Did Stephen A. Smith confirm which specific GLP-1 medication he used?

Smith confirmed GLP-1 use publicly on *First Take* but has not always specified the exact brand name during every discussion. The side effects he described are consistent with the class-wide adverse event profile shared by all GLP-1 receptor agonists, including semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound).

Are the side effects Stephen A. Smith described dangerous?

The symptoms he described (nausea, appetite suppression, fatigue) are the most commonly reported GLP-1 adverse events and are generally rated mild to moderate in clinical trials. They are not among the serious adverse events listed in FDA warnings. Serious but rare risks include pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, and potential thyroid tumor risk in predisposed individuals. Patients should report persistent or severe symptoms to their prescriber.

How long do GLP-1 side effects typically last?

According to data from the STEP trial program, gastrointestinal side effects are most pronounced during dose escalation and tend to diminish within four to eight weeks at a stable dose. Smith's public account of an adjustment period followed by improvement is consistent with this timeline.

Should GLP-1 side effects cause someone to stop the medication?

Not necessarily. The FDA prescribing information notes that most patients who experience nausea do not discontinue treatment. Slow dose titration, smaller meals, and avoiding high-fat foods can help manage symptoms. Discontinuation should be a decision made with a prescribing clinician, not based solely on early-phase discomfort.

Side Effects Stephen A. Smith Publicly Discussed (and What They Match in the Clinical Literature)

By HealthRX Medical Team

Published May 25, 2026Updated May 25, 2026Last reviewed May 25, 2026

Stephen A. Smith's Public Confirmation of GLP-1 Use

Stephen A. Smith, the ESPN commentator and host of First Take, publicly confirmed that he used a GLP-1 receptor agonist medication. During on-air segments, Smith discussed the drug's role in his own health and weight management. He did not hide his use or deflect when colleagues and viewers raised the topic. That candor sets him apart from many public figures who avoid confirming or denying GLP-1 use altogether.

His willingness to discuss side effects on a nationally televised sports talk show gave millions of viewers an unfiltered account of what starting a GLP-1 medication can feel like. For the HealthRX Medical Team, the clinical value here is straightforward: a real patient experience, described in plain language, that can be checked against the published safety data.

At a glance

Status: Confirmed GLP-1 user (publicly discussed on First Take)
Drug family: GLP-1 receptor agonists (specific brand not always specified on air)
Focus of this page: Side effects Smith described, matched to FDA label and trial evidence
Key clinical takeaway: His reported symptoms align with the most common adverse events documented in the STEP and SUSTAIN trial programs

The Side Effects He Described on Air

Smith has spoken about gastrointestinal symptoms during his time on GLP-1 therapy. Nausea, reduced appetite, and changes in how food "sat" with him were recurring themes in his public comments. He also referenced fatigue and a period of adjustment where his body adapted to the medication.

These descriptions are consistent with the class-wide side effect profile of GLP-1 receptor agonists. They are not unusual. They are, in fact, the symptoms most frequently reported across every major GLP-1 clinical trial submitted to the FDA.

What makes Smith's account useful from a clinical education standpoint is how he framed the timeline. He described early discomfort that eventually eased, which mirrors the dose-titration experience documented in prescribing guidelines. GLP-1 medications are started at low doses and increased gradually precisely because gastrointestinal tolerability improves over weeks as the body adjusts to the drug's mechanism of action.

Nausea: The Most Common GLP-1 Side Effect

Nausea is the single most frequently reported adverse event across GLP-1 receptor agonist trials. In the STEP 1 trial for semaglutide 2.4 mg, 44.2% of participants in the treatment arm reported nausea, compared to 17.4% on placebo. The SUSTAIN 6 cardiovascular outcomes trial reported nausea in 20.3% of the semaglutide group.

The mechanism is well characterized. GLP-1 receptor agonists slow gastric emptying, a pharmacologic effect that contributes both to appetite suppression and to the sensation of nausea. The FDA prescribing information for semaglutide lists nausea as the most common adverse reaction leading to treatment discontinuation.

Smith's public description of nausea during early treatment matches this pattern precisely. Most patients who experience nausea find it is worst during the first four to eight weeks and during dose escalation, then diminishes. In STEP 1, the majority of nausea episodes were rated mild to moderate in severity.

Appetite Suppression: Feature or Side Effect?

Smith discussed a dramatic reduction in appetite. For GLP-1 medications, appetite suppression is technically the intended pharmacologic effect rather than a side effect. GLP-1 receptor agonists act on hypothalamic appetite centers and on vagal afferent neurons to reduce hunger signaling. A 2023 study published in Nature Medicine confirmed that semaglutide reduces ad libitum energy intake by approximately 24% compared to placebo.

But patients often experience this appetite reduction as jarring, especially early on. Smith conveyed that shift vividly. Food that once appealed to him simply stopped being attractive. This is the drug working as designed, yet the subjective experience can feel disconcerting, particularly for someone whose relationship with food was previously uncomplicated.

The HealthRX Medical Team notes that this distinction matters clinically. Providers should counsel patients that appetite changes are expected and desired, not a warning sign. Patients who interpret normal appetite suppression as something "wrong" may discontinue therapy prematurely.

Fatigue and Energy Changes

Smith referenced periods of lower energy, particularly during the early weeks of treatment. Fatigue is reported in GLP-1 trials, though at lower rates than gastrointestinal symptoms. In the STEP 1 trial, fatigue was not among the top five adverse events but was reported by a measurable subset of participants.

The HealthRX Medical Team considers two likely mechanisms. First, caloric reduction itself produces transient fatigue. When a patient's daily caloric intake drops by 20-30% within weeks (as GLP-1 medications commonly produce), the body adapts its energy expenditure. Second, GLP-1 receptor agonists may affect energy levels through central nervous system receptors, though this pathway is less completely characterized than the appetite mechanism.

For a broadcaster who works long hours under studio lights, even mild fatigue could be noticeable and worth discussing publicly. Smith's decision to mention it gives viewers a realistic expectation: starting a GLP-1 medication may involve a few weeks of feeling "off" before equilibrium returns.

What the FDA Label Actually Lists

The complete FDA adverse reactions table for semaglutide includes, in order of frequency: nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, abdominal pain, headache, fatigue, dyspepsia, dizziness, abdominal distension, eructation, hypoglycemia (in patients with type 2 diabetes), flatulence, gastroenteritis, and gastroesophageal reflux disease.

The gastrointestinal events dominate. This is a class effect for all GLP-1 receptor agonists, not specific to any single brand. A 2022 meta-analysis in The Lancet pooling data from multiple GLP-1 agonist trials confirmed that GI adverse events are the primary driver of treatment discontinuation, occurring in roughly 40-50% of patients on higher doses.

Smith's reported symptoms fall squarely within the most common category. He did not describe any of the rare but serious adverse events that appear in FDA warnings, such as pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, or medullary thyroid carcinoma risk (the latter based on rodent studies and carried as a boxed warning for patients with a personal or family history of MTC or MEN2).

The HealthRX Medical Team Take

Stephen A. Smith's public GLP-1 side effect descriptions read like a textbook dose-titration experience. Nausea during the first weeks, dramatic appetite reduction, transient fatigue, and then adaptation. This is the standard trajectory that clinical guidelines from the Endocrine Society recommend providers prepare patients for.

His experience highlights three clinical points that the HealthRX Medical Team considers essential for anyone starting a GLP-1 medication:

Side effects are front-loaded. The worst gastrointestinal symptoms typically occur during the first four to eight weeks and during each dose increase. Slow titration, as recommended by every FDA-approved GLP-1 prescribing label, reduces severity.

Appetite suppression is the mechanism, not a complication. Patients who understand this distinction are less likely to panic and more likely to complete the titration schedule.

Public disclosure helps normalize an evidence-based therapy. When a figure with Smith's audience share describes a real medication experience without catastrophizing it, that shifts public perception toward treating GLP-1 medications as what they are: FDA-approved drugs with a well-documented safety profile and predictable side effects.

The side effects Smith described are real, common, and in most cases, temporary. That message, delivered from a sports desk rather than a doctor's office, may reach patients who would never read a prescribing label on their own.

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