The spotlight on GLP-1 medications began to intensify after “The Dr. Oz Show” highlighted Ozempic in 2021. A year later, tech mogul Elon Musk candidly shared his experience with Wegovy for weight loss, positioning himself as one of the first high-profile individuals to do so. This revelation paved the way for numerous celebrities to disclose their use of Ozempic for slimming down. However, while some praised its effectiveness, others were vocal about the adverse effects. Musk, for instance, transitioned to using Mounjaro after encountering significant gastrointestinal issues. “High doses of Ozempic made me fart and burp like Barney from The Simpsons,” he humorously noted on X in 2024.

GLP-1 drugs first drew attention when Ozempic was featured on “The Dr. Oz Show” in 2021. In 2022, Elon Musk revealed he had used Wegovy to lose weight, making him one of the first high-profile figures to do so. Since then, plenty of stars have admitted to taking Ozempic to lose weight. But many have also been open about its negative side effects. Musk himself switched to Mounjaro after experiencing gastrointestinal discomfort. “High doses of Ozempic made me fart & burp like Barney from the Simpson’s,” he wrote on X in 2024.

Beyond the humorous anecdotes, Ozempic has been linked to more concerning side effects such as gallstones and muscle mass reduction. Musk detailed how rapid weight loss might prompt the liver to release excess cholesterol into bile, while the medication itself could dampen gallbladder movements. Though rare, more severe complications like pancreatitis and acute kidney injury from dehydration have been reported. Health expert Singh advises a cautious approach: slow dosage increases paired with balanced meals and resistance training. Despite these recommendations, several celebrities have struggled with the more severe repercussions of GLP-1 drugs.

Bunnie Xo, wife of musician Jelly Roll, believed that a minor dosage of a GLP-1 drug would help stabilize her insulin, given her family history of diabetes. Intent on preventive care, the podcaster’s journey took an unexpected turn. In December 2025, the medication spurred a profound mental health crisis for Bunnie. “It was one of the darkest periods of my life and truly terrifying,” she confided to People in 2026.

Jelly Roll’s wife, Bunnie Xo, believed a small dose of a GLP-1 drug would help regulate her insulin. Because both of her parents had diabetes, the podcaster wanted to stay ahead of the game and jumped into prevention mode. But her plan didn’t work as expected. The weight-loss drug triggered a mental health crisis that really shook her in December 2025. “That was one of the darkest times of my life and it was scary,” she told People in 2026.

While Bunnie has faced many tragedies in her life and experienced intense anxiety at times, she had never struggled with depression. She didn’t recognize herself, and it got serious pretty fast. “Honestly, I just went through a bout of suicidal ideation from using a GLP-1,” she said. She wants to raise awareness of this potential side effect as use of these drugs continues to surge. “I really think people need to talk more about this,” she said.

While the impact on her mental health was the most worrisome side effect of the GLP-1 drug, it wasn’t the only one. In 2024, Bunnie also experienced the more common gastrointestinal side effects that Dr. Jason Singh talked to us about, even though she had started out with a microdose. “It kinda sent me for a loop last night,” she said on the “Dumb Blonde” podcast. “I s*** my brains out. … I’m talking logs, baby. … I also got sick. I felt like I was gonna projectile vomit.”

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988 or by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.

Stephen Fry jumped on the Ozempic bandwagon as soon as it became a bandwagon, without knowing too much about it. The British actor and comedian wanted to lose weight and was excited to try this new thing. “I happened to be in America, and I’d read about it, and I asked my doctor in America,” he said on the “River Café Table 4” podcast in 2024. His doctor put him on it, and Fry loved it. “The first week or so, I was thinking, ‘This is astonishing,’” he shared.

Fry was double excited because the GLP-1 drug not only helped curb his appetite but also his alcohol consumption. “This is going to be brilliant,” he recalled thinking. Unfortunately, his positive experience was short-lived. Soon enough, Fry started experiencing the symptoms Dr. Jason Singh described. “I started feeling sick, and I started getting sicker and sicker and sicker,” he recalled. “I was literally throwing up four, five times a day, and I thought, ‘I can’t do this.’ So that’s it,” he said.

Fry’s experience with Ozempic came after he successfully lost 77 pounds through lifestyle changes. “I walk a lot and that helps my mood as well,” he said on “BBC Breakfast” in 2019 (via Yahoo! News). He found that being active also helped him eat better, so his lifestyle improved just by making small changes. Even though he felt proud for losing all that weight, he still went on Ozempic in hopes of losing more. “I am a bit obsessed about my weight,” he admitted on “River Café Table 4.”

Amy Schumer was one of the early adopters of Ozempic, but her time on the weight-loss drug didn’t last long. She did lose 30 pounds in no time when she tried it in 2022, but the side effects she experienced forced her to stop using it. “I was one of those people that felt so sick and couldn’t play with my son,” she said on “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen” in June 2023 (via People).

Schumer’s nausea, vomiting, and lack of energy were so intense that she often felt incapable of carrying on with her life. “I was like bedridden; I was vomiting,” she said on “The Howard Stern Show” in 2025. She liked how she looked, but the consequences made the weight loss completely irrelevant. “My son is like, ‘Can you play tag?’ And I’m like, ‘I can’t.” I was like, shriveling. … I looked great, and I couldn’t lift my head off the pillow, so what’s the point?” she told Stern. 

However, Schumer continued to try different types of GLP-1 drugs to aid with weight loss and improve her health. She had similar side effects on Wegovy, which contains the same active ingredient as Ozempic, semaglutide. Finally, she had a much better experience with Mounjaro, whose active ingredient is tirzepatide. “I’m having a really good experience with it and I wanted to keep it real with you about that,” she said in a since-deleted Instagram video (via Fox News).

Lottie Moss, the younger half-sister of British supermodel Kate Moss, took Ozempic for two weeks just to try it and ended up in the hospital. “It was the worst decision I ever made,” she said on her “Dream On with Lottie Moss” podcast in September 2024. Because Lottie couldn’t keep anything down, including water, she was weak to the point a nurse had to wheel her through the ER in a wheelchair. As soon as she got in the room to be assessed, Lottie had a full-blown seizure. “It was the scariest thing that’s ever happened to me,” she shared.

As it turns out, Lottie had been taking a dose that was nowhere near the amount a person her size should ever have been prescribed. “The amount that I was taking was actually meant for people who were 100 kilos [220 pounds] and over and I’m in the 50s [110 pounds] range,” she revealed. That’s because she wasn’t prescribed the drug at all. “I had a friend, and she could get it for me. It was kind of below board. I’m not going to lie,” she admitted.

Lottie received intense criticism online for not only taking Ozempic irresponsibly but for taking it at all. “She didn’t have any fat to lose. She isn’t supposed to take Ozempic at all,” a Reddit user argued.  However, Lottie hinted that her motivation for trying the weight-loss medication was fueled in part by her struggles with an eating disorder. “It’s so hard to look at [celebrities] and see these dramatic weight losses, especially for people with eating disorders,” she said. 

If you are struggling with an eating disorder, or know someone who is, help is available. Visit the National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA’s Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).

Macy Gray was excited to get on Ozempic and experience the same weight-loss results as her friends. But that was not what happened. In a July 2024 episode of MTV’s “The Surreal Life,” the R&B singer shared that she had been feeling off since being put on the drug. “Oh boy, my stomach hurts. I’ve just been really constipated,” Gray told “Real Housewives of Atlanta” alum Kim Zolciak and Olympic ice skater Johnny Weir (via People). “I took Ozempic. I can’t go to the bathroom, and I was up all night.”

In a following episode, Gray revealed that her symptoms had been getting worse while filming in South America. “I’m having shortness of breath; it’s really hard to catch my breath,” she said in a clip shared on Instagram. “This sucks because I’m here all the way in Colombia, and I really just want to give it my all, but I just feel awful.” Her symptoms became so intense that Gray ended up going to the hospital to get checked out. She had to stop taking the medication after her health crisis.

Gray was disappointed in how her experience with the GLP-1 drug turned out. In the episode in which she first disclosed her symptoms, the singer opened up about how gaining weight in recent years had made her feel insecure. A year later, she was still upset that the weight-loss drug didn’t help her. “I’m so p***ed off. All my friends are 30 pounds smaller, and I just got sick,” she told The i Paper in 2025.