Update: Oprah Winfrey’s bestie Gayle King went viral on Tuesday after she claimed Winfrey was hospitalized for “stomach flu”, forceful vomiting and diarrhea.
Winfrey, 70, was scheduled to appear on her bestie Gayle King’s show, “CBS Mornings,” on Tuesday. But she failed to show up because she was in the hospital, according to King, 69.
“She had some kind of stomach thing — stomach flu — stuff was coming out of both ends,” King told her audience on Tuesday morning, according to TMZ.
“I won’t get too graphic. Needless to say, she ended up in the hospital, dehydration, had to get an IV, it was a very serious thing.”
On Tuesday night, King claimed she never said Winfrey was “in the hospital”.
“A first for @cbsmornings, announcing @oprah’s latest book club pick #Familiaris without Oprah! She was sidelined with a stomach virus that caused such dehydration that she went to the hospital to get an IV drip,” King said in a video. “I thought I made that clear but next thing I know I’m surprised to see headlines that scream “Oprah’s hospitalized!” (She was NOT!) And I’m bombarded with calls asking if Oprah is okay. The answer is yes! And now let’s go straight to the source.”
A spokesperson for Winfrey tells Page Six that she “is recovering following a stomach flu and received an IV due to dehydration at the recommendation of her doctor. She is resting and feeling better every day.”
But the Internet speculated that Winfrey is suffering from a rare Ozempic side effect called “stomach paralysis.”
Popular weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy are linked to stomach paralysis (gastroparesis). The drugs affect the nerves and muscles of the stomach, causing food to stay in the stomach for days.
Gastroparesis slows the passage of food from the stomach into the small intestine, interfering with normal digestion.
Signs and symptoms of gastroparesis include nausea, forceful vomiting, diarrhea, feeling of fullness after eating, bloating, lack of appetite, and weight loss.
Vomiting and diarrhea can lead to electrolyte imbalance, which causes seizures, metabolic acidosis, coma, heart attack, cardiac arrest, and death.
There is no cure for gastroparesis.
