4 ’80s Stars Who Took Us Along On Their Weight Loss Journeys
By Rose McMackinJuly 12, 2026 9:00 am EST
Celebrities and their fluctuating weight has been a standard of tabloid fodder. Breathless narrations of every pound a star gained and lost reached a crescendo in the early ’00s. Since then, body positivity hasn’t exactly replaced the brutally exacting beauty standards of Hollywood, but it has shifted the cultural conversation about weight. “The tabloids of the late ’90s and ’00s were so brutal. Everything was about being ‘hot,'” wrote one Reddit user. “Hot was being thin but not too thin or else you’d still get ridiculed.”
But even as magazines invaded some star’s privacy surrounding their weight and health, some have opted to get vulnerable and open up about their struggles with their weight. In particular, many ’80s stars who have crossed the threshold into menopause and discovered that hormonal changes can make it more difficult to lose weight. These are the same celebrities who are the most outspoken about the advantages of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Of course, other celebrities have bared all about their bad experiences with Ozempic. Still, the drugs are becoming a staple of contemporary weight loss discourse.
Kirstie Alley
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Over the years, actor Kirstie Alley has been open about her shifting weight. The former “Cheers” star was famously the face of the Jenny Craig weight loss program. She even created and starred in a 2005 television series, “Fat Actress,” that was loosely based on the Hollywood pressure she felt to lose weight. “I do stay active, but I hate the gym,” she told People in 2016. “It bores the bejeezus out of me. I’m not a lunging, squatting human.”
After her success with Jenny Craig, Alley regained much of the weight she dropped, but then lost it again by recommitting to healthy eating and training for “Dancing with the Stars.” “I can have anything I want, I’m just counting the calories,” she told People in 2017, explaining that she combines intentional eating with activities like biking and yoga. “I started becoming a lot more physical. It depends on the weather and where I am, but I have different workouts I’ll do.”
Wynonna Judd
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For singer Wynonna Judd, the journey to lose 55 pounds was not only physical but psychological. “My weight was a symptom and not the problem,” the “No One Else on Earth” singer told People in 2010. “I used food to soothe and reward and I don’t do that anymore.” She admitted she’s learned to be cautious about what food she keeps in the house, and instead chooses to cut back on potential temptations, like sweets and snacks. She also took up pole dancing
The country star learned to focus on strength rather than size. “I’m never going to be a runway model,” Judd shared during an appearance on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” [lk the runway. To make peace with something is the key. It never was a competition with me. I want to be healthy.”
Losing weight transformed Judd’s relationship with her body and her confidence in her own skin. “If you look at old Judd photos I was hiding in turtlenecks and coats,” Judd told People, explaining that her sense of style changed with her weight. “I went into a lingerie store for the first time where I didn’t feel embarrassed. I left feeling like Miss America!”
Ricki Lake
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Lake undertook her weight loss journey alongside her husband, and chronicled the process on Instagram. “I feel the best I can remember feeling in my life,” Lake told ABC News in 2024. “It’s been a commitment. You know, it’s been a financial commitment. It’s been like, a time commitment,” Lake said. “But it’s awesome. Like, I’m just, I’m so happy and proud of us.” All told, Lake dropped about 40 pounds by cutting out carbs alongside regular hiking and Pilates
Though her doctor warned her that perimenopause would make it harder to shed the pounds, Lake declined GLP-1s and chose to focus on healthy eating and regular exercise. “The doctor that told me I wasn’t going to be successful, he motivated me,” Lake told Entertainment Tonight in 2024. “I say thank you to him, you know? He really p***ed me off, and I wanted to prove him wrong.” She admitted she was wary of weight loss drugs after her crash dieting experiences earlier in life. “This time, I really am focused on eating really clean food, nothing processed — or as little processed food as possible — and intermittent fasting.”
Chaka Khan
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Khan was spurred on to lose weight after she became concerned about her health. “I adopted my 10-year-old granddaughter last year. I have to be there for her,” she told Essence in 2021. “I’ve mostly been doing a lot of high-protein foods and a lot of vegetables and exercise.” She revealed that she primarily eats a vegan diet these days
She admitted that she struggles to push herself to work out, and usually opts to stay healthy by walking. “I did some dance classes and walking, stuff I like to do,” Khan told Jet Mag in 2013. “I didn’t like to grunt on freaking machines.” Despite that, Khan remains adamant that she made the change for herself, not to kowtow to outward pressure about her body. “I’ve always been a sex symbol. When I was fat, I was a sex symbol,” she told the HuffPost. “Some men like that, you know.”
