE INTERNET WILL NEVER LET ME FORGET AND AFTER LOSING 67 POUNDS ON A LIQUID DIET, THE NEXT DAY, Y’ALL, THE VERY NEXT DAY I STARTED TO GAIN IT BACK. WHEN I TELL YOU HOW MANY TIMES I HAVE BLAMED MYSELF BECAUSE YOU THINK, I’M SMART ENOUGH TO FIGURE THIS OUT AND THEN TO HEAR ALL ALONG IT’S YOU FIGHTING YOUR BRAIN. >> Whoopi: SO DO YOU AGREE THAT MORE PEOPLE ARE FINDING HOPE AND TAKING THEIR WEIGHT MORE SERIOUSLY AS A HEALTH ISSUE. IS THIS A NEW ISSUE OR SOMETHING THAT WOMEN IN PARTICULAR, BUT MEN

AS WELL HAVE BEEN FACING FOREVER BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I WILL SAY I WILL TELL YOU, YOU KNOW, I WEIGHED ALMOST 300 POUNDS WHEN I MADE “TILL.” YEAH, AND

I WAS — I HAD TAKEN ALL THOSE STEROIDS, I WAS ON ALL THIS STUFF AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAS HELPED ME DROP THE WEIGHT IS THE MOUNJARO. THAT’S WHAT I USE. >> Joy: WHAT DOES OPRAH USE? >> Whoopi: I DON’T KNOW THAT SHE USED ANYTHING. >> Sara: SHE DOES FOR MAINTENANCE. >> Sunny: SHE DIDN’T SAY WHAT SHE USES BUT INDICATED SHE HAS USED THESE WEIGHT LOSS

MEDICATIONS. I HAVE A SIMILAR STORY. YOU KNOW, DURING COVID I GAINED 40 POUNDS. >> Joy: 40? >> Sunny: 40. ALL I DID WAS EAT — >> Joy: REALLY? >> Sunny: I LOVE TO COOK AND I FOUND OUT I LOVE TO EAT AND I WAS HORRIFIED BY THE FACT I WOULD HAVE TO COME OUT ON HERE. I WAS. I ALSO TOOK MOUNJARO ANNE GOT ALL THESE NASTY — >> Joy: WHAT DID THEY SAY? >> Sunny: YOU’RE TOO SKINNY AND YOU’RE TAKING IT AWAY FROM DIABETICS SO THERE IS SHAME WHEN YOU’VE GAINED WEIGHT. I HAD NEVER EXPERIENCED

THAT KIND OF SHAME BEFORE AND WHAT I LOVED ABOUT WHAT SHE SAID IS OBESITY IS A DISEASE, RIGHT? IT’S A DISEASE AND SO WHEN PEOPLE ARE SAYING THINGS TO THOSE THAT — >> Joy: WAIT A MINUTE. HOW IS IT A DISEASE IF YOU WERE JUST EATING EVERYTHING. >> Sunny: I DIDN’T HAVE THE DISEASE — >> Alyssa: AMERICANS THAT ARE CLINICALLY OBESE. >> Joy: NOT FOR YOU. >> Sunny: I WASN’T CLINICALLY OBESE. >> Whoopi: I WAS 300 POUNDS. >> Joy: I NEVER NOTICED THAT. >> Sunny: I WAS 40 POUNDS HEAVIER. WHAT I WILL SAY IS IF

SOMEONE HAS DIABETES AND THEY’RE BEING TREATED FOR DIABETES IT’S FINE. WHEN SOMEONE HAS SOME SORT OF CARDIAC DISEASE, THAT’S FINE. THEY’RE NOT SHAMED FOR IT BUT WHEN SOMEONE IS OBESE, THEY ARE SHAMED FOR IT. I FOUND MY CHOLESTEROL WENT UP TO 200 WHEN I GAINED THE EXTRA WEIGHT AND I USE MOUNJARO AND MY CHOLESTEROL IS 140 NOW. I FEEL BETTER, I LOOK BETTER AND THAT’S WHAT IT IS ABOUT. >> Sara: SHE SPOKE A LOT — SHE TALKED A LOT ABOUT SHAME AND THE PART THAT BOTHERED ME IS WE KNOW THERE’S SO MUCH SHAME WITH WEIGHT

GAIN, IT’S LIKE ONE OF THE LAST REMAINING TABOOS. PEOPLE WILL COMPLAIN WHO SITS NEXT TO THEM ON A PLANE AS IF THEIR JOURNEY IN THEIR OWN DAYS ISN’T HARD ENOUGH AND YOU HAVE ONE LITTLE FLIGHT SO I SEE IT BUT THERE’S ALSO BEEN A SHAME ON THE OTHER SIDE WHICH I THINK SHE’S ALSO ALLUDING TO WITH PEOPLE TAKING THESE DRUGS. THERE WAS A SHAME, A GUILT SHE COULD CONTROL IT ON HER OWN AND YET SHE COULDN’T AND I THINK I LOOK AT EVEN HER YO-YOING, THEY SAY THAT’S WORSE FOR YOUR HEALTH AND HER STORY WAS

THIS WEIGHT AND IT — SO MANY OF US, BUT IT IS AN EPIDEMIC, 40% OF OUR COUNTRY IS OBESE. >> Sunny: YES. >> Sara: 40% OF OUR COUNTRY AND IT LEADS TO ALL THE OTHER HEALTH CARE PROBLEMS. WE WATCHED AS BIDEN PASSED THIS BIPARTISAN BILL ON REDUCING THE COST OF INSULIN. WE WOULDN’T NEED THAT INSULIN REDUCTION IF NOT SO MANY PEOPLE WERE ON INSULIN WHICH MEANS IF THEY WERE NOT AS OVERWEIGHT — >> Sunny: HEART ATTACKS AND HEART DISEASE. >> Sara: THE POINT IS THE BODY FOCUS NEEDS TO STOP. YOU’RE DAMN ED IF YOU’RE OBESE.

>> Whoopi: STOP JUDGING EVERYBODY. MAYBE THAT’S THE KEY. BECAUSE, LISTEN, WHEN I REALIZED HOW MUCH I HAD PUT ON, BECAUSE I NEVER — I ALWAYS FELT LIKE ME. AND THEN I SAW ME AND I THOUGHT, OH. THAT’S A LOT OF ME. >> Joy: YEAH. >> Whoopi: AND, YOU KNOW, MY WEIGHT HAS COME AND GONE, UP AND DOWN BUT IT’S NEVER BEEN AN ISSUE FOR ME BECAUSE I DON’T LISTEN TO WHAT OTHER PEOPLE SAY ABOUT ME SO IT HAS NEVER BEEN A PROBLEM. BUT I THINK IT’S VERY HARD FOR PEOPLE TO JUST KNOW WHAT A NORMAL

WEIGHT WOULD BE. WE WENT FROM THIS TO — >> Sara: TWIGGY. >> Whoopi: — TO THIS AND EVERYBODY HAD SOMETHING TO SAY BUT NO ONE SAID, OH, WELL, HOW ARE YOU DOING? HOW ARE YOU DOING? BECAUSE IT INVOLVES SO MANY OTHER THINGS AND I THINK THAT IT IS A MATTER OF HOW WE TREAT OURSELVES. >> Joy: CAN I GIVE A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE ON THIS? >> Whoopi: YOU MAY. >> Joy: NOT ABOUT THE HEALTH BECAUSE HEALTH IS SEPARATE FROM WHAT I’M ABOUT TO SAY. IT’S ABOUT STYLE. DURING THE RENAISSANCE PERIOD AN OBESE WOMAN WAS A MODEL,

ALL RIGHT. THEY LIKE THEM BIG AND CHUNKY IN THOSE DAYS. >> Sara: SEXY. >> Whoopi: CONSIDERED YOU HAD MONEY IF YOU HAD FOOD. >> Joy: THE RICH COULD EAT. THE POOR WERE SKINNY BECAUSE THEY WERE SUFFERING FROM FAMINE. NOW, RICH PEOPLE ARE SKINNY, POOR PEOPLE ARE HEAVY. AND THAT’S — SO — IT’S TRUE. I MEAN, BECAUSE OF THE PROCESSED FOODS THAT PEOPLE HAVE TO EAT BECAUSE THEY DON’T HAVE THE UPON OR GO TO McDONALD’S. NOT THAT THERE’S ANYTHING WRONG WITH McDONALD’S BUT IF YOU DO IT AS A STEADY DIET IT DOES NOT HELP YOU SO

THE STYLE HAS TO DO WITH THE ECONOMY. THE RICH ARE FAT. THE POOR ARE SKINNY AND THE OPPOSITE. AND SO WE ARE IN A PERIOD WHERE THE RICH ARE DECIDING WHAT WE SHOULD LOOK LIKE. SO, DON’T PAY THAT MUCH ATTENTION TO THE STYLE OF IT IS WHAT I’M SAYING BECAUSE IT REALLY DOESN’T HAVE TO DO WITH YOU. IT HAS TO DO WITH THE ECONOMY. I KNOW ABOUT THIS BECAUSE I USED TO DATE LEONARDO da VINCI. >> Alyssa: THE SINGLE BIGGEST FACTOR IN DETERMINING WEIGHT IS GENETICS. SHE SAID WHAT IS SO IMPORTANT, ELIMINATE THE SHAME. I

WILL STRUGGLE LESS WITH WEIGHT BECAUSE OF MY GENETICS ALTHOUGH THAT COULD CHANGE LATER IN LIFE. >> Sunny: SADLY IT DOES CHANGE LATER IN LIFE. >> Alyssa: OH, NO. I STRUGGLE WITH MY WEIGHT AND BODY IMAGE. I THINK EVERY WOMAN DOES. I THINK BEING ON TV — >> Joy: HAVE YOU EVER BEEN HEAVY? >> Alyssa: NO, BUT — >> Sunny: I WAS UNTIL I TURNED 50. >> Alyssa: SHE’S COULD END UP BEING MIRACLE WORKERS FOR THE HEALTH OF THIS SOCIETY SO THINK ABOUT IT. WE DO HAVE OBESITY EPIDEMIC. KARA SWISHER SPOKE TO PROFESSOR SCOTT GALLOWAY AND

WITHIN TEN YEARS IT COULD END THE OBESITY EPIDEMIC AND DRIVE OUT FAST FOOD RESTAURANTS. IT’S NOT BAD TO GO TO FROM TIME TO TIME BUT IT’S KILLING AMERICANS TO GO TO THEM BUT THEY MAY HAVE BENEFITS FOR ADDICTION LIKE FOR DRINKING. I’M CURIOUS BUT THEY HAVE TO GET THE AFFORDABILITY DOWN. >> Joy: IF EVERYBODY DOES THESE DRUGS AND EVERYBODY IS SKINNY THEN WE CAN ALL BE FAT AGAIN. >> Alyssa: IT WON’T BE CHIC TO BE SKINNY ANYMORE? >> Joy: RIGHT. >> Whoopi: AGAIN, YOU HAVE TO, LIKE, YOU HAVE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOURSELF AND SEE

WHAT’S GOING ON WITH YOUR BODY. >> Sunny: YEAH. >> Whoopi: AND THERE’S NOTHING WRONG. STUFF HAPPENS. YOU HIT A CERTAIN AGE AND EVERYTHING FALLS TO THE GROUND. >> Sunny: IS SURE