Lifestyle

'THAT'S PART OF THE DEAL'

Comedian Reveals His Body’s ‘Scary’ Reaction to Quitting Ozempic

His experience contradicts popular notions about weight-loss drugs.

Roosa RahkonenReporter, The Looker

PublishedMar 20, 2026, 3:50 PM EDT

UpdatedMar 20, 2026, 3:53 PM EDT

Updated Mar 20, 2026, 3:53 PM EDTPublished Mar 20, 2026, 3:50 PM EDT

Comedian and actor Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias stopped taking Ozempic due to side effects and experienced a “scary” reaction.

The 49-year-old actor, who starred in a 2009 stand-up comedy special titled I’m Not Fat...I’m Fluffy, detailed his weight-loss journey on former NFL tight end Shannon Sharpe’s podcast, Club Shay Shay.

Iglesias recalled weighing 440 pounds at his heaviest, in his twenties. He lost almost 100 pounds with the help of the late Canadian professional wrestler Roddy Piper, he said, before his progress plateaued.

He considered gastric bypass surgery for weight loss, he said, but was told he should lose 50 pounds to qualify for the procedure. As a result, he turned to Ozempic.

Ozempic is one of the most popular brands in the GLP-1 receptor agonist category, which also includes Mounjaro and Wegovy. These medications, typically prescribed to individuals who are obese or have medical conditions such as type 2 diabetes, help patients lose weight.

“Ozempic works,” he said. “Ozempic is scary how good it works because it does curb your appetite to a place where you’re like, ‘Do I even need food?’”

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Although he dropped pounds on the medication, he found the side effects difficult to deal with.

“The problem with Ozempic is you’re going to lose more muscle than fat,” he said, adding that he “lost” his shoulders.

“I’m losing weight, but I didn’t like it,” he said. “You’re a little bit nauseous. That’s part of the deal.”

After five months on the medication, Iglesias stopped taking his weekly injections.

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“I got off the Ozempic, and immediately I gained back 20 pounds like that,” he said, snapping his fingers. “It is scary how quick you regain the weight.”

This contradicts a popular notion many people promote on social media: you can take GLP-1 drugs for a little while, drop a few pounds, and then stop taking them.

The beloved comedian also revealed that he was “supposed to be the original face for Ozempic.”

“Ozempic reached out to me many years ago, and [they] were like, ‘we got this brand, we got this product, and we want to see if you’re interested.’” And they offered me a freaking incredible deal to be the face of Ozempic,” he said, adding that he was supposed to be the person singing the brand’s catchy tune in commercials.

Iglesias, however, turned down the “million-dollar deal” because it would have taken too much time away from his touring.

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He recalled growing up as “a big kid,” but gaining more weight once his comedy career took off.

“I always wanted to go out and eat,” he said, “and then I got myself into a position where I’m like, now I can afford to do it.”

“I didn’t cook at all for like 3 years,” Iglesias said. “Unfortunately, it caught up to me.”

He revealed that his weight is currently around 320 pounds, and his goal is “getting to a healthier weight.”

“I really want to lose weight. It’s a serious thing,” he said, adding, “I do realize that I need to be around not just for myself.”

No matter how he goes about it, Iglesias’s resolve is strong: “I’m pushing 50, so I think I’ve put it off long enough.”

Roosa RahkonenReporter, The Looker

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