American Idol alum Adam Lambert has been candid about his battles with weight. Despite his larger-than-life presence and undeniable confidence onstage, it’s hard to imagine that he once struggled with what he described as “an ugly duckling complex.”
Lambert rose to fame after finishing as the runner-up on season 8 of American Idol in 2009 when he was 26 years old. The singer has since established a successful singing career, working on solo projects as well as fronting the rock band Queen for several of their tours. Fresh out of his American Idol appearance, Sirius Satellite Radio’s Larry Flick interviewed the singer, who talked about the challenges he faced in his youth.
“I suffered from a bit of an ugly duckling complex in my early 20s, definitely in my teens,” Lambert said. When Flick asked whether he was ever “fat,” the singer replied, “When I was in high school, I was 250 pounds.” He continued to say that his weight resulted in low confidence and struggles with his body image. However, he was able to overcome those and gained self-confidence whenever he performed.
In an interview with OK! magazine in 2010, Lambert talked more about how he gained weight, saying he had terrible eating habits in his teens and “ate a bunch of crap — a bunch of fast food and stuff.” As he got older, he learned to eat healthier but admitted he needed to be more disciplined when it came to working out.
Adam Lambert takes weight loss medication
In 2023, fans noticed Lambert had gained a bit of weight, and the singer talked about it on Instagram Live, saying that he gained “pandemic pounds” and was aware he was heavier, “I’m fully aware! I live in this body, I know it’s bigger,” he said. In Mar. 2024, Lambert went on Instagram Live to address his weight yet again. In the video, the singer shared that it was caused by emotional eating. However, he explained that it didn’t only happen during the times he was sad. “It might be because I’m stressed. Or because, you know, a lot of the travel that I do around the world.” In moments like those, Lambert only found comfort in food.
In the same video, Lambert revealed that he had already shed 60 pounds with the aid of Mounjaro, a prescription medication for diabetes, which works similarly to Ozempic. According to WebMD, the medication is commonly prescribed to those who have type 2 diabetes. It controls blood sugar levels, preventing it from spiking by increasing the amount of insulin in the body when the blood sugar gets high. As Lambert revealed, his blood levels were very high and he was pre-diabetic before he took the medication. He had been taking Mounjaro for eight months at the time of the video. “I feel amazing. I still eat, but I eat lighter, and I eat less,” he continued.
As shared by the reality TV star, losing weight also helped Lambert’s mental health. The singer had anxiety and depression and revealed he took antidepressants for a while, which also added to his weight gain. The weight loss helped in weaning him off his medication, and now he sees himself as the picture of good health — physically and mentally.