Media maven Oprah Winfrey has reportedly been hospitalized due to a mysterious “stomach issues,” according to her best friend Gayle King, who shared the news about her health status with the world.
Concerns were first raised when the 69-year-old former talk show host was notably absent from a scheduled appearance on CBS this week. For years, Oprah has revealed her book club pick on “CBS Mornings,” but on Tuesday, June 11, she did not take center stage.
Instead, during the June 11 episode, King presented the book herself. Before the interview with author David Wroblewski, who wrote Winfrey’s latest pick for her book club, “Familiaris,” the host shared intimate details about Winfrey’s health.
Oprah’s friend of 48 years candidly disclosed that the billionaire had been struggling with a severe stomach bug that had landed her in a hospital.
“She had some kind of stomach thing — stomach flu — stuff was coming out of both ends. I won’t get too graphic,” King said, according to TMZ. “Needless to say, she ended up in the hospital, dehydration, had to get an IV, it was a very serious thing.”
She noted that “The Color Purple” producer was “bothered” that she couldn’t make it.
Some fans were upset that the former “King Charles” host shared so much of her buddy’s private business.
Another posted on X, “@GayleKing why wouldn’t you just say @Oprah was just sick. The world doesn’t need that visual. Gayle King Says Oprah Was Hospitalized Over Stomach Bug, Stuff ‘Out of Both Ends.’”
Others immediately connected Winfrey’s sickness to her recent revelation about using weight loss drugs. “Stomach flu my azz,” wrote one X user.
“Oprah reportedly in the Hospital over stomach issues. People need to be aware how dangerous Ozempic is,” another X user wrote with an attached screenshot of side effects from the drug. “Stop listening to these awful people. There is always a price to pay when popping pills.”
#Oprah reportedly in the Hospital over stomach issues. People need to be aware how dangerous #Ozempic is.
— Royal pain (@Royalpa49041981) June 11, 2024
Stop listening to these awful people. There is always a price to pay when popping pills. pic.twitter.com/dz8l3oaNcQ
Two others wrote, “That Ozempic is kickin Oprah’s ass lol” and “Ozempic side effects?”
A third comment said, “#OzempicOprah shouldn’t be surprises, Ozempic and similar causes diarrhea at all times of the day, including night pooping in your sleep. Next time you look at Oprah and think of her weight loss at the expense of actual diabetic patients, think of [poop emoji].”
In December 2023, Winfrey revealed that she uses weight loss medication, a shift in perspective than the one she maintained previously.
She now says she is relieved that these drugs exist to assist people in losing weight and maintaining their desired size.
“It was public sport to make fun of me for 25 years. I have been blamed and shamed, and I blamed and shamed myself,” Winfrey said in a interview with People magazine. “I was on the cover of some magazine and it said, ‘Dumpy, Frumpy and Downright Lumpy.’ I didn’t feel angry. I felt sad. I felt hurt. I swallowed the shame. I accepted that it was my fault.”
Winfrey did not specify which drug she is using or uses, but the landscape of popular weight-loss medications includes Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro. Among these, Wegovy is the only distinct drug that’s explicitly approved for weight loss by regulatory authorities.
Conversely, Ozempic and Mounjaro were initially developed to treat diabetes but have garnered acclaim for their effectiveness in weight reduction.
“I now use it as I feel I need it, as a tool to manage not yo-yoing,” Winfrey continued. “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. I’m absolutely done with the shaming from other people and particularly myself.”
Page Six spoke with a spokesperson who stated that Winfrey “is recovering following a stomach flu and received an IV due to dehydration at the recommendation of her doctor.
They added, “She is resting and feeling better every day.”
According to King, Oprah might not be happy with sharing the health news publicly, but she hoped that her best friend would not mind the information being disclosed to her fans and went on to say that her gal pal is on the mend and is expected to be released soon.
