Rosie O'Donnell has opened up about her gradual use of the diabetes medication Mounjaro, which helped her lose approximately 60 to 65 pounds over three years without experiencing any side effects.
The 64-year-old comedian and activist shared her journey during a July 27 episode of the podcast "Bleep!"
with Ana Navarro.
Diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes three years ago, O'Donnell started with a low dose of 2.5 milligrams for the first year.
She increased to 5 milligrams in the second year and is now finishing a year at 7.5 milligrams, with plans to raise the dose once more before stopping.
"I did the lowest dose for [the first] year with 2.5.
Then I did [the second] year at 5 and now I'm just finishing year [three] at 7.5," she said.
O'Donnell emphasized her preference for a slow pace to avoid feeling overwhelmed and to prevent side effects. "I like doing it at a slow pace.
I like how it feels that I'm not sick, that I've never had any side effects," she noted.
While Mounjaro's manufacturer Eli Lilly lists common side effects like nausea and stomach pain, O'Donnell said she never experienced those issues.
The medication also quieted her persistent food cravings. "I was stunned how it quieted the food noise.
I've had trouble with my weight my whole life," she explained. It helped reduce her appetite and shift her mindset around food and drink choices.
However, the weight loss led to facial volume loss, prompting O'Donnell to undergo a deep-plane facelift in January.
"As a result of losing the weight, I had that same kind of neck thing, and I had two very deep grooves… called marionette lines," she said.
Living in Ireland since last year, O'Donnell said people often asked if she was upset because of her facial appearance.
"People in Ireland were like, 'Are you alright, darling? You look like you're upset, love.'
And I'd be like, 'No, this is just my face.' And I was sick of it," she recalled.
O'Donnell wrestled with the decision, initially feeling it conflicted with her feminist beliefs and concern about her legacy for her daughter.
"It took me about a year to convince myself I was allowed to do it," she said.
She later wrote a poem reflecting that she once viewed a facelift as a "betrayal" of feminism and aging but changed her perspective, seeing the changes as intentional rather than simply aging.
"I'd look in the mirror and think, this isn't aging, this is melting with intention," she wrote.
O'Donnell emphasized that her facelift was not natural and came with a significant cost, and she wanted to be transparent.
"I don't owe anyone an explanation," she said, "but I wanted to be transparent because I've never liked secrets."
She also noted feeling some shame over the excess skin she had before the procedure.
