Source: Scott Dudelson / Getty
She tried to say goodbye to the pounds the old-fashioned way but when she choked, Macy Gray turned to Ozempic.
The 56-year-old singer and actress is the latest celebrity to reveal she’s taking Ozempic, following in the footsteps of countless stars who have also admitted to taking semaglutide for weight loss, such as Kandi Burrus, Oprah, and Whoopi Goldberg.
During a discussion with Real Housewives of Atlanta and Don’t Be Tardy star Kim Zolciak and Olympic ice skater and television personality Johnny Weir on a recent episode of MTV’s The Surreal Life, Gray opened up about her struggle to lose weight and her experience on the FDA-approved prescription medication.
“Oh boy, my stomach hurts. I’ve just been really constipated,” Gray said of the side effects she was experiencing. “I took Ozempic. I can’t go to the bathroom, and I was up all night.”
“Ozempic does that,” Zolciak, 46, replied. “You have to be really careful, you know.”
Macy Gray at the Operation Smile Malibu Smile Fest on June 1, 2024 in Malibu, California. Source: River Callaway / Getty
Common side effects of the injectable medication prescribed to people with Type 2 diabetes include nausea, diarrhea, stomach (abdominal) pain, vomiting, and constipation.
Gray, most known for her hits “I Try,” “Sweet Baby” and “Still,” said that she felt pressure to lose weight because of her appearance on the 2022 season of the hit reality series.
“Quietly, I’m kind of a vain person. I’ve gained a lot of weight over the past couple years, and this is right about the time when everybody starts talking about this Ozempic,” she explained. “So, I thought, okay, I’m not taking [the weight] off the right way, let me see if I can get one of these Ozempic. I was actually trying to take it off [the weight] before the show because I didn’t want to be super fat on TV, but here we are.”
Gray isn’t the only star to struggle on Ozempic, 55-year-old comic Tracy Morgan admitted to taking the medication, and while it worked at first the 30 Rock star later packed on the pounds.
“I’ve learned to out-eat Ozempic,” he joked on a March 2024 episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. “I out-ate Ozempic. I’ve gained 40 pounds.”