- Six dead after floods in central Japan: media
- Australian golf prodigy suffers career-threatening eye injury
- Gaza hospital a symbol of the ruin of war
- October 7: how Israel's deadliest day unfolded
- Bibles, sneakers, silver coins: Trump's merch for sale
- Met Opera opens season with tech-heavy 'Grounded'
- Colombia's Inirida flower: from 'weed' to emblem for UN meeting
- Colombia rebel group imposes control in restive coca zone
- Rams fight back to upset 49ers, Cowboys lose again
- Sri Lankan leftist leader to take office after landslide election win
- 300-kilo WWI bomb removed in Belgrade
- Zelensky in US to explain war plan to Biden, Harris, Trump
- 'Atrocious' Sudan war pushing refugees further afield: UNHCR chief
- 'Convergence' growing on global plastics treaty: UN environment chief
- MLB White Sox fall to Padres to match one-season loss mark
- All-Australian Ripper squad captures LIV Golf team crown
- Barnier promises compromise from France's embattled new govt
- Zelensky arrives in US to explain war plan to Biden
- Barca rout Villarreal but Ter Stegen hurt, Atletico draw at Rayo
- Darnold shines for Vikings, Steelers and Eagles win
- Atletico held to draw at Rayo Vallecano
- Marseille stun Lyon with 95th-minute winner after early red card
- Gabbia ends AC Milan's derby pain with late winner against Inter
- Surging Ko claims LPGA Queen City crown in spectacular style
- 'Impossible': Alcaraz shoots down Federer comparisons after Laver Cup win
- Scholz's party beats far-right AfD in east German state vote
- Verstappen says 'silly' swearing row could hasten F1 exit
- Calls for Israel and Hezbollah to step back from the abyss
- Israel and Hezbollah urged to avoid 'catastrophe'
- Colombia battles fires as drought fuels Latin American flames
- Pressure piles on new French government from day one
- Arteta proud as Arsenal salvage point from 'impossible' task
- Barca rout Villarreal in thriller but Ter Stegen hurt
- Roma stroll past Udinese as fans protest De Rossi sacking
- Horschel outduels McIlroy to win PGA Championship play-off
- Audiences summon 'Beetlejuice' to top of N. America box office for third week
- Stones salvages point for Man City against 10-man Arsenal
- Egypt fears 'all out' regional war: foreign minister to AFP
- Last-gasp Boniface gives Leverkusen victory, Stuttgart outclass Dortmund
- Scholz's party beats far-right AfD in east German state vote: projections
- Olympic champion Evenepoel retains world title in 'toughest time trial'
- Horschel's eagle beats McIlroy in PGA Championship play-off
- Mourners at commander's funeral express loyalty to Hezbollah
- Norris hails his 'mega' McLaren after dominant win at Singapore
- Monaco beat Le Havre to join PSG at the top of Ligue 1
- Scholz's party narrowly leads far-right AfD in east German state vote: exit polls
- New leftist president vows to 'rewrite Sri Lankan history'
- UN adopts pact to tackle volatile future for mankind
- Leclerc hails Ferrari fightback from torrid Singapore GP qualifying
- Belgian Evenepoel retains world title in 'toughest time trial'
Oprah's WeightWatchers exit sends stock tumbling
Oprah Winfrey's announcement that she is leaving the board of WeightWatchers sent the company's shares tumbling Thursday -- the latest sign of trouble for the brand as it struggles to compete with new weight-loss drugs.
The departure of Winfrey, who has often addressed her own weight issues during her high profile television and business career, comes after she revealed last year that she was taking prescription anti-obesity medication.
A new generation of anti-diabetic drugs, which include Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro, have been hailed as an effective treatment for obesity -- driving up the valuations of manufacturers such as Denmark's Novo Nordisk and America's Eli Lilly.
Upon Winfrey's departure, WeightWatchers stock plummeted on Wall Street, dropping 24 percent during the day before paring some losses to close 18 percent lower.
"Director Oprah Winfrey has decided not to stand for reelection at the company's upcoming annual meeting of shareholders," WeightWatchers said in a statement Thursday.
The company confirmed that Winfrey will donate her WeightWatchers stock -- the value of which was not disclosed -- to the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC).
"Ms. Winfrey is making the donation to support the NMAAHC's goal to promote and highlight the contributions of African Americans, and to eliminate any perceived conflict of interest around her taking weight-loss medications," the statement said.
Winfrey presides over a vast business empire and has long promoted health projects, including in her role as the leading spokesperson for WeightWatchers -- which she previously credited with her own dramatic weight-loss.
Created in the 1960s, WeightWatchers, which offers dietary programs on a subscription basis, is now facing competition from the new, albeit expensive, drugs.
In an attempt to stem a decline in membership, it has sought to offer support for people taking drugs like Ozempic that mimic the appetite-reducing hormone GLP-1.
WeightWatchers announced a loss of $112 million in 2023 on sales that fell 14.5 percent to $889 million, and said it expects further declines this year.
Winfrey, 70, who joined the board in 2015, said she will continue to collaborate with WeightWatchers.
"I plan to participate in a number of public forums and events where I will be a vocal advocate in advancing this conversation," Winfrey said, according to the company statement.
Winfrey's colossal influence ranges from politics -- she notably endorsed Barack Obama as president -- to her book club, which has created many instant bestsellers in a phenomenon known as the "Oprah Effect."
P.M.Smith--AMWN