The Bachelor Women Tell-All was delayed for Oprah’s weight loss special - and fans are outraged

‘Please tell me why Oprah takes precedence over Maria,’ one fan says, referring to a contestant on the dating show

Fans of The Bachelor have expressed their outrage after the program’s “Women Tell All” was pushed back for Oprah Winfrey’s TV special about weight-loss drugs.

Viewers took to X, formerly known as Twitter, on Monday to address how the weekly reality show started an hour later than usual, with the “Women Tell All” beginning at 9pm instead of 8pm. The fury came before the Bachelor episode reunited the season’s star, Joey Graziadei, with most of the women he’s eliminated so far.

On X, fans expressed that they had planned to watch the show at 8pm on ABC, before discovering that Winfrey’s special was airing on the channel at that time. While she didn’t specify which weight loss drug she has been using, Winfrey did discuss some of the drugs that people have used to lose weight during her TV program.

“I was excited to turn on the Bachelor but instead Oprah is on my TV giving an infomercial for Ozempic… who asked for this !?!?” one person tweeted.

“Please tell me why Oprah takes precedence over Maria,” another wrote, referring to a fan favourite contestant on the season, Maria Georgas, who was sent home.

A third fan claimed: “They could have made the [Women Tell All] three hours long if they hadn’t decided a stupid Oprah Ozempic special was more important.”

While multiple fans emphasised their disappointment over the two-hour being delayed due to Winfrey’s TV segment, others expressed their amusement over the situation.

“They’re executing a top-notch marketing game, promoting weight loss drugs and having Oprah’s endorsement right before The Bachelor airs on TV.  But opinions can go either way about it,” one wrote.

“There’s something funny about ABC pushing back The Bachelor for Oprah’s Ozempic special like yes that’s our audience,” another added.

Prescription medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro have recently risen in popularity for their weight loss effects. Ozempic is a once-weekly injection used for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes, which works by mimicking a hormone to regulate appetite and create the feeling of fullness.

The outrage from Bachelor fans comes months after Winfrey revealed she was using prescription weight loss medication. While she didn’t name the weight loss drug brand, she praised the medication for allowing her to live a healthier lifestyle amid career-spanning scrutiny over her weight.

“The fact that there’s a medically approved prescription for managing weight and staying healthier, in my lifetime, feels like relief, like redemption, like a gift, and not something to hide behind and once again be ridiculed for,” she told People in December. “I’m absolutely done with the shaming from other people and particularly myself.”

During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! last week, Winfrey also revealed that she resigned from her position on the board of WeightWatchers, after nearly a decade, due to her ABC special about prescription weight loss medications. She also specified that she subsequently donated all of her shares in the company to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

In her segment on Monday, An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution, Winfrey opened up about her struggle with weight loss after more than two decades of her body being under scrutiny.

“In my lifetime I never dreamed we would be talking about medicines that would be providing hope to people, like me, who have struggled for years with being overweight or with obesity,” the talk show host said. “I come to this conversation with the hope that we can start releasing the stigma and the shame and the judgement – to stop shaming other people for being overweight or how they choose to lose or not lose weight – and more importantly to stop shaming ourselves.”