Celebrity GLP-1 ads: the campaigns and the rules behind them

Celebrity GLP-1 ads moved into national campaigns in 2025, when Ro signed Charles Barkley and then Serena Williams as ambassadors. At the February 8, 2026 Super Bowl, Ro and Novo Nordisk both booked celebrity spots. The business lesson: a celebrity draws more scrutiny, and the brand stays liable for every claim the celebrity makes in its ad.

Facts checked on November 1, 2026.

Celebrity GLP-1 ad timeline

This timeline covers public, paid campaigns only, sourced to the brand’s own release or to named press. It leaves out anything a celebrity has said about their health outside an ad or a brand release.

What a GLP-1 brand should check before signing a celebrity

A GLP-1 brand that signs a celebrity takes on the endorser’s claims and ties as its own. Each check below rests on a fact from the timeline or the reporting further down.

The same rules govern smaller endorsers, so the checks above also fit influencer marketing for GLP-1 brands. For AI or actor spokespeople instead of real names, see our guide to AI-generated doctor ads.

What the reporting says about celebrity GLP-1 ads

The reporting on celebrity GLP-1 ads turns on who has to show risk information. A drug maker’s branded ad follows FDA’s prescription drug ad rules. A telehealth platform that sells access to providers, and names no drug, was reported to sit under different rules.

• STAT reported that because Ro “doesn’t manufacture GLP-1 drugs” and “doesn’t mention the brands by name,” the company “isn’t required to detail the drugs’ side effects.” Ro’s spot pointed to “FDA-approved GLP-1 options.” STAT also quoted a Dartmouth drug-advertising researcher who called this a loophole. (STAT, February 5, 2026)
• A BioSpace opinion column argued that Ro is “not subject to the same regulation when advertising medicines,” and that telehealth providers are “typically regulated by the states rather than the FDA.” The column said the experts it spoke with saw no loophole in the drug-maker rules FDA was targeting, and placed the gap with telehealth instead. (BioSpace, September 17, 2025)
• The senators’ 2025 letter said the upcoming ad risked misleading patients by leaving out safety and side effect information (CNBC). The Partnership for Safe Medicines called the Hims & Hers ad “dangerous, blatantly misleading” and said its disclaimer appeared “only briefly in tiny grey font” (pharmaphorum).
• Novo Nordisk’s release for its branded Wegovy ad includes an “Important Safety Information” section, links to the prescribing information “including Boxed Warning,” and carries the line “The actors are not intended to represent Wegovy® patients.” (PR Newswire)

How the brands responded

Hims & Hers answered the 2025 criticism in statements. A spokesperson told CNBC: “We are complying with existing law and are happy to continue working with Congress and the new Administration” (CNBC). On the pharma group’s letter, the company said the ad “highlights the growing public health issue of obesity in America” (pharmaphorum).

Ro framed its campaigns as anti-stigma work. In the August 2025 release, CEO Zach Reitano said “Serena is opening doors for millions of people who have felt shamed for needing support to lose weight,” and Williams said in the release: “This isn’t a shortcut. It’s healthcare.” The same release disclosed that “Williams’ husband is an investor in Ro and serves on its board.”

FTC and FDA rules that apply to a celebrity GLP-1 ad

A celebrity GLP-1 ad sits under two sets of federal rules: the FTC Endorsement Guides for the endorser, and FDA’s prescription drug ad rules when the ad promotes a specific drug. Rules checked on November 1, 2026.

FDA’s 2025 enforcement adds two points. Its September 9, 2025 announcement named “undisclosed paid influencer promotion” among its concerns. The same day, FDA’s warning letter to Hims & Hers listed the website claim “Same active ingredient as Ozempic and Wegovy” (FDA). A celebrity who reads a “same as” line is reading a line FDA has already cited. Our list of compounded GLP-1 claims the FDA flags has the full set.

What is still open

As of November 1, 2026, FDA’s proposed rule on broadcast risk information (RIN 0910-AJ14) had not been published in the Federal Register; Foley Hoag reported it as expected in December 2026. Still open: whether FDA or the FTC will act on telehealth ads that name no drug, the gap STAT and BioSpace described.

FAQ

Which celebrities have appeared in paid GLP-1 ads?

Ro’s campaigns feature Charles Barkley (from April 2025) and Serena Williams (from August 2025). Novo Nordisk’s February 2026 Wegovy pill ad cast Kenan Thompson, DJ Khaled, Danielle Brooks, Ana Gasteyer, John C. Reilly and Danny Trejo. Novo’s release says the actors “are not intended to represent Wegovy® patients.”

Was there a GLP-1 ad in the Super Bowl?

Yes. Hims & Hers booked its “Sick of the System” GLP-1 ad for Super Bowl LIX in 2025. For Super Bowl LX on February 8, 2026, Ro booked its first Super Bowl ad, with Serena Williams, and Novo Nordisk launched its Wegovy pill ad.

Do celebrity GLP-1 ads have to disclose payment?

Under 16 CFR 255.5, a connection the audience doesn’t expect must be disclosed “clearly and conspicuously,” and material connections include monetary payment as well as business and family ties. Ro’s August 2025 release, for example, disclosed that Williams’ husband invests in Ro and sits on its board.

Is the brand liable for what a celebrity says in its ad?

Yes. The FTC Endorsement Guides say “advertisers are subject to liability for misleading or unsubstantiated statements made through endorsements.” Under 16 CFR 255.1(e), “endorsers may be liable” for their own statements too.

Changelog

November 1, 2026: page drafted and fact-checked.