Kathy Bates clarifies Ozempic use after weight loss transformation

Bates recently revealed she lost 100 pounds over the last seven years

Kathy Bates has opened up about losing 100 pounds, while addressing fan speculation as to whether she used Ozempic to achieve her weight loss.

The Matlock star previously revealed in an interview with Variety that she had lost a large amount of weight within six or seven years, which sparked rumors that she achieved her transformation through taking the Type 2 diabetes medication. However, in a recent interview with People, she revealed most of her weight loss was achieved through natural diet changes.

“There’s been a lot of talk that I just was able to do this because of Ozempic,” the Misery actor told the outlet. “But I have to impress upon people out there that this was hard work for me, especially during the pandemic. It’s very hard to say you’ve had enough.”

Bates explained that she lost 80 pounds through changes to her lifestyle and diet, and lost another 20 pounds while taking Ozempic. While the once-weekly injectable medication is prescribed to patients with Type 2 diabetes, the drug has also risen in popularity for its off-label weight loss side effects.

For the American Horror Story star, her health journey began when she was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes back in 2017. “[Diabetes] runs in my family, and I’d seen what my father had gone through. He had had a leg amputation. One of my sisters is dealing with it very seriously, and it terrified me. It scared me straight,” she admitted.

Kathy Bates reveals she was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2017 (AFP via Getty Images)

Her first lifestyle change involved shifting the way she tends to think about food and her diet. “I used to eat terribly: burgers and Cokes and pizza,” Bates said, noting that she also stopped eating after 8pm. “I ate because I was afraid, and I ate because it was a FU to my self-esteem.”

Despite making healthier changes, she did admit to sometimes allowing herself to eat a treat. “We’ve been having trucks come to the lot over at Paramount to thank the crew, and yesterday we had Pink’s Hot Dogs,” Bates recalled. “Oh, my God, I hadn’t had a hot dog in such a long time. Today I’m getting back on my track.”

While the Hollywood star has normally relied on filming the CBS reboot of Matlock to keep her active, she explained her next goal is to find a workout routine. “I have a treadmill here at the house, and I might try Pilates,” she said. “People always ask, ‘Don’t you want a trainer?’ No, I really don’t. I don’t want anybody over my shoulder. It’s just very important to me to keep this going. I don’t want to slip.”

Although Bates achieved most of her weight loss through diet and exercise, other celebrities have opened up about their experiences taking Ozempic. Most recently, James Corden revealed why he stopped taking the FDA-approved medication.

“I tried Ozempic, and it won’t be surprising to you when you look at me now, that it didn’t really work,” he said during a Sirius XM radio segment. “I tried it for a bit and then what I realized was I was like, ‘Oh no, nothing about my eating has anything to do with being hungry.’ All it does is make you feel not hungry. But I am very rarely eating [just because I’m hungry].”

Meanwhile, celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Kelly Clarkson, and Sharon Osbourne have all admitted to using weight loss medication.