EXCLUSIVE: Diabetes-Hit Kathy Bates Reveals Family Horror at Heart of Her 100Lb Weight Loss — 'My Sister is in Peril'
Kathy Bates' transformation has been life-changing... literally.
Sept. 15 2025, Published 4:30 p.m. ET
Kathy Bates is riddled with anxiety over a devastating family history with diabetes – and her fear for the health of one of her sisters, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
And it was her family history with the disease that lay behind the decision to lose 100 pounds over the past seven years.
Bates Goes Off On Critics
Bates was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2017.
The 77-year-old actress, best known for Misery and now the lead in CBS hit Matlock, was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2017.
She said the diagnosis spurred her to overhaul her lifestyle, determined not to repeat the fate of her father and grandmother, who both died from complications of the disease.
"People say, 'Well, it was the Ozempic,'" Bates said in a new interview.
She added: "F--- you, it was the Ozempic! It took me years to do this. I got this diagnosis about diabetes – my father died of it; his mother died of it; one of my sisters is in peril."
A source claimed: "Kathy is terrified over her sister's health, and it has just made her more determined than ever to continue her own health journey."
The iconic actress admitted using Ozempic to lose weight.
In the interview, Bates also explained most of her weight came off slowly, long before she tried the diabetes drug now popular as a slimming aid.
"When they said 'diabetes,' I figured out what to do to slowly, over years, to lose the weight," she said. "And then when Ozempic came along, I was able to lose the last 15 to 20 pounds and keep it off."
Bates described the "juxtaposition of getting healthy" and the revival of Matlock as "just unbelievable."
She said: "The timing of it is great."
The Price Of Fame
Bates' role on CBS' 'Matlock' has brought more eyes on her and her new body.
The veteran star is entering what she calls a "totally different" career moment, having become the oldest-ever nominee for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series at this year's Emmys.
Bates plays Madeline 'Matty' Matlock for CBS – a brilliant but retired lawyer who returns to the workforce to seek justice after her daughter dies during the opioid epidemic.
The series has been a smash, drawing nearly 16 million viewers across broadcast and streaming, and was renewed for a second season beginning October 12.
For Bates, the recognition has been accompanied by unexpected experiences, such as fashion houses competing to dress her for awards ceremonies.
"It's true, first of all, and it's a badge of honor," she said. "I've never had any of this stuff happen before, where I've got five different designers sending dresses."
She recalled being overwhelmed by the transformation in her appearance.
Bates Breaks Down In Tears
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The 'Misery' actress recalled 'crying' after a dress fit properly on her.
Bates added: "She had a beautiful dress for me to try. I looked at it on the hanger, and I thought, 'That's not gonna fit.'
"I put it on, and it fit, and I just melted down. I just started crying and crying. I'm still figuring out what it's like to be without all of that weight."
Bates also said losing her "armor" forced her to confront questions about what she had been concealing.
"What was it for?" she asked. "What was I hiding myself from? What are the emotions that are pouring out because I don't have that armor? It just really surprised me, really shocked me."
She added while she is proud of her health changes, the real motivation was never appearances.
"For me, it was survival," she said. "I wanted to live – and I want my sister to live too."
