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Andy Richter said he looked into taking weight-loss drugs despite not having type 2 diabetes
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He said his insurance company didn’t cover the medication and it’s too expensive to pay for himself
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The comedian admitted that if he were to take the medications, people would judge him for it
Andy Richter would try taking weight-loss medications if it weren’t for the price.
During the May 6 episode of his The Three Questions podcast, the comedian and longtime sidekick to Conan O’Brien spoke to Modern Family alum Eric Stonestreet about the use of GLP-1 weight-loss injections.
GLP-1 is short for glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, which work in the brain to impact satiety. Popular brands like Ozempic and Mounjaro — both FDA-approved for type 2 diabetes — have been trending in and out of Hollywood as weight-loss aids.
“I actually have investigated getting on some of these types of drugs,” Richter, 58, said. “I’m not diabetic, I’m not pre-diabetic but I obviously have weight to lose and I have sleep apnea, which could or couldn’t be — I’m sure being overweight doesn’t help with sleep apnea.
“I’ve investigated it and it’s just, it’s cost-prohibitive to me at this point,” he continued. “They’re so expensive. And my insurance is not covering them.”
The average monthly cost of GLP-1 drugs can range from $1,000 to $2,000 without insurance.
Related: Eric Stonestreet Says Mounjaro Was a ‘Game Changer’ for Type 2 Diabetes, Weight Loss: ‘There’s a Pep in My Step’ (Exclusive)
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Richter then told Stonestreet that if he were to take weight-loss injections, people would immediately judge him for it, just as they have scrutinized other celebrities.
“Even if I took one, there’s always somebody like, ‘Oh, you took a drug to lose weight.’ F— you. Yeah, I did. Sure did,” he said. “You know what I used to do? I used to hire a trainer. You throw money at problems because you can’t do certain things yourself.”
“So it’s like, why should I be above the human race? There’s certainly plenty of people that are out in the world that are struggling with this stuff. Why am I somehow, like, I can overcome the human condition outta sheer willpower, says guy on the internet,” he continued. “So I just am like, look, whatever it takes. Whatever it takes to get healthy. What’s the point of technology and science if not to apply it?”
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