‘Stay within your lane’: 'Today' co-host Al Roker urges everyone not to judge weight loss drug users

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Al Roker, the co-host of 'Today', recently made a plea to the public to refrain from passing judgment on individuals who opt to use weight loss medications.

AI Roker advises people to stay clear and not to shame people for weight loss drug

Roker, who underwent gastric bypass surgery in 2002, has been open about his journey with weight loss.

He emphasized that people should not shame others for their ways of managing their health.

“Everybody’s struggling with it and we’re still trying to figure it out,” he said. “But no shame, no game. Just stay within your lane and don’t give anybody a hard time," he said, as per People. 

Roker made these remarks in reaction to a televised special hosted by Oprah Winfrey, titled 'An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame, and the Weight Loss Revolution'.

The special addressed the growing trend of weight loss medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro.

Oprah Winfrey detailed her emotional journey of being ridiculed 

Oprah Winfrey, who months ago revealed that she uses weight loss drugs, opened up about the shame she has been living in for 25 years on the new special on Monday, March 18.

"I have to say that I took on the shame that the world gave to me," Winfrey said in the special, on ABC. "For 25 years, making fun of my weight was national sport."

Winfrey recalled being "ridiculed" on tabloid covers and late-night talk shows for over two decades, recalling that one headline she'll never forget described her as "bumpy, lumpy and downright dumpy."

She also recalled how she "starved" herself for five months before bringing out the infamous wagon of fat on her talk show in 1988.

She said on Monday, "I come to this conversation with the hope that we can start releasing the stigma and the shame and the judgment, to stop shaming other people for being overweight or how they choose to lose -- or not lose -- weight, and most importantly, to stop shaming ourselves."

AI Roker's weight loss journey 

In 2022, Roker celebrated the 20th anniversary of his bypass surgery on social media, sharing a video of himself holding up his old size 54 Levi's jeans.

“Hard to believe it was 20 years ago today, I wore these size 54 Levi jeans to my #gastricbypass at 340 lbs and here I am today,” he wrote.

Roker added to the post, “It’s still a struggle but I’m never going back,” he vowed. “I have setbacks and struggle every day, but I never forget how far I’ve come.”

In June of the same year, Roker shared more about his weight-loss journey, highlighting the improvements in his physical and mental health since incorporating light exercise and a low-carb diet into his daily routine.

“Exercise, and not extreme exercise — we’re doing that 30-day walking challenge — that improves, I think, your mental health,” he said on Today.

“Combined with a low-carb diet, I’ve lost about 45 lbs in the last several months. I do about 100 grams of carbs a day and I walk," he revealed.