Oprah Winfrey has resigned from Weight Watchers’ board of directors after nearly a decade. Avoid conflicts of interest.
During an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” last week, Winfrey explained why she left the show ahead of the upcoming special, “The Oprah Special: Shame, Blame, and the Weight Loss Revolution.”
“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 wanted to talk about,” Winfrey said. “And WeightWatchers now operates as a weight management company that also offers weight medications. We didn’t want to create the appearance of a conflict of interest.”
The media mogul went on to say that when he resigned, he donated all of his holdings to the National Museum of African American History.
Winfrey added of her decision to leave: “So no one can say, ‘Oh, she’s doing something special, she’s making money, she’s promoting.’ [it]”No, I can’t say that.”
The special, which airs on ABC, is Winfrey’s first in 13 years and comes after she revealed last year that she was using weight loss drugs.
Winfrey explained to People magazine in December: Obesity is a disease. It’s not a willpower issue, it’s a brain issue. ”
“The fact that there are medically approved prescriptions to manage weight and stay healthier has felt like a relief, a relief, a gift to me in my lifetime, hidden away and ridiculed again.” It’s not something that should be done to you,” Winfrey said. “I’m done with being shamed by others, especially myself.”
Winfrey’s choice and openness about her use of weight loss drugs, in part due to her position as a Weight Watchers ambassador since 2017, has garnered mixed reactions.
She acquired a 10% stake in the company in 2015 and has been a director ever since.
Her decision was first announced in February, saying in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that Winfrey had informed WW International’s chairman of the board of directors that she “intended not to run for re-election as a commissioner.” ing. She will appear before the board of directors at the company’s 2024 annual general meeting, currently scheduled for May 9.
Weight Watchers’ stock price fell 20% on the news.
“We will continue to work with Weight Watchers and CEO Sima Sistani to elevate the conversation about recognizing obesity as a chronic disease, reducing stigma, and advocating for health equity,” Winfrey said in a press release. I look forward to providing advice and cooperation.”
The 70-year-old has always been open about her weight struggles throughout her career.
In 1988, she infamously brought out a red Radio Flyer wagon loaded with 67 pounds of fat to represent the weight she had recently lost over the past four months thanks to a liquid-only diet.
She later admitted that she regretted the stunt on her 2016 podcast, “Making Oprah.”
“You can see my ego on full display,” she said at the time. “I had to pay the price for that moment over and over again. I literally told the world, ‘Is she fat?’ the story on a fat wagon platter.” Is she thin? ”
she recently told Kimmel. ”
Winfrey added that after years of yo-yoing, doctors explained to her that “obesity is a disease” and that it is within its scope.
“However, after listening to the doctor’s words, I realized that [which was] “You always end up coming back up, but it’s like holding your breath underwater and trying to stand up. You always try to stand up.”
After painful knee surgery, she decided to use weight loss drugs and vowed: yourself and your health. ”
“The Oprah Special: Shame, Blame, and the Weight Loss Revolution” will air on ABC on Monday, March 18 and on Hulu the following day.
