Abigail McDaniel

May 8, 2026

Tuning into the most recent season of hit reality TV show The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, one would of course expect heartbreak, drama, and tears. What one would not expect in a show centered around the various scandals of Mormon influencers, is the deeply thought-provoking discussion of weight loss drugs [1].

Beginning in the 1930s, scientists have explored medications to make losing weight easier. However, the historical usage of weight loss medication has been largely unsuccessful. Various medications taken from the 1970s through the 1990s, such as dinitrophenol, amphetamine, and fenfluramine proved to have dangerous and potentially fatal side effects [2]. Consequently, most weight loss drugs were pulled from the shelves before they could ever become widespread amongst consumers. 

This all changed in recent years with the introduction of glucagon-like peptide-1s, more commonly known as GLP-1s. GLP-1 is a hormone that controls insulin levels and digestion. GLP-1 medications work by imitating the GLP-1 hormone, binding to GLP-1 receptors in the body, stimulating the effects of the GLP-1 hormone. One of the biggest effects of GLP-1 medications is that they promote insulin release while stifling glucagon secretion. The combination of these effects helps manage blood sugar levels [3]. Hence, GLP-1s are a commonly used medication for those with type 2 diabetes, a disease wherein one’s body does not naturally produce enough insulin [4]. However, there has been a growing phenomenon of GLP-1s being used more and more for weight loss. The GLP-1 hormone slows digestion which in turn increases feelings of fullness, decreasing hunger [3]. Indeed, recent clinical studies have found that the use of various GLP-1s leads to an average sustained weight decrease of 10-20% after a year of use [5].

The success of GLP-1s in weight loss and their recent FDA safety approval has led to the market being flooded with a variety of GLP-1 medications, such as Ozempic, Trulicity, Wegovy, Saxenda, and Victoza [4]. GLP-1 use has skyrocketed in popularity. In 2019, 0.9% of adult patients in the US were prescribed a GLP-1. In 2024, this number ballooned to 4%, a relative increase of 364%. Breaking that number down, 2% of adult patients in the US use their prescribed GLP-1 specifically to treat obesity, which equates to approximately 5 million people [6].  

The popularization and subsequent use of GLP-1s is not an inherently bad thing. In fact, the expansion of GLP-1 usage is perhaps the most promising solution to America’s growing obesity epidemic. The CDC uses body mass index (BMI) to define obesity. BMI estimates body fat based on the ratio between an individual’s height and weight. Medically, a BMI equal to or greater than 30 kg/m2 is categorized as obese. By this definition, more than two in every five US adults are obese, which equates to over a hundred million Americans [7]. Obesity is associated with a multitude of serious health concerns, including high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, metabolic syndrome, fatty liver diseases, cancer, breathing problems, gout, kidney disease, fertility issues, and mental health problems [8]. In 2023, an estimated 337,000 deaths in the US were attributed to complications arising as a result of obesity [9]. Medications like GLP-1s that can be used to safely treat obesity have a positive effect on overall health in America.

The medical positives of GLP-1s are research backed and undeniable. However, GLP-1s have harsh negative aspects that are often left unaddressed. GLP-1s are unique in that one of the factors they are designed to treat (weight) is not solely a medical problem like cancer or heart disease is. Instead, weight also carries social stigma. People who are technically of a healthy weight may desire to go on GLP-1s to fit the social standard of being even skinnier.

In The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, one of the titular Mormon wives, Layla Taylor, discussed her addiction to GLP-1 drugs. On the show, Taylor admitted that “I just feel like, I don’t think I’ll ever be small enough in my head”. Taylor’s abuse of GLP-1s has left her weighing just 99 pounds for her 5’10” frame, a weight to height ratio that is considered extremely underweight [10]. Being substantially underweight, just like being substantially overweight, comes with a slew of health concerns, including weakness, fatigue, dizziness, low heart rate, low blood pressure, hair loss, weakened immune system, depression, irritability, and fertility issues [11]. Discussing her addiction, Taylor attributed her case as just one part of a larger problem, explaining that GLP-1 abuse is “a very negative part of the Utah culture. I can’t even count on both hands how many people I know that abuse GLP-1s, like myself, and it’s a real problem.” [1]. 

GLP-1 abuse is not confined to Mormon reality TV or the state of Utah. Recently, Hollywood has come under scrutiny as a multitude of celebrities have been accused of abusing GLP-1s to the point of unhealthily lean bodies. Perhaps the most famous example of celebrities being accused of GLP-1 abuse is Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. The two actresses came under fire during the Wicked: For Good press tour, with many on social media commenting that the two looked excessively frail. Online users dubbed Erivo, Grande, and fellow costar Michelle Yeoh’s bodily transitions evidence of “the Wicked effect” [12]. Online, dieticians and plastic surgeons chimed in that the actresses’ hollowed cheekbones, protruding bones, and absence of subcutaneous fat were indications of extreme weight loss in a very limited period of time, likely caused by GLP-1s [13]. 

Influencers like Taylor and celebrities like Grande and Erivo exemplify a darker side of GLP-1s, wherein the societal pressure to be skinnier convinces people to take weight loss medication when not medically necessary. Yet this issue is not the fault of everyday people, but the fault of weight loss companies that knowingly prey on people’s insecurities. In recent months, GLP-1 advertisements have taken over the internet, appearing across webpages, television commercials, and as social media ads on websites like YouTube. Since July 2018, the manufacturer of Ozempic and Wegovy, Novo Nordisk, has spent more than $884 million on television advertisements alone. Going beyond television and media, Novo Nordisk targets physicians themselves. In 2022, Novo Nordisk spent $34 million on physicians for consulting, promotional speaking, and other non-research related work [14]. The billions GLP-1 companies spend in advertising are excessive. These companies thrive off of insufficient advertisement regulation and prey on people’s insecurities to sell their product to those who do not medically require it. 

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates medication advertisements on television, although many argue their regulations are lacking. Medical advertisements are often filled with idealistic views of individuals biking, hiking, or frolicking outside with upbeat music blasting in the background. Such ads display patients as completely unaffected by negative side effects of the medication, while the list of potential side effects are speedily read through in the background [15]. For instance, Wegovy’s recent Superbowl ad featured a celebrity lineup of Kenan Thompson, DJ Khaled, and Danielle Brooks sharing that Wegovy now comes as a pill. The advertisement turns to a series of other scenarios saying that “if there was a pill to help me parallel park… I’d take it!” or “if there was a pill to help me rescue more kittens… I’d take it!” [16]. The ad does not thoroughly address the medical implications of a GLP-1, instead choosing to boil the issue down to their pill being an easy solution to a problem. To the FDA, such advertisements are perfectly acceptable, so long as they are “clear, conspicuous”, “non-misleading”, and “easy to read” [17]. This vague terminology in FDA guidelines has allowed medical ads to proliferate without any real regulation across television. Furthermore, the US is an outlier for medical television advertisements. Globally, the US and New Zealand are the only countries that allow prescription drugs to be advertised on TV [18]. Other countries have banned television prescription advertisements in the name of public safety because the industry is highly predatory on the public. 

But even more troubling than the limited advertisement regulation for medications on television is the complete lack of regulations on the advertisements of prescription medications like GLP-1s on social media. TikTok has seen the rise of ‘patient influencers,’ people who took GLP-1s themselves and now advertise their use, but have absolutely no medical knowledge or training. These influencers recommend GLP-1s as a weight loss technique to their millions of followers. Because there are no laws specifically regarding these patient influencers, the influencers can say whatever they please without needing to disclose potential side effects [19]. Furthermore, these patient influencers can be compensated for their advertisements from GLP-1 companies without either party needing to disclose that information [20]. Allowing influencers with no medical training to advertise weight loss drugs as just another product to sell is a major oversight in advertisement regulation that allows for the manipulation of unknowing consumers. 

Across television and social media, GLP-1 advertisements prey on unknowing consumers. Additionally, companies have begun to target specific demographics of particularly vulnerable consumers, namely women. Women have consistently higher rates of body dysmorphia and eating disorders than men, which makes them prime targets for weight loss advertisements [21]. Amongst advertisements for GLP-1 companies, 77% of ads are gender neutral, 1% of ads target men, and 22% of ads specifically target women [22]. However, men are more likely to be obese or have diabetes 2 (the two factors GLP-1s are intended to treat) than women [23, 24]. Thus, a clear rationale for GLP-1 companies targeting women is because they believe the female demographic to be especially profitable. Companies’ idealistic portrayal of GLP-1 use creates a narrative that skinnier is better, which is an unhealthy message to spread, particularly on platforms like TikTok or YouTube that are full of young children.

GLP-1 advertisements are problematic across mediums. Weak regulations have allowed the advertisement of these weight loss drugs to turn it into a multi-billion industry in itself. It is past the time for change. The FDA must take action and ban the advertisements of GLP-1s across television and social media. Let discussions of weight loss and diabetes medication not flow between advertiser and consumer but between patient and doctor. Banning GLP-1 advertisements is a strong first step towards more tightly regulating the highly predatory industry that is prescription medication advertising. 

Photo Credits: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/Ozempic_Semaglutide_0.5mg.jpg

Sources

[1] Overhultz, Lauryn, and Fox News. “‘Mormon Wives’ Star Weighs Just 99 Pounds at 5’ 10″, Admits GLP-1 Addiction.” Fox News, March 13, 2026. https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/mormon-wives-star-weighs-just-99-pounds-admits-glp-1-addiction?msockid=16110ee77f6266a72c2818a37ee967c3. 

[2] “A History of Weight Loss Drugs.” Strive Surgery. Accessed March 20, 2026. https://strivesurgery.com/the-evolution-of-weight-loss-drugs/. 

[3] Cleveland Clinic. “GLP-1 Agonists.” Cleveland Clinic, March 5, 2026. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/13901-glp-1-agonists. 

[4] Adkison, Julie. “Popular GLP 1 Agonists List, Drug Prices and Medication Information .” GoodRx, January 9, 2026. https://www.goodrx.com/classes/glp-1-agonists. 

[5] Shah, Md Yasir, Ahmad Mohammad, Rabia Bashir Ahmed Samejo, Siddharth Rana, Shivam Singla, Raja Irsalan Aurangzeb, Muhammad M Tariq, et al. “Weight Loss That Lasts: Reviewing the Long-Term Impact of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists.” Cureus, July 19, 2025. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12361690/. 

[6] “Obesity and GLP-1 Drugs.” FAIR Health, May 27, 2025. https://www.fairhealth.org/article/white-paper-on-obesity-and-glp-1-drugs-released-by-fair-health.

[7] “Adult Obesity Prevalence Maps.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, December 3, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data-and-statistics/adult-obesity-prevalence-maps.html#cdc_data_surveillance_section_15-map-overall-obesity. 

[8] “Health Risks of Overweight & Obesity .” National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Accessed March 20, 2026. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/weight-management/adult-overweight-obesity/health-risks. 

[9] “Deaths Due to Obesity.” Our World in Data, February 7, 2026. https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/deaths-due-to-obesity?mapSelect=~USA. 

[10] “Adult BMI Categories.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, March 19, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/bmi/adult-calculator/bmi-categories.html. 

[11] “Underweight.” Cleveland Clinic, January 5, 2026. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/underweight. 

[12] Iewgbue, Annabel. “People Can’t Stop Talking about ‘wicked: For Good’ and Thin Culture.” Cosmopolitian, November 25, 2025. https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/celebs/a69533112/wicked-weight-loss-ariana-grande/. 

[13] Bhattacharya, Debapriya. “‘Bad Ad for Ozempic’: Experts and Fans Slam Celeb Weight Loss Transformations at 2025 Golden Globes.” MEAWW News, January 8, 2025. https://news.meaww.com/bad-ad-for-ozempic-experts-and-fans-weigh-in-on-celeb-weight-loss-transformations-at-golden-globes. 

[14] Elliott, Katherine. “Informed or Influenced?: An Overview of the GLP-1 Receptor Agonist MDL and Why the Excessive Direct to Consumer Advertising of These Drugs May Warrant an Exception to the Learned Intermediary Doctrine.” Richmond Public Interest Law Review, April 21, 2025. https://pilr.richmond.edu/2025/04/21/informed-or-influenced-an-overview-of-the-glp-1-receptor-agonist-mdl-and-why-the-excessive-direct-to-consumer-advertising-of-these-drugs-may-warrant-an-exception-to-the-learned-intermediary-doctrine/. 

[15] Parks, Erin. “Watching the Super Bowl with Kids? Those GLP-1 ADS Matter.” Psychology Today, February 5, 2026. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hungry-minds/202602/watching-the-super-bowl-with-kids-those-glp-1-ads-matter?msockid=16110ee77f6266a72c2818a37ee967c3. 

[16] “Novo Nordisk Wegovy Super Bowl Commercial 2026 Kenan Thompson, DJ Khaled, Danielle Brooks Ad.” YouTube, February 6, 2026. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qr8BeZipI9w. 

[17] Perrone, Matthew. “New FDA Rules for TV Drug Ads: Simpler Language and No Distractions.” AP News, November 14, 2024. https://apnews.com/article/drug-ads-fda-risks-side-effects-influencers-80bbe076f4ed743ebde3923dd28be004. 

[18] Ventola, C Lee. Direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising: Therapeutic or toxic?, October 2011. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3278148/. 

[19] Butler, Judy, and Adriane Fugh-Berman. “Patient Influencers Paid by Pharmaceutical Companies Should Be Required to Disclose Industry Ties | Health Affairs Forefront.” Health Affairs, January 10, 2020. https://www.healthaffairs.org/content/forefront/patient-influencers-paid-pharmaceutical-companies-should-required-disclose-industry. 

[20] “‘I’m Not a Doctor Just Fyi’: The Influencers Paid to Hawk Drugs on Tiktok.” The Guardian, March 17, 2023. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/mar/17/patient-influencers-tiktok-instagram-medical-prescription-drugs. 

[21] Malcolm, A., Pikoos, T. D., Castle, D. J., & Rossell, S. L. “An Update on Gender Differences in Major Symptom Phenomenology Among Adults with Body Dysmorphic Disorder.” National Institute of Health, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113619

[22] Swift, James. “Study: 95.6% of Gendered GLP-1 Ads Target Women.” MediaCat UK, January 6, 2026. https://mediacat.uk/study-95-6-of-gendered-glp-1-ads-target-women/#. 

[23] Cooper, A. J., Gupta, S. R., Moustafa, A. F., & Chao, A. M. “Sex/Gender Differences in Obesity Prevalence, Comorbidities, and Treatment.”. Current obesity reports, 10. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13679-021-00453-x

[24] Kautzky-Willer, Alexandra et al. “Sex differences in type 2 diabetes.” Diabetologia vol. 66. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00125-023-05891-x