Inside Rosie O'Donnell's 60-Lb. Weight Loss Journey: Everything the Comedian Has Shared About Her Health

Julie TremaineWed, May 27, 2026 at 3:37 PM UTC

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Rosie O'Donnell in 2012 in New York City; Rosie O'Donnell in 2025 in London
Credit: Slaven Vlasic/Getty; Simon Ackerman/Getty -

Rosie O’Donnell lost over 60 lbs. through weight loss surgery, lifestyle changes and diabetes medications like Mounjaro

A 2012 heart attack prompted her to prioritize her health, leading to gastric sleeve surgery the following year

O’Donnell recently revealed she quietly underwent a facelift in early 2026

Rosie O’Donnell has undergone a massive health transformation over the years.

The mother of five, who has been outspoken about self-acceptance and body positivity for decades, has lost over 60 lbs. through surgery, lifestyle changes and weight loss drugs. A 2012 heart attack marked a turning point in the star's health journey, leading her to undergo weight loss surgery the following year.

“I think, for me, always having a weight issue and struggling with weight my whole life, to the point I had a heart attack that almost killed me and [until] the doctor said, ‘You have to do this,’ I don’t think I would have done it ever,” the A League of their Ownstar told PEOPLE in 2014.

O'Donnell has continued to open up about her weight loss journey and health changes, telling her TikTok followers in a 2025 video, "I feel healthier. I’m sleeping better.”

Most recently, the comedian revealed she privately underwent a pricey facelift after previously telling herself she wouldn't alter her features. “As I get ready for the last day of school with my youngest - the caboose, here at 64 years old with a new lower face and neck, just happy to be alive. Able to feel and choose and use my voice whenever I feel called to,” she wrote in a May 25 Substack post. “For the girl I was. The woman I am. And all those joining my ranks as we carry on in act 3. This is me.”

Here’s everything Rosie O’Donnell has said about her weight loss journey.

O’Donnell suffered a heart attack in 2012

Rosie O'Donnell on 'Watch What Happens Live'
Credit: Peter Kramer/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

Amid a stressful year, O’Donnell suffered a heart attack in August 2012, when she was 50. Her show on the OWN Network, The Rosie Show, had been canceled in March and around that time, her then-fiancée, Michelle Rounds, was diagnosed with a rare disease called aggressive fibromatosis (also called desmoid tumors).

“Thankful for the love and support so many have given us during these trying times,” O'Donnell wrote on her blog while recovering.

“When I woke up, they said, ‘You should have died,’ ” O’Donnell recalled to PEOPLE in 2015. “Doctors said, ‘We need you to lose 50 lbs. in the next year, but you can’t have surgery or anything in the next year because you've had a heart attack.’ ” That led to an intensive year of dieting before choosing to undergo surgery in 2013.

After the heart attack, O’Donnell underwent gastric surgery

In 2013, the actress underwent vertical gastric sleeve surgery.

“That surgery changed my life,” she told PEOPLE in 2015. “It doesn’t reroute your intestines. You have no issue with going to the bathroom in public. But your relationship with food ends.”

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In the two years following her surgery, O’Donnell lost 64 lbs. “They told me the part of the stomach they remove have hunger hormones in it, called ghrelins," the comedian explained. "And that changes the way you think and feel about food. I feel so much freer now in terms of needing to move and play with my kids.”

Her post-surgery weight loss led to other positive changes

Rosie O'Donnell in 2014
Credit: Robin Marchant/Getty

Following her 64 lb. weight loss, O’Donnell reported both mental and physical benefits.

“I don’t have sleep apnea anymore,” she told PEOPLE in 2015. “I’m able to run and play with the kids or get a bathing suit. ... Now it’s like a different reality. We’ll see how long it lasts.”

In late 2022, she started taking Mounjaro and Repatha, diabetes drugs that have side effects of weight loss for many people. In addition, O’Donnell made positive lifestyle changes, like eating less sugar and drinking more water.

“My appetite has decreased significantly. It's probably the meds. And I'm trying to move more. So, all those things combined, that's what it is," she said at the time.

She’s spoken about using Mounjaro and Repatha

The actress spoke about her use of Mounjaro and Repatha in January 2023, revealing that her doctor put her on the medication two months prior. Similar to Ozempic and Wegovy, Mounjara is a medication for type 2 diabetes and weight loss taken weekly by injection in the thigh, stomach or arm.

O'Donnell has continued taking the medication for her diabetes, which has also contributed to weight loss, as well as made more lifestyle changes. “I’ve lost more weight. I am on Mounjaro for my diabetes and one of the side effects is you lose weight," she told her TikTok followers in a March 2025 video. "But it’s also because I had a chef for over two years in Los Angeles and I don't have a chef now. It's me cooking for Clay and me.”

In the same video, O'Donnell recalled a recent experience going shopping in Dublin after her continued weight loss. "I'm one of those people who always had a weight issue and now that I'm a size large — instead of an XL or a XXL —  I find it shocking," she said. "I really do. I find it completely shocking."

O'Donnell has also undergone a few cosmetic procedures

Rosie O'Donnell in July 2025
Credit: Neil Mockford/WireImage

In May 2026, O'Donnell made headlines for revealing she secretly had a lower deep plane facelift in January that “cost more money than I have ever paid for a car.”

“My privileged place in this world,” she wrote in a Substack post on May 25. “And that feels almost shameful to me. The things I have - earned some say, but [it's] the gross excess that wounds me.”

The comedian previously opened up about regretting her past use of injectables, saying she doesn't "recommend" Botox in August 2025. O'Donnell received Botox during her time on the Oprah Winfrey Network and called the enhancement a "huge mistake."

on People

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”