Even the ladies of “The View” agree that Kelly Clarkson needs to be protected at all costs.
The co-hosts of the ABC talk show defended the “American Idol” Season 1 winner after she received backlash for telling Whoopi Goldberg on her show that she’s on a weight loss drug.
Goldberg, 68, said on Wednesday’s episode of “The View” that while she “had a great time” on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” earlier in the week, she was disappointed over the negative online response to Clarkson, 42.
“Kelly is getting backlash over this from people who say she previously claimed she was losing weight by walking,” Goldberg said. “But here’s a point about that. A lot of people are taking the show because they need it. There’s lots of reasons.”
The EGOT winner continued: “She has been walking, but this has helped. They kick her behind when she’s bigger, they kick her behind when she’s lost the weight, and now they’re kicking her behind because she said it out loud. Maybe she was more comfortable hearing somebody say that’s what I did.”
Sara Haines, 46, said she has “no shade” for Clarkson but thinks celebrities need to be open about whether or not they’re taking prescription medication to lose weight.
Joy Behar, 81, jumped in to declare that “diets do not work.”
“I’ve been on diets up and down, up and down. You lose it, then you gain it back,” the comedian said. “Nobody wants to be fat except a sumo wrestler.”
Alyssa Farah Griffin, 34, admitted that she could relate to Clarkson because she gained weight her first season on “The View,” which “was hard” for the Republican commentator.
“Wait until you hit menopause!” Behar said to her co-host.
Sonny Hostin, 55, was also pro-Clarkson when she joined the conversation.
“After 50 it’s really difficult to lose weight. If people are doing this to make themselves feel better then I’m all for it,” Hostin said. “If you feel good about yourself, then mentally you’re going to also feel better. There’s an epidemic of depression in this country, an epidemic of women shaming women, men shaming men, men shaming women. It all has to stop. “
Behar agreed and said that “personal health choices you make for yourself” should not “be subject to discussion.”
Goldberg wrapped up the segment by pleading with viewers to not judge other people’s actions when it comes to their weight.
“We need to let people do what they need to do to get where they need to get to, and stop being mad that they’re not doing it your way. Cause it’s not like what you’re really doing. Just like you don’t actually know what our personal lives are,” Goldberg said.
“If you’re doing something that’s good for you and keeping you healthy, nobody’s mad at you,” she added.
Griffin briefly interjected to say: “And leave Kelly Clarkson alone!”
The “Since U Been Gone” singer admitted on her show that she’s taking a weight loss drug, though she didn’t specify which kind. She told this to Goldberg, who recently lost weight with the help of the Type II diabetes weight loss drug Mounjaro.
“Everybody thinks it’s Ozempic — it’s not — it’s something else, but it’s something that aids in helping break down the sugar,” Clarkson said. “Obviously, my body doesn’t do it right.”
Clarkson also revealed that the heaviest she weighed was 203 pounds.
Clarkson was accused of using Ozempic to achieve her slimmed-down look last year, but she claimed in January that she lost all the weight thanks to diet and exercise.
“I eat a healthy mix. I dropped weight because I’ve been listening to my doctor,” she said, adding, “Walking in the city is quite the workout.”
