Oprah Winfrey’s Wild Drinking Habits Exposed: Talk Show Icon Recalls Downing 17 Tequila Shots in 1 Night

Oprah Winfrey used to be a big drinker — but she quit hitting the sauce when she started GLP-1 medications two and a half years ago.

In a new interview, the media mogul, 71, shared she “could outdrink everyone at the table” before losing interest in alcohol, seemingly thanks to the weight-loss drug.

“I was a big fan of tequila,” she revealed, recalling a time when she “literally had 17 shots one night.”

While the legendary daytime television host — who turns 72 on January 26 — has previously kept her heavy drinking past to herself, she’s been very candid about struggling with weight loss and dieting.

The Color Purple actress admitted, “I’ve always been confident in whatever I was doing, but I was at the same time disappointed in my overweight body.”

She continued, “Was I embarrassed by it? Yes. Was I disappointed in myself for continuing to fail? Yes, every single time. I felt it was my fault.”

As OK! previously reported, Winfrey confessed in 2023 to using a GLP-1 medication, similar to popular drugs like Ozempic, to help her shed some unwanted pounds.

“I now use it as I feel I need it, as a tool to manage not yo-yoing,” she explained in an interview at the time.

“I realized I’d been blaming myself all these years for being overweight, and I have a predisposition that no amount of willpower is going to control,” the star continued. “Obesity is a disease. It’s not about willpower — it’s about the brain.”

These days, the TV producer said she feels “more alive and more vibrant” than ever before — and she’s certainly been showing that off.

Winfrey flaunted her weight loss in a corset-style white dress for the kick-off of her Australian speaking tour in Sydney on December 3. Several months before that, she showcased her slim waist while vacationing in Italy.

Winfrey’s new book, co-written with obesity expert Dr. Ania M. Jastreboff, hits shelves on January 13.