Star Jones Credits Weight Loss Surgery for Saving Her Life Amid GLP-1 Debate
The former "The View" co-host shared her personal journey as the panel discussed the growing use of weight loss medications.
Star Jones emotionally revealed on "The View" this week that losing over 160 pounds after undergoing gastric bypass surgery "saved her life." Jones, who was a guest co-host filling in for Whoopi Goldberg, shared her experience as the panel debated the use of GLP-1 medications.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker recently disclosed his 80-pound weight loss achieved through a GLP-1 medication, prompting the discussion. Several "The View" co-hosts, including Goldberg, Joy Behar, Ana Navarro, and Sunny Hostin, have previously shared their own use of such medications.
"I saved my own life and I used whatever method that was available to me at that time," Jones stated, referring to her 2003 gastric bypass surgery. She detailed that at her heaviest, she weighed 307 pounds. "It is 23 years later, and I've kept the weight off. It makes a difference. I would not have been able to have open-heart surgery," she added, noting that the weight loss was crucial for her subsequent life-saving procedure.
Jones admitted that she kept her gastric bypass surgery private for several years, initially fearing public judgment. She later opened up about the procedure in a 2007 cover story for Glamour Magazine, expressing a desire for others to make informed decisions with their doctors.
In 2010, Jones underwent open-heart surgery to treat heart disease, a condition that led to shortness of breath and heart palpitations. Reflecting on the surgery in a previous interview with People, she shared that her heart had to be disconnected for 22 minutes. "Open-heart surgery saved my life but me knowing more about my heart risk and focusing on my health is what gave me my life back," she told the outlet.
Jones's appearance on "The View" coincides with Whoopi Goldberg's two-week absence from the show. The program recently returned for its 30th season, achieving strong ratings with an average of 2.518 million total viewers for its premiere week, according to Variety. The season premiere also marked the show's best ratings in four years among female viewers aged 18-49 and in three years for women aged 25-54.