CHICAGO — Gov. JB Pritzker disclosed Monday that he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes two years ago and has since lost 80 pounds using a GLP-1 drug.

The Democrat, 61, described his weight-loss journey in an essay on Substack and in select media interviews. The coordinated rollout comes as he seeks a rare third term as Illinois governor in the Nov. 3 election against Republican Darren Bailey, and as he continues to consider whether to run for the Democratic Party presidential nomination in 2028.

Pritzker, who has struggled with his weight most of his life, said a routine blood test led to the diabetes diagnosis, and his doctor told him he would depend on insulin for the rest of his life. The news, along with the fact that his father, who was also overweight, died of a heart attack at 39, made him realize he needed to change his lifestyle.

Along with insulin, the governor’s doctor prescribed a GLP-1, used to manage weight and, among other things, lower blood sugar and curb appetite, Pritzker wrote. Since then, he’s lost 80 pounds, and his glucose levels have dropped enough that he is no longer insulin-dependent, he wrote.

“First, the food noise — which used to make me look at my watch and wish the next meal time would come faster — has gone away. I also exercise every day. It was drudgery in the first month, but after that, it’s become an enjoyable reprieve from the daily grind,” Pritzker wrote. “In ways no medical test could ever show, I have been able to enjoy life more fully. I start every day with a four-mile walk. I take hikes or play sports with my son and daughter. Pickleball, tennis, padel, and jogging are all things that I love to do now.”

“Over the years, it seems like I’ve tried every diet and exercise regime. I’d lose weight, but then I’d gain it back over time. It’s been a frustrating rollercoaster. I always felt like I should do better,” Pritzker wrote.

Pritzker has faced myriad questions about his weight loss for more than a year, and until Monday he’d declined to answer directly when asked if he was taking a GLP-1 or any other type of weight-loss drug, even as it became clear that he was losing weight.

In an NBC-5 interview last year, he said, “I’m not going to answer that question partly because I think there are a lot of people who are on those GLP1s, and it’s kind of none of anybody’s business. Sometimes people are doing it because they have a health problem, like a genuine medical problem, diabetes or something else. And those are amazing drugs.”

Republican President Donald Trump has made fun of the governor’s weight a number of times in the past, including calling Pritzker a “big fat slob,” even as the president is overweight.

Pritzker himself has referenced his body shape on the campaign trail. When he first ran for governor, his campaign motto was “Think Big,” a phrase he’s repurposed repeatedly since being elected. He even made a veiled reference to weight-loss drugs at an event in Washington in March when he joked about his weight loss, saying, “I’m JB Pritzker, governor of the great state of Illinois and if you’re seeing me in person for the very first time, yes, I’m the gov who put ‘gov’ in Wegovy,” referencing the well-known GLP-1 drug.

Now, about two months before the statewide election and several months before candidates will likely begin lining up to announce their intentions to run for president, Pritzker has launched an orchestrated rollout of the GLP-1 news. It included an interview with the Sun-Times and the national “CBS Mornings” program. In that interview, Pritzker was asked whether he’s deliberately losing weight to improve his image for a potential presidential bid. The governor said he has not made any decisions about “what I might do in the future” other than that he wants to be governor for a “while longer.”

“I’ve been driven my whole life to lose weight,” Pritzker told the program. “The fact that I am now able to do it because this GLP-1 became available is truly, like, I mean, it’s something that has meant a lot to me.”

He said that while nothing changed immediately after he began taking the GLP-1, he lost two pounds the first week.

“All of a sudden on the third day, I was like ‘you know, I, actually I don’t need to eat that thing,'” Pritzker said. “But it was the strangest feeling.”

“I was very encouraging of it, I have to say,” First Lady MK Pritzker said in the “CBS Mornings” interview about her husband’s current weight loss efforts. “And obviously I knew the history of his family, you know, it’s such a sad story. Of course, I want him to be around for a really long time.”

In his Substack piece, Pritzker said he hopes his experience and being a top-ranking elected official can influence policy. In 2024, he authorized the state employee health insurance plan to cover GLP-1s. This summer, a veteran state employee told him the policy changed her life by allowing her to lose 100 pounds.

“I told her she did the hard work to improve her own health, and she deserves the kudos for taking the leap,” Pritzker said. “Hearing her story made me consider telling my own story so others might feel emboldened to ask their doctor about a GLP-1.”

In his nearly eight years as governor, Pritzker has generally been private about issues concerning his health. In 2019, Pritzker spent a few weeks recovering from a hairline fracture in his left thigh bone. In 2022, his office revealed he had tested positive for COVID-19 and was experiencing mild symptoms. And earlier this year, his office disclosed he experienced “a minor complication” from an outpatient urology procedure in Springfield.

Beyond influencing policy, Pritzker said he hopes his weight loss efforts can inspire others struggling with obesity, diabetes or other health issues.

“This experience has also forced some introspection: If my dad had been able to access GLP-1s, would he have lived long enough to see me grow up? To help my mom raise our family or overcome her alcoholism? To meet my kids? That’s how transformative these drugs can be,” he said. “If you have struggled with type 2 diabetes or being overweight, I hope this can be the push you need to talk to your doctor again. Evaluate your options. See if a GLP-1 can help you live a much longer life with the people you love and live for. I’m hoping that’s what it will do for me.”

_____

©2026 Chicago Tribune. Visit chicagotribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.