'RHOSLC’s Heather Gay Sends a Strong Message About Rampant Ozempic Use

WATCH WHAT HAPPENS LIVE WITH ANDY COHEN -- Episode 21013 -- Pictured: Heather Gay -- (Photo by: Charles Sykes/Bravo via Getty Images)

Heather Gay says she has learned through her use of weight-loss medication that the ideas behind the body positivity movement are “all a big lie.”

The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star revealed last fall that she was using Ozempic, the drug that was initially approved to treat diabetes but has also been used by people who want to lose weight. Though Gay told People in Nov. 2023 that she had not experienced “massive results” by using the drug, it was “enough for people to notice.”

A few months later, Gay, 49, reflected on her experience with medication used to treat weight loss and how it has shattered her image of body positivity. Her comments about the Ozempic trend came just days after Oprah Winfrey announced she is leaving the WeightWatchers board, a decision that came a couple of months after she revealed that she has used weight-loss medication.

“I’ve sold out,” Gay said during a recent interview with ABC News’ Deborah Roberts. “I’ve given up the banner of, you know, relatable, accept yourself, love yourself. And it’s disappointing and sad to know that body positivity was all a big lie. Because it’s better to not be overweight.”

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The reality TV star, who said her size has inspired her fellow co-stars and members of the public to call her several “horrible” names over the years, said “everyone” she knew was taking medication to shed a few pounds when she decided to give it a try.

“I didn’t want to show up at another party and see all of my friends 20 pounds thinner and just be resentful,” she said, adding that she “absolutely” felt pressure to take action. Once she began taking weight-loss medication, Gay said she lost nearly 30 pounds and “started to feel seen.”

“I was being valued by my castmates, by the public, in a way that I had never been valued before,” she said. “And that felt, to me, sad.”

When it comes to her three daughters, Gay said she doesn’t “want to lie” to them about how she has seen the world continue assessing people based on their size.

“I have beautiful, vibrant, empowered daughters, and I would hate for them to think that their value is limited to their dress size,” she said.

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