‘Weird’ Oprah Conspiracy Theory Takes Off

Oprah Winfrey has become the focus of a bizarre and unfounded conspiracy theory that the version of her we see today is actually a body double, or even a clone.

The talk show titan, who turns 70 on January 29, has been seen on this year’s awards season circuit, as she supports The Color Purple, the musical that she co-produced. Winfrey appeared in the first screen adaptation of Alice Walker’s novel of the same name back in 1985.

Winfrey has been seen stepping out in head-turning style after revealing that, after decades of fluctuating in size, she had achieved her recent weight loss through a medication that had been prescribed to her.

“I now use it as I feel I need it, as a tool to manage not yo-yoing,” told People last month. “The fact that there’s a medically approved prescription for managing weight and staying healthier, in my lifetime, feels like relief, like redemption, like a gift, and not something to hide behind and once again be ridiculed for. I’m absolutely done with the shaming from other people and particularly myself.”

While Winfrey did not specify the drug she has used, the diabetes medications Ozempic and Mounjaro have become an ubiquitous part of the public conversation over the past year, not least because they have been touted as weight-loss wonder drugs across social media.

Ozempic is an injectable prescription drug that is used to manage blood sugar levels in patients with Type 2 diabetes. It is based on a naturally occurring human hormone called glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), which plays an important role in regulating appetite and blood sugar levels.

The active ingredient in Ozempic is a molecule called semaglutide, which mimics the structure of GLP-1 and activates its receptors.

Studies have shown that people with obesity are often less sensitive to the hormones that make us feel full, but drugs like Ozempic can restore feelings of fullness in these patients.

Last week, a faction of social media users analyzed video footage of Winfrey posing on the red carpet at the recent Golden Globe Awards.

“Does this look like Oprah to you?” wrote one on X, formerly Twitter. “Does she walk like Oprah? Does Oprah wear glasses like this? Weird vibe.”

The baffling post, which has been viewed more than 9.5 million times, prompted a wave of other X users to weigh in, with many sharing their outright belief that the woman shown in the red carpet footage is actually a body double.

Newsweek has contacted a representative of Winfrey via email for comment.

“The past Oprah never had a gap. This version does,” wrote one X user. “I’m telling you, something very weird is going on. Body doubles EVERYWHERE!”

“They have tricked us with lights, wardrobe and makeup for a very long time,” said one, while another opined that side-by-side photos of Winfrey in 2014 and 2024 showed “literally two different people.”

“Lol.. They replaced Oprah. Seriously that’s not the same person,” another insisted. “This is getting crazy.”

In a follow-up post, the same X user added: “People claiming this is Ozempic don’t realize they were preprogrammed to believe that instead of their own eyes.”

“That’s an Oprah double who is in her 40s,” asserted another, while one X user responded: “Believe or not, cloning has been happening for decades.”

“No it doesn’t look like her. I mean, it’s close but it looks like an imposter to me,” another commented.

Even bringing Winfrey’s personality into their analysis, another stated that the media mogul “is [too] confident. This double is shy.”

Hitting back at the stream of baseless assertions, one X user spoke out in defense of Winfrey.

“Y’all be shading people for nothing! Oprah looks good!” they wrote. “She looks happy and healthy—go get you some blessings and stop clocking people for nonsense.”

Still, the speculation continued to roll in, with one X user going as far to say that the real Winfrey is “in hiding since the release of the Epstein court documents.”

Late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has dominated headlines in recent days following the release of documents that include the names of former associates, employees, friends and victims of the financier. Winfrey is not among them.

The names were unsealed from a lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre, an alleged trafficking victim, against British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former girlfriend. Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence after she was convicted in December 2021 of helping him recruit and sexually abuse underage girls.

Many of those whose names appear in the documents released are not accused of wrongdoing or have been mentioned previously in legal proceedings or news accounts. Despite persistent assertions across social media, the documents released are not an Epstein “client list.”

As had been expected, a host of political figures have been named in the list of dozens of people, including former Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton. Both have denied any wrongdoing in their past dealings with Epstein.

Along with those figures have been the names of several celebrities, whose inclusion, in some cases, is based merely on conversations relayed by an Epstein accuser as she recounted his ties to the rich and famous.

A number of stars have been erroneously added to the mix of Epstein’s associates by some social media users, who have falsely targeted a number of celebrities as part of an apparent campaign to link them to his crimes.

Comedians Jimmy Kimmel, Kathy Griffin and Chelsea Handler have spoken out to deny any involvement with Epstein, despite the unfounded assertions to the contrary.