Joy Behar Defends Kelly Clarkson for Using Weight Loss Medication: ‘Diets Do Not Work’

Joy Behar had a hot take on Kelly Clarkson's weight loss journey after the singer confessed to using a medication to slim down.

Behar, 81, and her fellow panelists — Whoopi Goldberg, Sara Haines, Alyssa Farah Griffin and Sunny Hostin — discussed Clarkson's revelation on the Wednesday, May 15, episode of The View. Clarkson, 42, admitted in a conversation with Goldberg, 68, days prior that while she hasn't been taking Ozempic, she's turned to "something else" to help her body "break down sugar."

"Kelly is getting backlash over this from people who say she previously claimed she's losing weight by walking," Goldberg noted on The View. "She has been walking, but this has helped."

Goldberg pointed out that Clarkson has taken heat from all sides through the years when it comes to her body, adding, "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."

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When Haines, 46, argued that "walking or fasting" likely isn't the only thing helping many stars shed pounds, Behar shared her own two cents.

"Diets do not work. I've been on diets up and down, up and down. You lose it, then you gain it back," Behar claimed. "Nobody wants to be fat except a sumo wrestler. It's uncomfortable, your clothes don't fit, everybody wants to lose weight."

Instead of dissecting which weight loss methods are most effective, Hostin, 55, was more critical of the social pressures responsible for causing poor body image.

"If you feel good about yourself, 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. People don't say to a guy, 'Hey, are you on Viagra?'" she said. "I don't think the personal health choices you make for yourself should be subject to discussion."

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As the conversation came to an end, Goldberg declared, "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." Griffin, 34, quipped, "And leave Kelly Clarkson alone!"

Clarkson and Goldberg got candid about their respective weight loss journeys during the Monday, May 13, episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show. When Clarkson gushed that her guest looks like she gets younger by the day, Goldberg chalked it up to her slimmer figure.

"I've lost [the weight of] almost two people," Goldberg revealed, later noting that she's "doing that wonderful shot that works for folks who need some help, and it's been really good for me."

Clarkson, for her part, said she's been relying on "a different one," denying that Ozempic is what's helped her transform. (Ozempic is intended for patients with type 2 diabetes, and doctors have not recommended it be used for casual weight loss.)

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"Everybody thinks it's Ozempic, but it's not. It's something else," Clarkson said, explaining that she has "thyroid problems" and her body has trouble processing sugar. (Earlier this year, the American Idol alum revealed she was diagnosed as prediabetic.)

The women of The View aren't the only ones who've chimed in on Clarkson's weight loss. Al Roker came to her defense during the Tuesday, May 14, episode of Today.

"There's too much judgment going on," he said. "People, as long as they're working with their doctors and being healthy about it, people ought to back off and let them live their lives. ... It's not easy, whatever you do, so get off people’s backs."