Kelly Osbourne addresses backlash over ‘tone-deaf’ Ozempic comments

‘I could be more educated on the topic, if you know what I’m saying’

Kelly Osbourne has addressed her polarising Ozempic comments.

In an interview with E! News, Kelly touted Ozempic as a weight loss option, despite the fact that her mother Sharon Osbourne admitted that she couldn’t “stop losing weight” on the drug and there have been nationwide shortages for its intended consumers with diabetes. At the time, she said: “There are a million ways to lose weight — why not do it through something [that] isn’t as boring as working out?”

“People hate on it because they want to do it,” she argued, stating that critics were probably just mad that they couldn’t “afford” Ozempic. “And the people who hate on it the most are the people who are secretly doing it or pissed off that they can’t afford it. Unfortunately, right now it’s very expensive, but it eventually won’t be because it actually works.”

Osbourne’s comments sparked a lot of backlash online, with several people calling the former reality TV star out.

“She’s so out of touch and ignorant it’s beyond comical, it’s just embarrassing,” one person wrote. Another person added: “Rich [people] have easy access to healthy food options, personal trainers, and chefs but they choose to take Ozempic that’s not meant for them and causing shortages for those who truly need them.”

“Can’t stand a celebrity who says all public backlash is jealousy or ‘the poors would do it too if only they could,’” someone else commented.

On a recent episode of The Osbournes Podcast, she told her fellow co-hosts and family members - Sharon, father Ozzy Osbourne, and brother Jack - that she’s not “educated” enough on a lot of hot-button topics like Ozempic.

“Like, I have my opinion on stuff, but I could be more educated on the topic, if you know what I’m saying,” Kelly continued, noting that she’s often held back her opinion over fear of backlash. “You just never want to offend anyone, so I’m so scared to ****ing say anything.”

With her Ozempic comments, Kelly noted that people were divided everywhere except TikTok. “Like 50 per cent of the people hated it, 50 per cent of people liked it,” she said. “And then on TikTok, everyone hated it.”

Despite the swift backlash, Kelly notably stands by her opinion. She doubled down, saying: “The truth is, my opinion used to be the same as the people who didn’t like my opinion on Ozempic, until I met somebody who lost weight from Ozempic and [they said how] it changed their life.”

“They explained to me how it took the mental obsession with food away and it allowed them, from that reprieve, to dig deep into therapy and really figure out who they were and how life-changing it was for them,” she added.

“It completely changed my opinion on it,” she continued. “So I’m like: ‘Yeah, it’s great.’ If there’s a medication out there that can help people lose weight, then what’s so bad about it?”

Medical professionals have said that some people plateau with weight loss after extended use, leading to disappointment. Dr Andrew Kraftson, a clinical associate professor in the division of metabolism, endocrinology, and diabetes at Michigan Medicine, told the New York Times that the majority of patients prescribed weight-loss drugs will hit a wall around the 18-month mark after treatment.

When Ozzy pointed out that not everyone loses weight on Ozempic, Kelly replied: “Oh, I didn’t know that... Well, that sucks for that person.”