Some of us keep unflattering pictures of ourselves on the fridge as an incentive to lose weight. Others rely on friends and family for support. But when Oprah goes on a diet, she buys equity in the company.
Yes, although Oprah Winfrey has 3 billion reasons not to give a flying fuck what anyone thinks of her weight, she’s joining Weight Watchers (board of directors) anyway. Variety reports that the media mogul has purchased a 10 percent stake in the company, an investment that gives Winfrey a seat on the Weight Watchers board as well as a free lifetime membership. (That last part’s not a joke; Winfrey will join the program as part of the deal.) “Weight Watchers has given me the tools to begin to make the lasting shift that I and so many of us who are struggling with weight have longed for,” Winfrey says in a statement, probably adding that the program is now her third Favorite Thing after cashmere socks and $80 decorative soaps.
Winfrey, who’s been very public about her weight-loss battles over the years, is expected to “[bring] her insight to future products and programs” as part of a bid to expand Weight Watchers’ focus beyond points and into “overall health and wellness.” As far as diet plans go, Weight Watchers is consistently ranked one of the less crazy, and was named the No. 1 weight-loss diet and No. 3 diet overall by U.S. News & World Report last year. A memo has presumably already gone out warning not to make Winfrey feel too bad at her weekly check-in.