Kelly Osbourne’s hot take on Ozempic is receiving a cold reception online.
On Thursday, E! News published an interview with the former reality star in which she gave her opinions on the type 2 diabetes medication that has been co-opted as a weight-loss drug.
“I think it’s amazing,” Osbourne told the outlet. “There are a million ways to lose weight, why not do it through something that isn’t as boring as working out?”
If that remark wasn’t enough to make a few eyebrows raise, the British TV personality went on to explain why she thinks so many people are against using Ozempic for weight loss.
“People hate on it because they want to do it,” Osbourne said. “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 something that is very expensive but it eventually won’t be because it actually works,” she said.
Of course, Osbourne failed to mention that the popularity of Ozempic led to a national shortage of the drug in 2022 for diabetic patients due to its off-label use for weight loss. Due to this — and because her remarks came off as classist and ignorant — social media users on X, formerly Twitter, were quick to call out Osbourne.
One reason why some people may prefer Ozempic over another FDA-approved drug Wegovy, which works roughly the same way as Ozempic but is strictly for weight loss, is that Ozempic is slightly more affordable than Wegovy. Without insurance coverage, Ozempic can run $800 to $900 at a pharmacy with a coupon, while Wegovy could cost $1,200 to $1,300 with a coupon.
But Osbourne may be onto something when it comes to the prices for the drugs eventually coming down.
Economists told The New York Times in October that prices are going to be driven down thanks to more than a dozen companies currently developing similar drugs.
But what truly makes Osbourne’s pro-Ozempic take truly odd is that her mother, Sharon Osbourne, has been public about taking the drug and its negative impacts. She told the Daily Mail in September that the drug can be “very dangerous” as the weight loss becomes addictive.
“I’m too gaunt, and I can’t put any weight on. I want to, because I feel I’m too skinny... Be careful what you wish for,” she told the British tabloid.
She later told the U.K. talk show “Good Morning Britain” in November that although she wants to gain “a few pounds,” her body is “not listening” as a result of her Ozempic usage.