Before weight-loss medications transformed the look of stars, the so-called “dad bod” was making a comeback in popular culture.
As celebrities including Travis Kelce, Matt Le Blanc, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Gerard Butler proudly sported the soft, comfortable physique, studies claimed it was exactly what many women preferred.
It was time for the tide to turn in recent years. Due to the ever-rising popularity of GLP-1 medications, including Wegovy, Ozempic, and Mounjaro, the trend became a thing of the past. Today, famous personalities look much thinner.
Recently, Matt Willis sparked discussions about his dramatic change in appearance as he appeared next to Emma Willis in a promo clip for the upcoming Netflix reality series, Love Is Blind UK.
Despite the fact that the man did not comment on speculations about the reason for his appearance change, there are other well-known men who went through the same experience and became subjects for public discussion.
Among those are Jesse Plemons, Ed Sheeran, Post Malone, Matthew McConaughey, and David Harbour.
Matt Willis, seen with Emma Willis in the promo for Love Is Blind UK, has recently been subject to public discussion regarding the possible use of weight-loss medication
Like many other famous men, Ed Sheeran came under similar accusations after appearing in Men’s Health magazine on the cover.
In March 2024, Jesse Plemons appeared with his wife Kirsten Dunst on the Oscars red carpet and attracted the attention of viewers.
Many users on social networks noted that at 38 years old, the actor looked noticeably thinner. As usual, speculations arose regarding possible reasons for the transformation.
However, when the man talked about his weight loss at the Oscars after-party, he said that he lost 50 pounds during 18 months and attributed the result not to medications but rather to lifestyle changes.
Plemons decided to start working on his health back in 2022 when he got tired of carrying extra pounds. The actor said he followed the regime of intermittent fasting, avoided carbs and unhealthy meals.
As the speculations continued, the celebrity addressed them in June 2024 in an interview with the Los Angeles Times.
“It’s really frustrating that at the same time when everybody started taking Ozempic I decided to take care of myself and improve my health,” he confessed.
In an interview with The Independent, Plemons recalled why he decided to put on weight for one of his parts.
“I was playing Kevin Weeks in Black Mass. At first, I didn’t like this role, but it made me gain weight and I think it’s the worst decision I’ve ever made in my career.”
The actor emphasized that it also changed his perspective on the types of parts available.
“Since I’ve got rid of extra pounds, I’ve started to feel better – that’s how the doors of new opportunities have been open to me,” he concluded.
Another celebrity who spoke about his weight loss is David Harbour. In an Instagram post, he revealed that he shedded 75 pounds for the role in the fourth season of Stranger Things.
For eight months, he was hard and kept fit for a year after that because of a delay caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The actor said in an interview with GQ he followed a regimen of intermittent fasting and a salad-based nutrition system. Harbour also mentioned that he practiced resistance training, cardio, and pilates in order to lose weight.
One of the earliest male celebrities to talk about GLP-1 medication use is Robbie Williams.
For a long time, GLP-1 medications were kept under cover by famous celebrities. This secret became widely known only after the comments of Oprah Winfrey and Elon Musk.
When the latter was asked on X (previously Twitter) why he looks much slimmer than a few years ago, he answered, “Fasting + Ozempic/Wegovy + no tasty food.”
Another famous man who discussed this topic is British singer Boy George, now 66. While describing his experience in his book, Karma: My Autobiography, the man admitted that he managed to lose 100 pounds with the help of Mounjaro.
“As I have suffered from overweight problems all my life, people’s comments on this topic make my struggle harder,” he admitted. “However, many people do the same, but you don’t know about it.”
He mentioned that controlling his appetite proved to be quite difficult for him, but now he feels like he finally got everything right.
Another early personality to discuss GLP-1 medications and share his experience was Robbie Williams.
He once joked that he suffers from “type 2 self-loathing.” While talking about his experience of taking GLP-1 medications, the man said he could lose a considerable amount of weight thanks to a drug similar to Ozempic.
According to the former Take That member, weight has always influenced his mental state and triggered self-doubt when he gets heavier.
Despite the fact that access to the medications in the UK is tightly controlled, Robbie Williams recently said in an interview with The Sun that taking it led to deteriorated eyesight.
During the performance at a concert, he felt that his vision was becoming even worse; however, he couldn’t tell if this condition has something to do with taking the medication. The star confessed that he wants to raise public awareness of the situation in order for people to study the possible side effects.
Queer Eye star, Jonathan Van Ness recently confirmed speculations that she used medication in addition to lifestyle changes. GLP-1 agonists affect the feeling of satiety, thus helping lose weight.
After the star shared photos of herself with a noticeably changed figure, some of her followers accused her of not supporting the body-positive approach to people’s appearance.
However, they denied the claims later, saying that no matter what kind of body the person has, they are happy to accept it.
Among celebrities who mentioned they lost weight due to taking GLP-1 medications are Scott Disick and stand-up comedian Jim Gaffigan.
“Gaining control over my body has made me feel better,” he confessed.
