Oprah Winfrey has been hospitalized, according to her best friend and journalist Gayle King, who overshared graphic details about what ails the media mogul.
King made the revelation Tuesday on “CBS Mornings” while explaining Winfrey's absence from the news show, saying the former queen of daytime television needed medical attention due to a serious stomach virus.
“Yesterday she said: 'I'm going to join, I'm going to join.' She had some kind of stomach problem where…stomach flu where things came out of both ends. “I won’t be too graphic,” King said.
“But needless to say he ended up in the hospital. He had dehydration, they put him on an IV, so it was very serious,” King said. “She will be alright. She will be alright. I hope she's not mad at me for sharing that detail, but she wanted to make it clear that she cared and was upset that she couldn't be here for you today.”
King replaced Winfrey to announce David Wroblewski's prequel novel, “Familiaris,” as Winfrey's latest book club selection. She imitated her friend's famous dramatic voice from her announcement and read a statement from Winfrey, who praised the book as an “extraordinary journey that brilliantly weaves together history, philosophy, adventure and mysticism to explore the meaning of love, friendship and living one's true purpose.” of the life”.
King then interviewed the best-selling author, who is entering the book club for the second time, on the show.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Winfrey confirmed to The Times on Tuesday that the 70-year-old is recovering.
“MS. Winfrey is recovering from a stomach virus and received an IV due to dehydration at the recommendation of her doctor,” the spokesperson said by email. “She is resting and feeling better every day.”
The spokesman did not say how long Winfrey was in the hospital or what caused her illness.
Winfrey has since returned home after treatment for the illness, which is “unrelated to the weight-loss medications” she recently revealed she was taking, The Times confirmed with a person close to Winfrey who was not authorized to speak publicly. .
In December, Winfrey told People magazine that she had been using an unspecified weight-loss medication along with lifestyle changes to maintain a healthy weight, a journey she has long talked about in the media.
“The fact that there is a medically approved prescription to control my weight and stay healthier throughout my life seems like a relief, a redemption, a gift,” she said. “Now I use it when I feel I need it, as a tool to manage the not-me-me-ing.”
Although he did not reveal what drug he was using, months later he revealed that he had resigned from his long-held position as a member of the WeightWatchers board of directors. The decision, she said, was motivated by her work on a television special about the rise of injectable prescription weight-loss medications.
