Rosie O’Donnell is speaking candidly about the major changes she has made to her health and appearance, revealing both the hefty cost of her facelift and how Mounjaro helped her lose 60 pounds after a lifelong battle with food.
The 64-year-old comedian opened up about using the medication in a new interview, while also reflecting on the facelift she had at the start of the year, which quickly drew attention online.
GLP-1 drugs, first developed to treat type 2 diabetes and marketed under names including Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy, have since become widely used as high-profile weight-loss medications.
‘Mounjaro changed my life. I couldn’t even pronounce it at first,’ O’Donnell, who now lives full-time in Ireland, told People.
She said she began taking the drug three years ago after being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and was shocked by how dramatically it reduced what she described as constant thoughts about food. ‘I’ve had trouble with my weight my whole life,’ she said.
‘I know the shame and humiliation dealt to people who are overweight,’ O’Donnell added, speaking about the emotional toll of living under that scrutiny.
The former talk show host also recalled how deeply her relationship with food affected family life, saying her children used to hide their Halloween candy from her when they were younger.
‘I’d wake up at 3 in the morning and go, “There’s a Nestle’s Crunch bar somewhere.” I couldn’t help myself,’ she admitted to the magazine.
Rosie O’Donnell got a facelift in January and now, she has shared the staggering price of the plastic surgery. She’s seen left in June and right in 2024
opened up about her 60-pound weight loss on Mounjaro – admitting that the miracle drug ‘changed her life’ after her decades-long struggle with food. She’s pictured in June
When asked how the weight loss has changed her life, the comedian explained that it has affected how she views herself.
‘It’s very strange to just buy a pair of jeans that fit. When I would do late-night [TV], my biggest concern wasn’t my set – it was, did I look fat?’ O’Donnell admitted.
‘On League of Their Own, [director] Penny Marshall didn’t help by saying, “Rosie, I want you to lose 20 pounds.” I’m like, “You think I carry it around for fun, Penny?” When I look back, I go, “God, I wish I could have enjoyed the size I was.”
‘I’m now at that same weight [as I was then]. But I feel much healthier, more powerful in my own physicality.’
She was also very open about her recent facelift during the interview, explaining why she ultimately decided to be so public about it.
The star first went under the knife in January, and shared a flabbergasting set of before-and-after photos in May showing the results of the facelift on her Instagram page.
‘I didn’t make it public until everyone started saying, “You look so much better. What are you doing?” I didn’t want to be one of those people who says, “Oh, nothing,”‘ O’Donnell said about the decision to share her facelift in the new interview with People. ‘So why do I look like this? $90,000.’
O’Donnell admitted she was ‘worried’ about the high cost, adding: ‘I don’t like to waste money. I would never spend that on a car.’
The star went under the knife in January and shared a flabbergasting set of before-and-after photos in May showing the results of the facelift on her Instagram page. Above, before the surgery (left) and after (right)
O’Donnell admitted that she ‘wrestled’ with the idea of getting a facelift for quite some time because ‘as a feminist’ she felt like she was giving in to the ‘male gaze.’ Above, last month
![O'Donnell, seen in 2008, also said of using the weight-loss jab Mounjaro: '[It] changed my life. I started three years ago when I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I was stunned at how it quieted the food noise. I’ve had trouble with my weight my whole life'](https://i.dailymail.com/1s/2026/07/21/18/110161505-15993753-_Mounjaro_changed_my_life_O_Donnell_who_now_resides_permanently_-a-37_1784655322513.jpg)
O’Donnell, seen in 2008, also said of using the weight-loss jab Mounjaro: ‘[It] changed my life. I started three years ago when I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I was stunned at how it quieted the food noise. I’ve had trouble with my weight my whole life’
The former The View co-host explained that she had lost so much weight on Mounjaro that she had excess skin on her chin, which made her ‘look sad.’
‘People in Ireland said, “Rosie, are you all right, love?” I’m like, “It’s my face. I actually feel happy here.” I didn’t want my face to be frozen,’ she said.
She also admitted that she ‘wrestled’ with the idea of getting a facelift for quite some time because ‘as a feminist’ she felt like she was giving in to the ‘male gaze.’
‘I always felt this is the male gaze and not anything I believe in,’ she said. ‘[And my son] Clay said, “Mommy, girls look up to you. What does your legacy stand for if you do this?”
‘I changed my mind for six months and then decided the real power of feminism [is] to decide what we want to do with our bodies and when.’
The facelift comes a half-decade after she insisted she would never get plastic surgery on the grounds that it would prevent her from getting the roles she wanted.
‘I always knew as an actress that when I got into my 60s, I would be playing the Geraldine Page roles,’ she shared with Vulture in 2021.
‘I wasn’t going to have plastic surgery. I was going to look the way a woman my age should look, and I always thought that would be a blessing in my older age.
‘I would get to play the Colleen Dewhurst roles. That has turned out to be true. I’m getting all this acting work now that I’m closing in on 60.’
