Dem 2028 Heavyweight Reveals Stunning GLP-1 Weight Loss
The Illinois governor was recommended the medication after being diagnosed with Type II diabetes two years ago.

KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/Kamil Krzaczynski, Getty Images
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has finally opened up about his weight loss journey, more than two years after he started taking GLP-1s.
Pritzker, 61, told CBS Mornings on Monday that he has lost 80 pounds since he started taking the medication.
He said he feels “a whole lot different, and a whole lot better,” since losing the weight.

JB Pritzker in 2024 and 2026
Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast - Joe Raedle/Getty Images/Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
Despite being a billionaire, Pritzker says his life has not always been easy. He has long struggled with his weight, saying he has been overweight since he was “7 or 8 years old” and tried “every diet you could imagine”. His father died at 39 from a heart attack.
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At age 58, he was diagnosed with Type II diabetes and began taking insulin and eventually a GLP-1 medication.
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“There are people who have it very easy their whole lives, and they’ve never struggled at all. And I’m just not that person,” Pritzker told the Chicago Sun-Times.

Mary Kathryn "MK" Muenster and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker.
Scott Olson/Scott Olson, Getty Images
Mary Kathryn “MK” Pritzker, JB’s wife, said she encouraged her husband to take the GLP-1 when she first heard a doctor recommended the medication.
“Of course I want him to be around for a very long time,” she told journalist David Begnaud.
President Donald Trump has often attacked the potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate over his weight, calling him a “fat slob” and sharing AI images of him eating junk food.
“Oh by the way, he’s overweight,” Pritzker said about Trump. “But I don’t really talk about that publicly… and it’s because I think it’s more like the content of your character that matters more, and I’ve always believed that. And that’s why I haven’t listened to people who say nasty things about me being overweight.”

U.S. President Donald Trump has often come after JB Pritzker over his weight, even calling him a "big fat slob".
Pool/Saul Loeb, Getty Images
Pritzker credits the medication for changing his life and eliminating the food noise.
He said he used to “want the whole cake or a box of cookies. That was just how I would feel about it, and I don’t feel that way anymore,” Pritzker told the Chicago-Sun Times.
He’s motivated to share his story partly because he knows millions of Americans suffer from obesity-related health conditions. He wanted to make sure the weight loss stuck before doing so.
“I have been driven my whole life to lose weight. The fact that I am now able to do it because of this GLP-1 became available, I mean it’s something that has meant a lot to me,” Pritzker said.
Regarding a potential 2028 run, Pritzker said he hasn’t decided yet, but wants to do what’s best for the people of Illinois.
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