In recent months, Ozempic – the type 2 diabetes medication turned popular weight loss aid – has seemingly taken all of Hollywood by storm.
Still, while, as Andy Cohen tweeted last September, “everyone is suddenly showing up 25 pounds lighter,” few celebs have publicly owned up to taking the drug.
In fact, stars from Khloe Kardashian to 90 Day Fiancé’s Loren Brovarnik to The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Kyle Richards have explicitly denied using Ozempic after fans perceived they had lost weight.
But The Real Housewives of New Jersey star Margaret Josephs – one of the rare public figures to formally acknowledge that she has used the drug – isn’t known for her discretion.
Last week, in an interview with Insider, Josephs opened up about her own experiences with the “game-changing” weight loss drug, slamming criticisms of Ozempic use as “ridiculous.”
“I think it’s whatever works for me,” the Bravo star told the outlet.
Margaret Josephs opens up about weight loss drug use
Speaking with the outlet, Josephs revealed that she takes her dose of “GLP-1 agonist” – the class of drugs to which Ozempic and similar treatments, such as Wegovy, belong – “as a shot once a week.”
The medication, she added, “helps you lose weight and improves your metabolism.”
But weight loss wasn’t her only motivation for getting on the drug.
Josephs said she initially decided to seek out the medication after noticing that she felt “sluggish.”
She has now been taking the medication for about a year and, without making any other major changes to her diet or exercise regimens, has lost 22 pounds in total.
Since starting on the drug, she said that her health has improved in other ways as well.
“My blood work is better than it used to be,” Josephs told the outlet. “My cholesterol is down.”
RHONJ’s Margaret Josephs talks family, health
The Bravo mainstay – who shared a biological son with her late first husband, Jan Josephs – also cited family as a reason to take care of her health.
“I want to stay around for the people I love, so I’m about maintaining myself,” Josephs told the outlet, adding, “If you don’t have your health, you have nothing.”
Speaking with the outlet, Josephs was frank about the pressures of reality TV stardom and keeping up her appearance.
Like much of the RHONJ cast, Josephs has also gotten cosmetic surgery, including both a facelift and breast augmentation, in the summer of 2022.
“I am on TV,” she told Insider, “so if I look good, that’s great.”
The Real Housewives of New Jersey airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on Bravo. Seasons 1-12 are streaming on Peacock.