Star Jones Reynolds Admits Surgery

By: Shannon Gossage

Reynolds wrote an essay for Glamour magazine in which she finally admitted that she underwent the surgery in order to help her lose 160 pounds over the span of three years. She has avoided the question since she began dropping the weight and only now is able to come forward with the truth. Reynolds wrote in the essay, "I admit that when asked about my obvious weight loss over the past four years, I was intentionally evasive. Lying was never an option for me, so I called it a ‘medical intervention,’ which was true, but it was really a pathetic attempt to tell only the truth I could handle at the time."

Reynolds, 45, said that she finally did something about her weight gain after a friend confronted her after her weight had ballooned to 307 pounds and said, "So, what are we going to do about your weight?" Reynolds said of her friend, "She knew my weight was a subject no one dared mention, but she didn’t care – she loved me too much, she said, to allow me to continue killing myself. While it was easy to deny the little voice inside my head, I found it impossible to deny my friend’s." Reynolds said that she turned to food for comfort and gained 75 pounds in only 17 months. She had the surgery in August 2003.

Reynolds said she told very few people about her surgery, but did confide in her husband Al Reynolds on their second date. She said that he encouraged her to share her story with the public. After undergoing therapy, she claims that she was finally able to tell her story. Reynolds said, "After I left The View, many women told me they felt empowered by my honesty over having been fired – but wished I was willing to be as honest about my weight loss." Reynolds said that she feels "health decisions are private and should remain between a doctor and his patient," but said she started to feel "hypocritical and cumbersome" about keeping her own decision private.