Did Tracy Morgan confirm using Ozempic?

Yes. In 2024, Morgan publicly confirmed that he was prescribed Ozempic for management of type 2 diabetes. He described it by name in public statements.

What side effects did Tracy Morgan describe?

Morgan publicly described nausea and significant appetite suppression, both of which are the most commonly reported adverse events in Ozempic's clinical trial data.

Are nausea and appetite loss normal on Ozempic?

Yes. Nausea occurs in 15 to 20% of patients and decreased appetite in 6 to 12%, depending on dose. Both typically peak during the first 8 to 12 weeks and improve with continued treatment. The SUSTAIN trial program documented this pattern across multiple studies.

Is Ozempic approved for weight loss?

Ozempic is FDA-approved specifically for type 2 diabetes. Semaglutide at a higher dose (2.4 mg) is marketed as Wegovy and is approved for chronic weight management. Morgan's use falls under the T2D indication.

Should patients expect to lose weight on Ozempic for diabetes?

Weight loss is a common and expected secondary effect. In the SUSTAIN trials, patients on Ozempic 1 mg lost an average of 4.5 to 6.5 kg over 30 to 56 weeks. For T2D patients with overweight or obesity, this is generally considered a beneficial outcome.

Side Effects Tracy Morgan 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

Tracy Morgan's Public Disclosure

In 2024, Tracy Morgan confirmed publicly that he had been prescribed Ozempic (semaglutide 0.5 mg / 1 mg injection) for the management of type 2 diabetes. Morgan, who has spoken about his diabetes diagnosis for years, described the medication as part of an ongoing effort to get his blood sugar under control. He also acknowledged meaningful weight loss as a secondary benefit of the treatment.

Morgan's openness about his diabetes is not new. He has discussed the condition in multiple interviews dating back over a decade, framing it as a serious health challenge that required lifestyle changes after his 2014 car accident and subsequent recovery. His 2024 statements specifically referenced Ozempic by name and described side effects he experienced during treatment.

What makes Morgan's account clinically relevant is that he represents the FDA-approved use case for Ozempic: a patient with type 2 diabetes using semaglutide for glycemic control, with weight reduction as a welcomed co-benefit rather than the primary goal.

The Side Effects Morgan Described

Morgan has publicly discussed experiencing nausea and reduced appetite while on Ozempic. He described the nausea as noticeable, particularly early in treatment, and noted that his relationship with food changed significantly. He reported eating smaller portions and losing interest in foods he previously craved.

These experiences map directly onto the three most commonly reported adverse events in semaglutide's clinical trial program.

At a glance

Confirmed medication: Ozempic (semaglutide), prescribed for type 2 diabetes
Side effects publicly described: Nausea, appetite suppression, altered eating patterns
Clinical match: All three rank among the top five adverse events in SUSTAIN trial data
FDA-approved indication: Ozempic is approved for T2D glycemic control, not solely for weight loss
Weight loss: Acknowledged by Morgan as a secondary benefit

Matching Morgan's Experience to the FDA Label

The Ozempic prescribing information lists the following gastrointestinal adverse reactions at rates of 5% or greater in clinical trials:

| Adverse Reaction | Ozempic 0.5 mg | Ozempic 1 mg | Placebo | |---|---|---|---| | Nausea | 15.8% | 20.3% | 6.1% | | Vomiting | 5.0% | 9.2% | 2.3% | | Diarrhea | 8.5% | 8.8% | 1.9% | | Abdominal pain | 7.3% | 5.7% | 4.6% | | Decreased appetite | 6.0% | 11.5% | 1.9% |

Morgan's reported nausea and appetite reduction sit squarely in the two most characteristic GI categories. Nausea affects roughly one in five patients at the 1 mg dose. Decreased appetite, which Morgan described as a fundamental shift in his food preferences, occurs in about one in nine patients at the same dose.

Why GI Side Effects Happen with GLP-1 Receptor Agonists

Semaglutide is a GLP-1 receptor agonist that mimics the incretin hormone glucagon-like peptide-1. GLP-1 receptors are expressed not only on pancreatic beta cells (where the drug stimulates glucose-dependent insulin secretion) but also throughout the gastrointestinal tract and central nervous system.

The nausea Morgan described has a well-characterized mechanism. Semaglutide slows gastric emptying, a property documented in pharmacodynamic studies published in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism. When the stomach empties more slowly, patients feel full sooner and may experience nausea, particularly when eating portions sized to their pre-treatment appetite.

The appetite suppression operates through a separate but related pathway. GLP-1 receptors in the hypothalamus and brainstem modulate satiety signaling. Research published in The Lancet has demonstrated that semaglutide reduces caloric intake by 18 to 35% through central appetite regulation, independent of the gastric emptying effect.

For a patient like Morgan, prescribed the drug for T2D, these effects create a dual benefit. Blood glucose improves through the incretin mechanism. Body weight decreases through both reduced intake and the metabolic effects of improved glycemic control.

The Dose Titration Factor

One detail worth noting in Morgan's public comments: he described the side effects as most prominent early in treatment. This pattern is consistent with the SUSTAIN trial data and FDA guidance on Ozempic dosing.

Ozempic uses a four-week titration schedule. Patients start at 0.25 mg weekly for four weeks (a dose intended solely for tolerability, not glycemic effect), then increase to 0.5 mg. After at least four weeks at 0.5 mg, the dose may increase to 1 mg if additional glycemic control is needed.

Data from the SUSTAIN-1 trial show that GI side effects peak during the first 8 to 12 weeks and then decline substantially. The nausea Morgan described as fading over time follows this well-documented adaptation curve. GI-related treatment discontinuation in the SUSTAIN program was low (3.1% to 3.8% across doses), suggesting that for most patients, the initial discomfort resolves or becomes manageable.

The HealthRX Medical Team Take

Tracy Morgan's public account is valuable because it describes a textbook GLP-1 side effect profile in the context of the drug's original FDA-approved indication: type 2 diabetes.

The HealthRX Medical Team notes three key points for patients considering or starting Ozempic:

First, nausea is the single most common side effect, but it is dose-dependent and typically transient. Morgan's description of symptoms improving over time is consistent with what most patients experience during titration. Skipping the 0.25 mg initiation phase or escalating too quickly increases both the severity and duration of GI symptoms.

Second, the appetite changes Morgan described are pharmacologically expected, not a sign of something going wrong. GLP-1 receptor agonists reduce hunger through central and peripheral mechanisms. Patients should be counseled to expect this and to eat nutrient-dense meals in smaller quantities rather than forcing pre-treatment portion sizes.

Third, for T2D patients specifically, the SUSTAIN-6 cardiovascular outcomes trial demonstrated a 26% relative risk reduction in major adverse cardiovascular events with semaglutide versus placebo. The GI side effects Morgan described should be weighed against a demonstrated cardiovascular benefit that extends well beyond glycemic control. A few weeks of nausea during titration is a manageable tradeoff for a drug with proven cardiometabolic outcomes.

Morgan did not publicly describe any of the less common but more serious adverse events listed in the Ozempic label, including pancreatitis (reported in <1% of trial participants), gallbladder events, or diabetic retinopathy complications. This is consistent with the overall safety profile: the vast majority of patients experience only GI side effects, and those effects are self-limiting.

What Morgan Has Not Publicly Addressed

Morgan has not publicly discussed his HbA1c values, specific dosing, or duration of treatment. He has not described whether his prescribing physician considered alternatives like dulaglutide (Trulicity) or tirzepatide (Mounjaro), which carry similar GI profiles but differ in receptor pharmacology. These are private medical details, and the HealthRX Medical Team does not speculate on specifics beyond what Morgan has shared publicly.

It is also worth noting that Morgan's weight loss, while publicly visible, occurred in the context of a medically supervised diabetes treatment plan. The HealthRX Medical Team emphasizes that his results reflect a prescribed therapeutic intervention, not an off-label or cosmetic use of the drug.

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