Oprah hosting ABC special on impact of Ozempic, Mounjaro weight loss medications

Oprah Winfrey is hosting a sit-down conversation around the impact of prescription weight loss medications in the ABC primetime event, "An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution."

Airing Monday, March 18 at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC and the next day on Hulu, the special will dive into questions and concerns surrounding the impact on our health care, economy, lifestyle and culture.

Speaking in front of a live studio audience, Oprah is gathering the country's leading medical experts and everyday people who are in the battle of this health care crisis.

For the first time in history, new drugs could prove to be the game changer to stem the tide of people living with obesity, an epidemic which has grown exponentially since the 1970s, costing $173 billion per year in medical costs in the United States alone.

MORE: How to decide if weight-loss drugs are for you

"It is a very personal topic for me and for the hundreds of millions of people impacted around the globe who have for years struggled with weight and obesity," Oprah said in a statement. "This special will bring together medical experts, leaders in the space and people in the day-to-day struggle to talk about health equity and obesity with the intention to ultimately release the shame, judgment and stigma surrounding weight."

Joining the conversation are medical experts including Cleveland Clinic's Dr. W. Scott Butsch, ABC News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton, ABC News medical correspondent Dr. Darien Sutton, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's Dr. Amanda Velazquez and patients from around the country who have a range of personal experiences with prescription weight loss medications, including a teenager who was among the first to take the new drugs and begs the question whether these medications should be given to minors.

MORE: Weight-loss, diabetes drugs like Ozempic under review for side-effect reports

Oprah is also inviting leaders from the two global pharmaceutical companies behind these revolutionary drugs to address what this means for the 100 million Americans and over 1 billion adults worldwide living with a deadly disease.

Key questions will be answered in the special, including:

• Why is obesity designated a disease?
• Who are the medications really intended for?
• Who is eligible to receive weight loss drugs?
• What should folks ask their doctors?
• What are the short-term and long-term side-effects?
• What are the supply chain challenges and the impact on those with diabetes?
• Why is there shame surrounding taking medication, and what is the future of these medicines in our society and culture?

Watch "An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution" on Monday, March 18 on ABC at 8 p.m. EDT.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News and this station.