Star Jones Says She Wouldn’t Have Her Husband or Son Without 160-Lb. Weight Loss

TV host and lawyer Star Jones believes losing 160 pounds “saved her own life” and is the reason she is still alive today.

The 64-year-old returned to The View as a guest cohost, where she previously worked for nine seasons, to fill in for Whoopi Goldberg while she shoots a new Netflix movie.

On Tuesday, September 22, the panel discussed Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who has admitted that he lost 80 pounds using a GLP-1 medication.

After Sunny Hostin said he looked better, Jones agreed and said he had saved his own life by losing weight.

Discussing her own weight loss journey, Jones said, “Trust me, I was 307 pounds at my heaviest, sitting at this table.”

“I saved my own life and I used whatever method that was available to me at that time,” she added. “It is 23 years later, and I’ve kept the weight off. It makes a difference. I would not have been able to have open-heart surgery, I would not have a husband that I love, I would not have a son, I would not have any part of the life.”

Her comments were met with applause from The View‘s studio audience.

Jones has discussed her weight loss in the past, first opening up in a September 2007 interview with Glamour. She revealed that she underwent gastric bypass surgery in 2003 and although it was successful, she found it difficult to go public with the news.

“The surgery was a success from the beginning. There were no major complications, and within a few months, the weight started to melt away,” she told the publication at the time. “What baffled me was that I was still consumed with the same anger, shame and insecurity as before. While I could physically see the positive benefits of the surgery, in my mind I still weighed 307 pounds.”

She went on to say that exercise and portion control were important parts of her lifestyle after the operation and that the procedure would not be a quick fix for everyone.

“Gastric bypass is a very serious procedure with its own set of risks. I’ve been afforded the luxury of consulting numerous doctors, specialists and colleagues who concluded that this surgery was the only way I could regain control of my life,” Jones explained. “It worked for me, but if you face a similar struggle, you’ll have to find what works for you.”