After years of struggle, she finally reached her goal weight with the help of Ozempic.
Now Kathy Bates has showcased her slimmed-down figure on the cover of Variety – while also sending a defiant message to those fixated on the drug’s impact on her weight loss.
Numerous stars have admitted to using Ozempic – or a similar medication – to achieve their weight loss goals in recent years, and have faced criticism and scrutiny for their decision to do so.
But Bates has been on a years-long journey to slim down and has also been diagnosed with diabetes, the disease the medication treats. By the time Ozempic arrived in her life, she only needed to lose 15-20 pounds.
‘People say, “Well, it was the Ozempic.” F**k you, it was the Ozempic!’ she told the publication. ‘It took me years to do this. I got this diagnosis about diabetes — my father died of it; his mother died of it; one of my sisters is in peril.
‘When they said “diabetes,” I figured out what to do to slowly, over years, to lose the weight. And then when Ozempic came along, I was able to lose the last 15 to 20 pounds and keep it off,’ she said.
Kathy Bates showcased her slimmed down figure – and sent a defiant message to her weight loss critics – for Variety’s cover story
Bates, pictured R last month and L in 2015, ditched the last 15-20 pounds with the help of Ozempic
Bates is back in the spotlight a lot more after landing the starring role in Matlock, with the actress recently earning an Emmy nomination for her work.
The timing of Bates reaching her health accomplishments and landing the show has not gone unnoticed by her.
‘But the juxtaposition of getting healthy and then this show coming along is just unbelievable,’ she said. ‘The timing of it is great.’
Now numerous designers are sending Bates dresses to try on – a foreign concept for the star, and one that has also provided her with new realizations about her issues with her weight.
Recently, the Misery actress was brought to tears after she unexpectedly fit into a dress her stylist brought her.
‘She had a beautiful dress for me to try. I looked at it on the hanger, and I thought, “That’s not gonna fit.” I put it on, and it fit, and I just melted down,’ she said.
‘I just started crying and crying. I’m still figuring out what it’s like to be without all of that weight. What was it for? What was I hiding myself from? What are the emotions that are pouring out because I don’t have that armor? It just really surprised me, really shocked me.’
An X user said in response to Variety’s story: ‘And she looks gorgeous.’
Bates got serious about her health following her diagnosis for type 2 diabetes in 2017, but there was a moment six years prior that truly sparked her weight-loss journey.
‘F**k you, it was the Ozempic!’ Bates said of those overly emphasizing the role the medication played in her weight loss efforts
The critically-acclaimed actress is up for an Emmy for her starring role in Matlock
At the time, the Oscar winner was portraying sarcastic criminal defense attorney Harriet ‘Harry’ Korn in David E. Kelley’s legal comedy Harry’s Law, which aired for two seasons on NBC before being canceled in 2012.
‘When I was so heavy in Harry’s Law, I had to sit down in between every take, and it was awful,’ Kathy recalled to People in May.
‘I’m ashamed to have put myself through that, to be honest.’
Bates successfully shed 80lbs off her 5ft3in frame before hopping aboard the trendy Ozempic train and dropping an additional 20lbs, which made ‘working a lot easier.’
‘But now that I’ve been able to get really healthy, I can move, I can breathe, I can have fun, I’m not sore,’ the Matlock producer-star – who also uses a treadmill – added.
‘I’m still figuring out what it’s like to be without all of that weight,’ Bates, pictured 2003, said
The actress has been showcasing her svelte physique a lot more lately, now that she’s back in the spotlight with Matlock
‘I get tired and realize I’m like an old lady, but even the kids get tired. But it’s been a magnificent experience. I never expected to have this at my age, at the end of my career.’
Bates previously told the outlet last October: ‘Physically, I’m capable of doing this show. I don’t have to sit down. I can stand up all day long and walk and move and breathe and do so many things that I couldn’t before.’
The actress – who survived ovarian cancer and breast cancer – has even seen an improvement in her lymphedema since shedding weight and she no longer has to wear compression sleeves on her arms.
