Paris Fashion Week drew global attention again this week, but one unexpected viral moment centred on media iconOprah Winfreyand her new appearance.
Footage from the Chloé runway show on 5 March showed Winfrey seated in the front row alongside longtime friend Gayle King. Wearing a cropped suede jacket, wide-leg jeans, and a sleek ponytail, the 72-year-old's noticeably slimmer silhouette became the focus of online conversation, with many viewers describing her as looking 'like a whole new person.'
The viral reaction did not emerge in a vacuum. Winfrey's weight journey has been public for decades, dating back to her early television career and widely discussed moments onThe Oprah Winfrey Show.
One of the most memorable came in 1988, when she wheeled out a wagon filled with 67 pounds of fat to illustrate the results of a liquid diet.
Over the years, Winfrey has spoken frequently about cycles of weight loss and regain, along with the intense media scrutiny that followed. In 2015, she joined the board of WeightWatchers and promoted its program for several years.
Speculation about newer medical weight-loss treatments did not begin until 2023, as medications known as GLP-1 receptor agonists gained popularity in Hollywood and beyond.
While many celebrities shy away from addressing claims about weight-loss medication, Winfrey responded directly to the speculation in December 2023 during an interview with People magazine. In that conversation, she confirmed that she had started using a prescription GLP-1 medication as part of her long-term weight management strategy.
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Rather than naming a specific brand such asOzempic or Wegovy, she described the treatment more broadly as a medically approved tool. She said the medication helped manage what she called 'food noise,' the persistent mental chatter around eating, and allowed her to avoid the cycle of losing and regaining weight.
Winfrey framed the decision as a shift in her view of obesity, saying she had come to see it as a medical condition rather than a simple matter of willpower.
Source: International Business Times UK
