Kathy Bates' Face Has Totally Changed After Ozempic-Assisted Weight Loss

Since Kathy Bates didn't treat Ozempic as a quick fix for her weight-loss journey, her transformation didn't happen overnight. To get a visual representation of all the hard work that went into the "Titanic" star's Ozempic-assisted weight loss, we only have to compare photos from 2015 and 2026. After losing fullness in her cheeks, Bates' beautiful blue eyes only appear more noticeable. Additionally, Bates' appears to have gone from having a rounder facial structure to a more angular one due to her well-defined jawline. Based on the loss of skin elasticity in her neck, the Oscar winner also seems to have joined the ranks of celebrities who have developed the Ozempic neck after their weight loss.

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Looking at the side-by-side photos, it's easy to argue that Bates is also one of the many celebrities who look totally different after using weight-loss medications like Ozempic. However, some of the changes in her face could be chalked up to the natural aging she experienced over the course of 11 years. Moreover, what critics are primarily noticing is actually the "Misery" star's natural weight-loss transformation. 

Speaking to People in October 2024, Bates revealed that it took her seven years to naturally achieve an 80-pound weight loss. Ozempic only came into the picture in the last leg of that journey and helped her drop an additional 20 pounds. During a September 2025 Variety interview, Bates directly addressed the people who refused to give her credit where credit was due, saying, "People say, 'Well, it was the Ozempic.' F*** you, it was the Ozempic! It took me years to do this."

During Kathy Bates' October 2024 interview with People, she shared that she vowed to prioritize her health after receiving a type 2 diabetes diagnosis in 2017. When Bates turned her focus towards her diet, she realized that she was prone to emotional eating. "I ate because I was afraid, and I ate because it was a FU to my self-esteem," the "Matlock" star divulged. While Bates worked on her emotional eating tendencies, she also filled her plate with nutrient-rich foods and combatted overeating. 

So, it seems that Bates knew that her eating habits were a sign of something more serious. As for her exercise regimen, the celebrated actor shared that she wanted to incorporate walking into her daily routine and possibly give Pilates a shot. With all her efforts, Bates was able to achieve a physical transformation that helped her live an overall healthier life. 

In a June 2015 piece penned for the Weizmann Institute, the Emmy winner shared that she had to wear deeply uncomfortable compression sleeves to combat the lymphedema she had developed following her second cancer diagnosis. In her chat with People, she was pleased to share that losing 100 pounds had greatly eased her lymphedema symptoms, and she didn't have to rely on compression sleeves quite as much. Bates was equally happy about the fact that she could comfortably be on her feet for long work hours. In another People interview, Bates also shared that she had teared up when she realized she looked absolutely stunning in Giorgio Armani gowns while she tried them on for the 2024 Emmys.