July 28, 2026, 9:58 p.m. ET
Rosie O’Donnell says taking a gradual approach to weight loss through GLP-1 drug Mounjaro helped her avoid the common side effects associated with the medication.
Speaking with Ana Navarro on the July 27 episode of the “Bleep!” podcast, the comedian said she gradually increased her dosage of the Type 2 diabetes medication over three years, losing about 65 pounds without experiencing adverse effects. Mounjaro is approved to treat Type 2 diabetes and is also associated with its effects on weight loss.
“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,” O’Donnell said, referring to milligrams dosing.
The 64-year-old, who was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes three years ago, recently called Mounjaro “a miracle drug” in an interview with People.
“I was stunned how it quieted the food noise,” the activist said. “I’ve had trouble with my weight my whole life.”
Treatment typically begins at 2.5 milligrams once a week before gradually increasing as needed. The maximum recommended dose is 15 milligrams once weekly, according to GoodRx.
“I wanted to go slow because I know that it overwhelms me when I have lost [weight] quick before,” she told Navarro. “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.”
According to Eli Lilly, the drug’s manufacturer, common side effects include nausea, vomiting, indigestion and stomach pain.
“I feel a lot better,” O’Donnell added.
‘Took me about a year to convince myself I was allowed to do it’
While she said she avoided the medication’s common side effects, O’Donnell revealed she experienced facial volume loss after losing weight, prompting her to undergo a 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.
“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.”
“It took me about a year to convince myself I was allowed to do it,” she added.
In May, O’Donnell reflected on the procedure in a Substack poem, writing that she once believed getting a facelift would be a “betrayal” of feminism, aging and “our team of women worldwide.”
After losing weight, however, she said her perspective changed.
“I’d look in the mirror and think, this isn’t aging, this is melting with intention,” she wrote, adding that she eventually began “considering something” she had “swore” she’d never do.
O’Donnell said she doesn’t owe “anyone an explanation,” but wanted to be transparent because she’s “never liked secrets.” She told readers her “rejuvenated lower face” didn’t happen “naturally,” but instead “cost more money than I have ever paid for a car.”
She also acknowledged feeling some shame over what she called the “gross excess.”
Contributing: Brendan Morrow
