WeightWatchers Files for Bankruptcy
WW International, formerly known as WeightWatchers, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as the 62-year-old weight management company struggles to adapt to the modern landscape of weight loss and wellness.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the company said the bankruptcy filing will help restructure its $1.5 billion debt, strengthen its financial footing, and enable it to invest more aggressively in innovation and growth. The company emphasized that its services to members will continue uninterrupted during the process and that it aims to emerge from bankruptcy in about 40 days as a publicly traded entity.
“The decisive actions we’re taking today… will give us the flexibility to accelerate innovation, reinvest in our members, and lead with authority in a rapidly evolving weight management landscape,” said CEO Tara Comonte, who took over after the departure of former CEO Sima Sistani in late 2024.
Once a pioneer in structured weight-loss support, WW has faced increasing pressure from more modern alternatives, especially the rise of GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic, which have reshaped consumer preferences by offering faster results without the calorie-counting and point-tracking central to WW’s model.
Sistani, who stepped down after a short tenure, had tried to reinvent the brand by acquiring a telehealth platform that enabled users to access prescriptions for weight-loss and diabetes drugs. However, the pivot failed to revive growth or investor confidence, and WW’s stock plummeted as the strategy faltered.
The company has also been hit by internal shifts. In 2023, longtime board member Oprah Winfrey announced her departure and donated her shares to a museum. Although Winfrey credited the program for her own 40-pound weight loss in 2016, she later admitted to using weight-loss medication, a move that signaled changing attitudes even among WW’s biggest supporters.
Founded in 1963 by Jean Nidetch, WW gained popularity through in-person meetings and a points-based system that emphasized accountability and group support. Nidetch, who lost more than 70 pounds herself, advocated for an emotional approach to weight loss, famously saying, “It’s choice, not chance, that determines your destiny.”
As of the end of 2024, WW reported 3.3 million subscribers, but also disclosed a 12% drop in membership and a heavy burden of interest payments totaling $100 million annually.
With its shares now reduced to penny-stock status, the company’s bankruptcy filing marks a significant turning point in the history of one of the world’s most recognizable wellness brands—now fighting for relevance in an industry it once led.
