Harvey Fierstein Lost 120 Lbs. on Zepbound: 'Being Fat Is Not a Choice'

Mar. 15, 2025

Harvey Fierstein shows off his weight loss in New York.Photo:Bruce Glikas/Getty; Manny Carabel/Getty

Bruce Glikas/Getty; Manny Carabel/Getty

After gaining weight during the Covid-19 pandemic,Harvey Fiersteinsays that he’s now lost 120 lbs., — all thanks to weight-loss medication.

In typically irreverent Fierstein fashion, the Broadway icon, 70, joked that his slimmed-down appearance was due to “drugs” — before sharing that he’d been taking the weight-loss medication Zepbound, withPage Six.

“I’ve been skinny before, that’s the sad part,” he said. “I’ve been skinny, I’ve been fat, I’ve been skinny, I’ve been fat.” Fierstein told the outlet that he gained weight during the Covid-19 pandemic, explaining, “I considered those my free years.”

“I existed on the screen of my Zoom,” theHairsprayalum said. “So I wrote my autobiography, [2022’sI Was Better Last Night.]”

Harvey Fierstein in April 2022.Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock

Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock

“What’s different is what the drug actually does for you, which is: I don’t feel like I’m dieting,” theMrs. Doubtfirestar said. “I feel like a normal person. I can go and have dinner with friends and not have to eat every piece of bread on the table, and then not go have ice cream when I’ve done with dinner.”

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Harvey Fierstein in New York in June 2024.Mary Kouw/CBS via Getty

Mary Kouw/CBS via Getty

“I know what it is to be full like a normal person,” said Fierstein, who explained that he gained about 15 lbs. after going off the medication, and has since remained stable at around 200 lbs.

“People don’t understand that being fat is not a choice,” he said. “It’s something that your body is out of whack and this puts your body in whack.”

“I’m a great believer in it,” he said.

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source: people.com