Star Jones - Public Image

Public Image

Among the issues that emerged while Jones was a host on The View was her weight loss, which seemed to occur fairly suddenly after her years of weight struggles. Viewers and commentators suspected that she had had gastric bypass surgery. However, in 2006, when Jones was a guest on Bob and the Showgram on WDCG 105.1 FM in Raleigh, North Carolina, and was asked whether she had had such surgery, she denied it. However, in a September 2007 interview in Glamour magazine, she revealed that she had indeed undergone gastric bypass surgery in August 2003, resulting in a loss of 160 pounds (73 kg) over three years. A number of commentators criticized Jones for refusing to be honest and for claiming for some time that she had lost weight via a portion control diet and exercise. Before admitting the surgery, she even went so far as to adamantly deny ever lying to People Magazine and stated that she "wasn't ashamed."

Jones was named to PETA's "worst dressed" list four years in a row. An anti-fur ad from PETA featured drag queen Flotilla DeBarge dressed as Jones in a spoof. Jones threatened to sue PETA and DeBarge as a result of the ad.