Oprah Winfrey 'regrets' promoting diet culture, admits she set standards nobody could uphold

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Oprah Winfrey has expressed regret for her past endorsement of unhealthy dieting practices.

In a candid confession, she acknowledged her role in promoting a culture that often leads to harmful weight loss methods.

Oprah Winfrey's regret for publicizing ‘diet culture’

Winfrey confessed during a ‘Making The Shift’ episode, saying, “I want to acknowledge that I have been a steadfast participant in this diet culture. Through my platforms, through the magazine, through the talk show for 25 years and online."

She admitted to having been a significant contributor to the diet culture, having hosted numerous weight loss shows and makeovers throughout her television career.

"I've been a major contributor to it. I cannot tell you how many weight loss shows and makeovers I have done and they have been a staple since I've been working in television," Page Six reported.

Oprah Winfrey's controversial moment on her talk show

She specifically recalled a controversial moment from a 1988 episode of her 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' where she brought out a wagon containing 67 pounds of animal fat to illustrate her weight loss from a liquid diet.

“I’ve shared how that famous wagon of fat moment on the Oprah show is one of my biggest regrets,” the 70-year-old admitted.

“It sent a message that starving yourself with a liquid diet set a standard for people watching that I nor anybody could uphold.”

Reflecting on her public struggle with weight, Winfrey continued, “That wagon of fat moment was set into motion after years and years of thinking that my struggle with my weight was my fault.”

Oprah Winfrey is processing the 'shame' she felt privately 

Winfrey also shared the shame she felt as her public Yo-Yo dieting became a nationwide joke.

"And it has taken me even up until last week to process the shame that I felt privately, as my very public Yo-Yo diet moments became a national joke," Winfrey said.

During the YouTube special, Winfrey was joined by actresses Rebel Wilson, Amber Riley, and Busy Philipps, along with WeightWatchers CEO Sima Sistani and several doctors.

In December 2023, Winfrey revealed that she had lost 40 pounds using a weight-loss medication, despite previously labeling it as an “easy way out.”

“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,” she told People at the time.

Two months later, Winfrey stepped down from the 'WeightWatchers' board of directors after nearly a decade of collaboration to avoid a conflict of interest.

The 'Color Purple' star concluded, “I’m absolutely done with the shaming from other people and particularly myself.”