Chrissy Metz Opens up About Taking GLP-1s: ‘It’s Not the Easy Way Out’
The 'This Is Us' star gets candid about her health journey, then and now
Key Takeaways
- Chrissy Metz, 45, revealed she's now using GLP-1 medication through a Ro partnership.
- Metz says the medication isn't "the easy way out" and requires diligence.
- She's been open about childhood trauma shaping her early relationship with food.
Chrissy Metz the actress best known for her role in This Is Us, recently revealed she’s now using GLP-1 medication, and she’s speaking up about her decision and what is’ meant for her health.
How Chrissy Metz is starting a new chapter with GLP-1s
This morning on the Today show, Metz shared that she’s partnering with Ro to use GLP-1 medication—a decision she didn’t make on a whim.
“I started a partnership with Ro. I’m so excited. Listen, I was very skeptical about GLP-1s for years. I was like, ‘I don’t know about all this,’” she shared, according to our sister site Us Weekly.
What changed her mind? A friend walked her through the science, and then some family health scares gave her a nudge to be proactive.
“Of course, in the meantime, there were some complications with my father’s health, and I was like, ‘Maybe I should try and get ahead of it,’” Metz explained. “It was just something that I thought would be good for me. It’s not for everybody. But it’s been really wonderful for me.”
She’s felt the difference most on stage—she’s currently playing Angélique in the Broadway musical & Juliet. “I can run around the stage eight shows a week on Broadway as a 45 [year-old] perimenopausal woman,” she said. “So, it’s really helped with inflammation, it’s helped with, just sort of, energy, just overall health, which is so nice. Really for me, it’s health now for health later. That’s the most important thing for me, longevity.”
She’s also careful to point out that the medication isn’t a magic fix. “It’s not the easy way out. I think a lot of people think, ‘Oh, it’s a magic wand.’ And no, in fact, you have to be more diligent,” she said. Her routine now includes strength training and mindful eating. “I’m an athlete now, you guys.”
The 2010 transformation that started it all
Long before GLP-1s were part of the conversation, Metz’s weight loss story captured headlines. In 2010, she lost 100 pounds in less than five months by following a 2,000-calorie diet and walking 20 minutes a day, as she once shared.
But the number on the scale was never the whole story. Metz has been remarkably open about the emotional roots of her relationship with food.
A difficult childhood shaped her early relationship with food
In her 2018 memoir, This Is Me, Metz revealed she experienced physical and emotional abuse as a child, which shaped unhealthy habits and led to obesity. She was the youngest person in her Weight Watchers meetings at age 11.
She’s also spoken candidly about a painful dynamic with her stepfather. “My body seemed to offend him, but he couldn’t help but stare, especially when I was eating. He joked about putting a lock on the refrigerator,” she wrote, describing forced weigh-ins during her childhood.
Reflecting on those years during an October 22, 2024 episode of The Jamie Kern Lima Show, Metz spoke with compassion—for herself and for the adults who didn’t know better. “Maybe he was just fearful. I don’t really know,” she said. “Why does my weight equate my worthiness? And as a 12-year-old kid, it’s like, how do you reconcile that in your mind? It was devastating.”
“There’s so much stigma about weight. There’s this idea that you can’t put the food down or you’re lazy,” she added. “I’m trying to heal those wounds slowly but surely.”
The turning point
Metz moved to Los Angeles in her early twenties to chase acting, but the roles didn’t come easily. Depression set in, and she gained more than 100 pounds. Then, on her 30th birthday, everything shifted.
“I had a full-blown panic attack in the theater,” Metz recalled. “That was a catalyst that changed my thinking. I stopped asking myself ‘Why wasn’t I more successful?’ and I realized I wasn’t doing what I wanted to do; I was doing everything for everyone else.”
That moment led her to seek help—and to look honestly at why food had become a way to cope. “I needed to understand why I’ve been hurting my body with food and all the things that come with that,” she told VeryWell Mind. “Which means all the past trauma and unresolved issues, all of that came bubbling to the surface at 30 years old.”
What experts say about her original approach
Losing 20 pounds a month, as Metz did back in 2010, is not typical—and doctors caution against expecting similar results.
“Such rapid weight loss is not sustainable or safe for most people,” says Michael Koehler, MD, medical director at Affinity Whole Health. He recommends aiming for one to two pounds per week for lasting change.
“Rapid weight loss often results in muscle loss or other negative side effects, so I encourage my clients to focus on steady progress over speed,” adds Marlee Bruno, M.M.S., PA-C, founder of Mind Body & Soul Medical.
That said, the daily walking piece of Metz’s original routine is something doctors recommend to most people looking to lose weight. “It’s gentle on the joints, reduces stress and improves cardiovascular health,” Bruno explains. “Over time, small daily efforts like 20 minutes of walking can add up to big results—especially when combined with a balanced diet.”
Koehler agrees walking deserves more credit than it gets. “Walking is accessible as a low-impact exercise that requires no special equipment or gym membership.”
How Chrissy Metz uses self-love as the foundation for her weight loss
Through every stage of her journey, Metz has made one thing clear: her health choices aren’t about fitting anyone else’s ideal.
“Whether or not I lose weight or stay the same, it’s purely a choice of mine for health,” she told TVLine. “Not because I think that plus size, curvy, voluptuous, big bodies aren’t attractive—because I think they’re awesome and sexy.”
Doing what’s right for her
When asked how she’d respond to anyone disappointed about her GLP-1 decision, Metz didn’t hesitate.
“I think that it’s so important to put yourself first,” she said. “As we age, sometimes we have health issues that we are concerned about, or want to get ahead of. That was certainly my case. I have to do what’s right for me.”
As Metz once put it: “I always say our bodies don’t define us—they just happen to be our vessels.”
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