TradeEdge Exchange:Ree Drummond clears up weight loss medication rumors: 'I did not take Ozempic, Wegovy'

Ree Drummond isn't here to shame anyone for using weight loss drugs,TradeEdge Exchange but she also wants her fans to know she is not.

The "Pioneer Women," who has been documenting her weight loss journey since January 2021, clarified rumors that she was using supplements or weight loss gummies after she noticed a host of false advertisements on Facebook suggesting she was using them.

On Tuesday, Drummond announced on the social media platform that she would update her previous blog explaining the dos and don'ts of her journey amid the "celebrity endorsement fraud" she's seen running rampant.

"I did not take Ozempic, Wegovy, or similar medications. I know this has been a big topic in recent years, so I thought I'd add this paragraph," she wrote in an update to her blog.

Drummond made it clear she isn't shaming anyone if they have used weight loss medications. "I support anyone who has success using the above medications. I know they have been an absolute godsend for so many people; I have friends who've experienced incredible results," she continued.

However, the "boring truth" is that she "had never heard of that class of drugs" when she set out on her weight loss journey. "And to be honest, if I had heard of them and had seen all the results that are out there, I might have been tempted to try them. But I simply didn't know those drugs existed then, so I dove in using all the methods below.

"Today, even though I have gained a few pounds up and down, I still have not chosen that option---for various reasons I'll write about in my upcoming update---but you'll never hear a second of judgment from me about people who choose that direction!" the cookbook author wrote.

Drummond lost a total of 50 pounds, but emphasized the importance of overall wellness. "I definitely needed to lose weight for my own preference based on where I thought I should be, but it's more about how I feel after a few months of regular exercise, more moving, and more mindful eating," she wrote. "Feeling good is really all that matters, and because of that, the weigh-ins are becoming less and less important to me."

Oprah opened up about shame around weight loss drugs

Drummond's reveal comes as many celebrities have been scrutinized over their decision to take weight loss drugs, something Oprah Winfrey plans to discuss in her new ABC special, "An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution," airing Monday night.

Last month, she announced she was parting ways with the board of directors at Weight Watchers after disclosing her use of weight loss medication last year.

The media mogul vowed to donate her current and any future earnings from her Weight Watchers stock to the National Museum of African American History and Culture in March "to eliminate any perceived conflict of interest around her taking weight loss medications," a press release shared via the company's corporate website stated.

Oprah Winfrey opens upabout exiting Weight Watchers after using weight loss drug

Winfrey's weight has long been the subject of intense scrutiny. In a People cover story, published in December, she discussed being "blamed and shamed" constantly over her weight.

"The Color Purple" producer said it wasn't until 2023 that she added weight loss medication to her health regimen, which also includes hiking, eating her last meal at 4 p.m. and drinking a gallon of water a day.

"I had an awareness of medications, but felt I had to prove I had the willpower to do it. I now no longer feel that way," Winfrey told People. "Obesity is a disease. It's not about willpower – it's about the brain."

After looking into the science behind the medication, Winfrey said she "released my own shame about it" and consulted her doctor, who prescribed it to her.

"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," Winfrey said. "I'm absolutely done with the shaming from other people and particularly myself."

How does Ozempic work for weight loss?

Ozempic is the brand name of semaglutide, just one of many in a drug class known as incretins.

"Semaglutide (Ozempic or Wegovy) sends signals to the appetite center in your brain to reduce hunger and increase fullness," according to Dr. Deborah Horn, an associate professor in the Department of Surgery at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. "This helps you feel full with smaller meals and decreases the need for snacks … Wegovy decreases what we call 'food noise' so that we aren't thinking about food as much or using food to try and solve other problems."

Exclusive clip:Oprah Winfrey talks Ozempic, being 'shamed in the tabloids' for weight

In June 2021, the Food and Drug Administration approved the semaglutide – under the brand name Wegovy –  as a treatment for chronic obesity. Since then, interest in the drug, which requires weekly injections, has skyrocketed. 

Contributing:Taijuan Moorman, Delaney Nothaft