Oprah Winfrey opens up about weight loss transformation: 'I intend to keep it that way'
Oprah Winfrey is opening up about her recent weight loss.
The movie producer discussed on the red carpet at the world premiere of "The Color Purple" on Wednesday what she had to do to achieve her weight transformation.
"It's not one thing, it's everything," Winfrey, 69, told Entertainment Tonight at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. "I intend to keep it that way."
The businesswoman, who has used weight loss program WW (formerly WeightWatchers) in the past and currently serves as an investor and board member, admitted to working out ahead of hitting the purple carpet: "I was on that treadmill today."
Dressed in a form-fitting (and fittingly purple) gown at the premiere event, the actress and philanthropist also opened up about the upcoming movie musical, which she is producing.
She starred in the original 1985 film, playing the role of Sofia, which earned her an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress.
Danielle Brooks will realize the role in the 2023 movie musical, while Fantasia Barrino Taylor leads the star-studded cast in the role of Celie.
"Watching Danielle Brooks on set as Sofia, making it her own, was deep joy for me," Winfrey told Vanity Fair. "There's so much satisfaction to pass it on to her."
Winfrey called Barrino Taylor's performance at the Elle Women in Hollywood event Tuesday a "phoenix rising in this moment."
The film, slated to hit theaters on Dec. 25, is an adaptation of the Tony Award-winning Broadway production, originally based on Alice Walker's 1982 novel.
Danielle Brooks, Fantasia Barrino Taylorfangirl over Oprah at Elle Women in Hollywood event
In September, the former "The Oprah Winfrey Show" host touched on her experience with being scrutinized in the media for her weight.
In a clip from her "The State of Weight" panel conversation, Winfrey revealed the impact of being "shamed in the tabloids" for her weight and "the difference between mindset and willpower" when it comes to someone's personal weight loss journey.
"The State of Weight," part of Oprah Daily's "The Life You Want" series, was held to help reframe and destigmatize the conversations surrounding obesity and will also explore the safety and efficacy of Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro, which have recently been used to aid in weight loss.
"This is a world that has shamed people for being overweight forever, and all of us who have lived it know that people treat you differently, they just do," Winfrey says in a clip of the first installment shared exclusively with USA TODAY. "And I'm Oprah Winfrey, and I know all that comes with that, but I get treated differently if I'm 200-plus pounds versus under 200 pounds."
Over her long career, especially during the 25 years on her talk show, Winfrey has navigated weight loss and gain in the public eye.
"I don't know that there is another public person whose weight struggles have been exploited as much as mine," she said during the panel conversation.
When she rejoined WW in 2016, she told reporters in a phone call promoting the plan that she felt like she was "on a diet that I'm (n)ever going to go off of again" and will be "counting points for the rest of my life," according to ABC News.
Contributing: Pamela Avila
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