On Monday, actress Melissa McCarthy posted a photo on Instagram featuring director Adam Shankman at the Center Theater Group Gala they attended together over the weekend. In her comment under the photo, Barbra Streisand asked if McCarthy had taken Ozempic, a popular weight loss medication. This sparked backlash online, with many users coming to McCarthy’s defense.
In response to the criticism, Streisand released a statement on Tuesday explaining that she had initially opened up her Instagram to look at photos of the “beautiful flowers” she received for her birthday last week. She then saw a photo of her friend McCarthy and wanted to pay her a compliment. However, Streisand forgot that the world was watching and her question about Ozempic caused controversy in the comments section.
Ozempic is originally developed to treat type 2 diabetes but has become popular for its ability to help people lose weight dramatically. The drug is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to treat diabetes and its most common side effects include headaches and gastrointestinal issues. CNN has reached out to representatives for both McCarthy and Streisand for comment on this matter.
