Oprah Winfrey has reassured fans that she’s recovering and feeling much better after Gayle King revealed the media maven was hospitalized with a stomach virus.
On Tuesday (June 11), Winfrey missed her scheduled Oprah’s Book Club appearance on CBS Mornings. King told viewers Winfrey was unwell and gave a graphic description of her symptoms. However, the revelation sparked concern from fans and made headlines, leaving Winfrey’s phone blowing up.
Later on Tuesday, King shared an update, posting a video call with her best friend to confirm she’s on the mend. “I was so dehydrated,” Winfrey said, explaining her trip to the emergency room. “I had dry mouth, and I couldn’t keep enough water down to get hydrated.”
King said she still appeared a little “weakish,” and Winfrey agreed that she was not yet back to full strength. “But I’m on my way,” she added.
Winfrey said five people in her household had also caught the bug and cautioned viewers to remember to wash their hands.
While social media users speculated that the illness was a side effect of weight loss medication, this was denied. A spokesperson told CNN Winfrey’s illness has “no relation to weight loss medications.” In late 2023, Oprah Winfrey revealed she had been taking anti-obesity medication.
Explaining her absence on CBS Mornings, Gayle King revealed Oprah Winfrey was hospitalized.
“She had some kind of stomach thing where — stomach flu where stuff was coming out of both ends. I won’t get too graphic,” King said. “But needless to say, she ended up in the hospital. Dehydration, she had an IV, so it was a very serious thing.”