Queen Latifah has long been a symbol of confidence, cool, and candor—and now she’s lending her voice to a topic that affects millions of Americans but still doesn’t get talked about nearly enough.
The Grammy and Emmy Award winner is discussing the often-overlooked connection between obesity and cardiovascular disease—a chronic illness that disproportionately affects people of color and accounts for 70% of deaths among those living with obesity, according to a 2023 study. The numbers are startling, but for Queen Latifah, this isn’t just about data—it’s about people. It’s about family.
Through her partnership with TruthAboutWeight.com and the pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, the actress and singer is encouraging more open conversations about weight, stigma, and sustainable health.
Now 55 and thriving, Queen Latifah shares with The Healthy by Reader’s Digest how her health habits and palate have evolved with time…and why sometimes self-care just means drawing a bath and hugging yourself in the mirror.
The Healthy by Reader’s Digest: You’re partnering with Novo Nordisk and TruthAboutWeight.com to shine a light on the connection between obesity and heart health. You’re also addressing the stigma associated with obesity, which is wonderful. Tell us why this topic is particularly meaningful to you.
Queen Latifah: It affects two out of five Americans, and that’s a lot of people. So imagine how much stigma and bias has come along with that throughout the years. But also, it affects people of color disproportionately, and it’s a manageable condition. It is a manageable disease—chronic at times, but also manageable. So it’s really about spreading the word so that people can get the information they need, start to talk to their healthcare providers, and be able to do something about it so they can live long, healthy lives, watch their kids grow up, be with their families, travel, and live the lives they want to live.
Because that’s what it’s all about—living a great life, just like anyone else deserves to live. There is a correlation between obesity and cardiovascular disease, and out of the people living with obesity, 70% die from cardiovascular-related illnesses.
The Healthy: How has learning about those statistics shaped your own approach to wellness, health, and nutrition? And what does the Queen Latifah daily or weekly health protocol look like?
Queen Latifah: Well, my life has changed from week to week throughout the years because it’s one of those crazy lives that I live, that takes me from place to place. But some things I keep as very consistent, rituals, and some things I always have to come back to just to center myself. I’ve seen how [obesity] affected my family. It’s affected my life, and I think we can do something about it.
The Healthy: Your career has always exemplified strength and self-confidence. How has your own relationship with health evolved over the years?
Queen Latifah: I’ve learned a lot. I think I was a naturally sports-inclined person. I enjoy being active in all kinds of things. I’m a bit adventurous when it comes to trying new things and feeling the fear and doing it anyway. But I’m also someone who needed to learn about health. There were certain habits I had growing up that were normal in my family that I had to retrain myself from—cutting back on salt, for instance. Salty foods were a normal thing. And when I moved to [Los Angeles] to do Living Single at 23 years old, I began to eat differently. Then, when I came home to eat some of the usual things, I was like, This is really salty. So my palate changed—and I realized your palate can change. You can retrain how you’re used to eating, how you’re used to tasting food. Food can taste just as good with less harmful things in it. I eat sushi now—I didn’t eat any of that stuff at first. Now I can eat so many different things off the menu, but initially it was like, “No, you have to cook that.”
The Healthy: That is so relatable and true.
Queen Latifah: There were certain ways I wanted to feel—if I wanted to feel healthier, get in shape, drop some pounds, get stronger—there were changes I had to make in order to do that. And as I get older now—I’m in my fifties—my body is changing. We have to share this information with each other so that we can all help each other along.
This campaign—relating obesity to cardiovascular disease, something that disproportionately affects my community—is important to me. Watching it affect my own family has been difficult. Losing family members to the effects of obesity is really tough. I know how important it can be when someone takes a new approach to their health and how much it can impact others in a positive way.
The Healthy: That’s wonderful. Representation really matters to your fans, especially regarding realistic portrayals of health and body image. What positive changes have you seen in the entertainment industry around this issue?
Queen Latifah: Still like big butts and I cannot lie. Whether we bop our heads to that song or not—we can’t help it. I was raised to love myself from the inside out. My mother and my dad, they put so much emphasis on my inner beauty and inner strength, on me being informed about what was happening with my body, to the best of their knowledge. Because as a teenager, you’re like, “What’s happening to me? What’s going on?” Your brain is still developing. You’re not there yet. So you’re going to be in change for quite some time—it’s going to be OK, though.
Being encouraged through all those times and being aware of what was coming my way was really helpful. And I definitely went through changes too—the ups and downs of life, of friendships, relationships, sexuality. I think those are challenging things for any human being. So for me, it’s always been about sharing that and building self-esteem. Sharing whatever I’ve learned to help build it, and understanding that it’s not a one-time thing. It’s something you have to constantly manage throughout life. Like a car—you’ve got to get the oil changed, rotate the tires, clean the windows if you want to see. You don’t just get it and go.
The Healthy: Absolutely.
Queen Latifah: Queen Latifah does not always feel confident. Queen Latifah does not always feel like, “I’m beautiful.” But at those times, I have to remember—find that book I read, be still enough to hear my mom’s words, or the ones planted inside me: “You’re going to be all right, kid.” Or just look in the mirror and give myself a hug. It may sound crazy, but sometimes you’ve just got to hug yourself. Because there’s not always someone else to do it. And you have to be your own best friend. Someone once asked me, “How would you treat yourself if you were your own best friend?” And I was like, wow—that’s deep. Well, gosh, I guess I’d give myself a hug and tell myself it’s going to be OK.
The Healthy: That’s amazing. Lastly, what’s one self-care habit you refuse to skip?
Queen Latifah: I think baths is one of the things I definitely have to do, because I do a lot of really physical work—I have, at least for the last five years—and I need them to reset. Walking is very important to me, just to clear my head, get the endorphins going, make myself feel happier. Oh—meditation. Yeah. Prayer. Prayer for me. I love that. I’ve got to stop and pray. And when I start to pray, I realize I talk myself into releasing all the things that are not in my control, and that helps me calm down. Helps me relax and realize—this is bigger than me. It’s not something I have to control. There are some things I have to let go of…and there’s freedom in that. There’s freedom in not trying to carry the weight of the world on my shoulders. Just knowing: it’s going to be OK. The sun’s going to rise tomorrow.
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This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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