Whoopi Goldberg’s Weight Loss: How Mounjaro Helped Her Shed The Weight of ‘Almost Two People’

Whoopi Goldberg has been candid about how type 2 diabetes drug Mounjaro aided her impressive weight loss. The Ghost star, 69, shared that she lost the weight of “almost two people” while on Mounjaro, and has also been outspoken about her stance on the stigma surrounding weight loss drugs. Keep reading for everything we know about Whoopi Goldberg’s weight loss. 

Whoopi Goldberg credits her weight loss to Mounjaro

The Oscar winner first revealed that she had used Mounjaro in March 2024, during a conversation on The View about Oprah Winfrey’s special Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution. 

“I weighed almost 300 pounds when I made Till,” Goldberg said of the 2022 film she produced and starred in as Mamie Till-Bradley, mother of 14-year-old Emmett Till who was murdered in 1955. “I had taken all these steroids and I was on all this stuff, and one of the things that’s helped me drop the weight is Mounjaro. That’s what I used.”

The film was shot after Goldberg suffered a serious health scare. In 2018, she spent almost a month in the hospital after contracting pneumonia in both lungs. At the time, doctors told her there was a 30 percent chance she would die, the Grammy winner said. 

She had also developed sepsis, a potentially deadly condition that occurs when the body responds improperly to an infection by attacking itself. Sepsis can lead to tissue damage and organ failure in severe cases. 

This is reportedly the incident for which Goldberg was prescribed the steroids she suspects contributed to her weight gain. 

What is Mounjaro?

Like Ozempic, Mounjaro is a drug that is FDA-approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes but is often used off-label for weight management. Both drugs work to lower blood sugar and decrease food intake. But while Ozempic’s active ingredient is semaglutide, Mounjaro’s is tirzepatide, which has been shown in studies to lead to more weight loss than Ozempic. 

Whoopi Goldberg’s weight loss journey

Goldberg went on to explain that she hadn’t immediately considered her weight an issue. “My weight has come and gone and up and down, but it’s never been an issue for me because I don’t listen to what other people say about me,” she told her co-hosts. “I just always felt like me. And then I saw me and I thought, ‘Oh! That’s a lot of me!’” 

During an appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show in 2024, Goldberg called Mounjaro a “wonderful little shot that works for folks who need some help,” adding “It’s been really good for me.”

Clarkson revealed that she had also used medication (though she didn’t specify which) to control her blood sugar and help her lose weight. She and Goldberg agreed that they didn’t notice their weight gain for some time until they each had respective epiphanies. 

While Clarkson said she had been taken aback while watching a video of herself performing a concert, the Sister Act alum recalled a fan who thought she was wearing a fat suit while filming Till. 

“I was indignant,” Goldberg recalled. “I was like, ‘This is not a fat suit. This is me,’ and then I saw me.”

“You’re living your life and you’re doing what you need to do—and that’s the last thing you’re thinking about because you’ve got other stuff on your mind,” she added. “When you realize it, you go, ‘Well, damn.’ And everyone says, ‘Well, I thought you knew.’”

Whoopi Goldberg wants to remove the stigma of weight loss medication

While discussing how Mounjaro supported her weight loss on The View, Goldberg had one overarching message: “Maybe the key is to stop judging everybody. Maybe that’s the key,” she said. 

“I think it’s very hard for people to just know what a normal weight would be,” she continued, noting that she felt people who gain weight are often met with criticism. “Everyone has something to say but no one said, ‘How you doing?’ Because it involves so many other things.”

During another episode of The View after her conversation with Clarkson, Goldberg defended the singer from anyone who took issue with her weight loss methods. 

“Kelly is getting backlash over this from people who say she previously claims she was losing weight by walking,” Goldberg said. “Here’s a point about that: A lot of people are taking this shot because they need it. Some people need bodies jump-started, some have diabetes, there’s lots of reasons. She has been walking. But this has helped.”

She went on to explain that people had problems with Clarkson’s weight when she was at her heaviest, questioned her when she had slimmed down and then disapproved when she revealed she had been taking medication. 

“We have to let people do what they need to do to get where they need to get to,” Goldberg continued. “Stop being mad that they’re not doing it your way. It’s not like we really know what you’re doing.”