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Serena Williams opens up about GLP-1 use

Serena Williams shares that she is using a GLP-1 drug for weight management and discusses her reasons behind the decision.

August 21, 2025 at 12:30 PM
blur Serena Williams Opens Up About Being on a GLP-1

Serena Williams reveals she is using the GLP-1 drug Zepbound for weight management and explains her reasons behind the decision.

Serena Williams discusses GLP-1 drug use

Serena Williams has revealed she is using the GLP-1 drug Zepbound to help with weight management. She says the medication, prescribed for diabetes and now used for weight control, has enabled a shift after childbirth and a long career built on peak physical condition. The disclosure comes as she discusses her past struggles to return to her pre pregnancy form and the public interest in her body following her 2022 Vogue cover announcing retirement. Williams accessed the drug through Ro, a telehealth company, and she frames the choice as part of a broader effort toward transparency about health.

Her husband, Alexis Ohanian, is an investor in Ro and serves on its board, creating a clear link between her health decision and a living example of contemporary health tech partnerships. Williams notes that other public figures, including Oprah and Kelly Clarkson, have spoken about using GLP-1 therapies, situating her experience within a growing celebrity trend. She emphasizes that transparency about her health choices is important, even as the spotlight on her body remains intense and ongoing.

Key Takeaways

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Serena Williams publicly reveals GLP-1 use for weight management
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Drug accessed through Ro telehealth platform
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Husband Alexis Ohanian sits on Ro’s board and is an investor
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Celebrities increasingly discuss GLP-1 therapies in public
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Disclosure raises questions about privacy and potential conflicts of interest
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Access and cost of GLP-1 therapies remain a broader social issue

"There’s a scene in my HBO documentary where you see my coach telling me, You have to lose weight."

Serena recalls a past moment to illustrate the pressure

"I don’t really care what people are saying about my body anymore. But what is important to me is transparency."

She emphasizes honesty about her choices

"My whole life is being in the gym, working out, running, training, HIIT training, dancing"

She describes her lifelong routine and struggle

"I decided that it was time to try something different and got on the GLP-1 with Ro."

She explains why she started GLP-1

The revelation highlights how public figures navigate health privacy in a world where every decision can become a public narrative and a business talking point. The Ro connection raises questions about possible conflicts of interest and how sponsorship dynamics may shape health storytelling. It also reflects a broader shift in how athletes and celebrities discuss medical interventions tied to weight and aging, moving from silence to curated openness.

As more celebrities discuss GLP-1 drugs, the public conversation broadens to issues of access, cost, and medical ethics. The risk is that medical treatments for weight management could be normalized as performance tools for the famous, potentially sidelining the many who face barriers to care. The coverage also invites scrutiny of how much personal health information is appropriate to share when financial ties to health brands exist.

Highlights

  • Transparency is a different kind of strength
  • Public bodies and private health, where are the lines
  • Celebrities turn medicine into a public lens
  • Money, medicine, and the pressure to perform never sleep

Public health and conflicts of interest risk

The disclosure ties a high profile health choice to a business partner and a public audience, raising questions about influence, medical privacy, and potential backlash.

Public figures will keep shaping the conversation around health and fame as medical options become more integrated with media and business.

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