♪ alter ego alter ego alter ego alter ego ♪ ♪ nah nah nah nah nah boom boom you dead to me dead to me ♪ ♪ dead to me dead to me ♪ ♪ alter ego ♪ 2024! [ cheers and applause ] ♪ this is "nightline." >> trevor: tonight, skinny confessions.

>> i didn't want to show up at another party and see all my friends 20 pounds thinner. >> trevor: ozempic changed their bodies and their sex relationships. some going from cloud nine to divorce. >> if you had known your marriage might be a casualty, would you take those pounds back? >> blue. >> trevor: and dr. phil. >> take me outside, how about that? >> catch you outside? what does that mean? >> what i just said. >> trevor: america's popular psychologist heading back to tv after ending "the dr. phil show." we go behind the scenes of his new media venture. >> what makes you angry? >> trevor: his urgent message to america. plus bursting in air. the biggest fireworks display in the nation tonight at the macy's fourth of july fireworks show.

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♪ good evening. happy fourth of july. thank you for joining us. i'm andrew dymburt. many americans who hug struggled with their weights have found help with weight loss drugs. heather gay says she's never been happier. for other that is journey has had unforeseen twists. we revisit our report with abc's deborah roberts.

>> deborah: you represented body positivity. some women are saying, it's kind of a cop-out. >> yeah, like i've sold out, i've given up the banner of relatable -- >> deborah: accept yourself. >> accept yourself, love yourself. body positivity was all a big lie. because -- it's better to not be overweight. >> deborah: known for her fun-loving and bold personality, heather gay has cemented herself as a favorite on "the real housewives of salt lake city." >> the seats, prove, timeline, screen shots, [ bleep ] everything! >> deborah: lately her changing appearance making headlines that so-called ozempic look that's seemingly everywhere these days. >> everyone i knew was taking these glp1 medications, losing weight, and just bragging about how great it was and magical. >> deborah: one of your costars made a joke about your designer

outfit. >> do you think it's a fake? >> i've never seen her in a size 14, have you? >> deborah: pretty cutting. >> i've been called worse than size 14 gucci. i've been called a manatee, shrek, i've been called horrible things in private and public by my costars and by the general public. >> deborah: so heather tried something new. >> the latest game-changing weight loss drug. >> deborah: it's the drug that's taking hollywood and america by storm. ozempic. originally meant to treat people with chronic medical conditions like type 2 diabetes, to one of the biggest and most controversial weight loss crazes. >> television icon oprah winfrey revealing she's using medication for weight loss. >> i think that we have this rise and this interest in anti-obesity medications that really came from social media

and television. >> ozempic, wegovy, and mountain jahri are surging in popularity for weight loss -- >> deborah: first changing their bodies, now changing their relationships. >> i missed out on so much because i was so worried about my size. >> i don't have to shop at big and tall. >> deborah: the good -- >> your sex life, it's hotter. >> hotter, caliente. >> deborah: the bad -- >> he wasn't noticing how happy i was with the weight loss. it really told me that i deserve something better. >> deborah: and all the fallout. if you had known that your marriage might be a casualty on this weight loss journey, would you take those pounds back? >> whew. >> deborah: some argue it's undoing decades of progress in the body positivity and fat acceptance movement. >> it is furthering the narrative that thinness is the

goal. i don't need to be shamed about the size of our bodies. >> deborah: the pressure to be thin experts say can cause real damage. >> some of the content online regarding weight loss, it feels off. fat phobia is often subtle or overtly within the conversation and widely accepted. >> welcome to beauty lab and laser. this is the med spa where we say all the best, no b.s. >> deborah: after talking to her doctor, she took her first dose of sell may glue tied, the active ingredient. >> i didn't want to see all my friends 20 pounds thinner and be resentful. >> deborah: almost a pressure there to try it? >> absolutely. a pressure and also just maybe a last hope, you know? >> so what are the key side effects? nausea is a component of the medications, followed by vomiting. potentially constipation. some people san say they feel fatigue, tiredness.

>> deborah: these drugs can have serious side effects, including risk of thyroid cancer, pancreatitis, hospitalization. heather says she's treated differently now, better, both on-screen and off. what do people start to say? >> "you look great, you look thin, what are you doing, are you on ozempic?" i started to feel seen for the first time. even after being on television, writing a "new york times" best-selling book. for the first time i was being valued by my castmates, by the public, in a way that i had never been valued before. and that felt, to me, sad. >> i think it is important to recognize that looks and identity can be interwoven. and if you change your look so much that you feel like a different person, then your identity is changing. >> unfortunately, when we're dealing with obesity, often there is an overlay of mental

health disorders or maybe some issues with disordered eating may emerge. i want to make sure that i'm not doing that in this process. there also may be issues with body dysmorphia. >> deborah: the societal pressure to be thin is leading many to take these medications off-label, even when it's not medically necessary. >> i am very adamant to not prescribe these medications in people that are solely using these for aesthetic purposes. i really believe that this supports disordered eating, eating disorders. >> deborah: there's been a more than 930% increase in patients getting prescription sell may glue tied in the past four years. >> i really think we need to be thoughtful and mindful about this. we have a shortage of these medications for people that do need them. >> deborah: after losing close to 30 pounds, heather says

there's a lesson in all of this. not just for her, but also for her daughters. so what does that say to your daughters, though? you've tried to teach them, you said, to love themselves. but you've been able to really finally accept yourself as a smaller person because of a drug. so what does that say to to have this them. >> i want them to feel empowered. as a mom of daughters, it is a very nuanced razor's edge. because i don't want to lie to them and say, it doesn't matter, what matters is on the inside. but it does matter. i don't know why that's the way it is in the world, but that has been my experience. >> deborah: that's a tough message. >> it's a tough message, and i don't know how to deliver it to them. i have beautiful, vibrant, empowered daughters. and i would hate for them to think that their value is limited to their dress size. >> andrew: our thanks to

deborah. the full episode of "impact by nightline," "the skinny confessions after oozempic" is streaming on hulu. dr. phil heading back to tv screens with a new network and primetime show. (woman) with purina one true instinct, her true instincts really came alive. from day one, it's the high-protein nutrition she instinctively craves. it's making a real difference, supporting healthy energy and strong muscles. purina one true instinct is the food she was born to eat, helping her live the life she was born to live. (vo) purina one true instinct. a difference from day one. can neuriva support your brain health? mary, janet, hey!! (thinking: eddie, no frasier, frank... frank?) fred! how are you?! fred... fuel up to 7 brain health indicators, including your memory. join the neuriva brain health challenge.

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♪ >> andrew: welcome back. dr. phil has always been known for his no-nonsense outlook on life. he's taking on a new venture at the age of 73. we revisit our behind-the-scenes look at his new state-of-the-art television network and his big plans for primetime.

here's "nightline" coanchor byron pitts. >> it was time to do something different. i felt the need for change. and so i decided to go from an hour a day to 24 hours a day. >> byron: dr. phil, one of america's most well-known tv psychologists, isn't slowing down even at age 73. >> nice to meet you. >> i am so happy to meet you. >> i'm not narcissistic enough to think that i can go on forever. and as long as i'm passionate about it, i'll do it. and when i'm not, i won't. i decide how i feel about me -- >> byron: he got his break on "oprah ra" in 1988. >> if i ever needed therapy, he would be the one i'd go to. he said, "i don't take clients." >> byron: went on to become america's therapist with the signature tough love and blunt style on "the dr. phil show." >> you're bullying that boy. that is straight-up bullying

that boy. >> byron: and memorable guests. >> take me outside, how about that? >> catch you outside? what does that mean? >> what i just said. >> byron: the show became one of the most popular daytime talk shows ever, sometimes getting high-profile interviews like jeffrey dahmer's father. >> there were red flags, there were warning signs that you missed? >> there definitely were warning signs that i missed. ♪ >> dr. phil, i'll start you at the center -- >> byron: now america's tv doctor is starting a new endeavor here at this five-acre-plus studio in fort worth, texas. a new media company called merit street media, as well as his own primetime show. "dr. phil primetime." here we have 73 years old, 73

years young, dr. phil's going to start a network. what are you thinking? >> i'm thinking there's some important work to be done. and i think everything i've ever done has prepared me for what i'm now doing. >> byron: so what i hear you say, dr. phil still got game, and he still wants to play? >> yeah. i think so. >> take your own life in your own hands -- >> byron: with his golf cart at the ready, dr. phil took outside a tour of the brand-new newsroom. of all your success in your lane, what makes you think dr. phil should get involved in the news business? >> well, i wanted to do a network, and the network is really anchored by "dr. phil primetime." just giving the facts no spin. >> byron: the network will air more than just his primetime show. the morning and evening newscast as well as a true crime show hosted by nancy grace, a daytime show with steve harvey, and a

reality dating series cohosted by ex "bachelor" host chris harrison. what's the goal, the purpose, the destination? >> test nice, funny you choose that word. i want to create a destination at work that people can turn on in the morning and not be afraid to leave it on all day and have their kids come in and see something that they wish they hadn't seen. >> byron: when i walk around this impressive studio that you've built, i think about a friend of yours who started her own network a bit ago. any advice from oprah? >> i talked to her when i decided to leave the daytime landscape. she said, "100%, i don't blame you, i get it, i'm surprised you hung in as long as you did in that space, and i'm not surprised that you're doing what you're doing." >> it's all on marriage street. come hang out on our street! >> byron: marriage street media says it will broadcast to more

than 65 million households after striking a deal with trinity broadcast network, the world's largest religious television network. how can one attempt to carve out this ground when the world seems so divided, our country seems so divided? >> i don't have a problem taking a position, i'll take a position. the position will be grounded in fact. it's real hard for people to look at and disagree about. >> byron: along with his new media venture, dr. phil has a new book, "we've got issues," a deep dive into what he sees as america under attack by "a collection of loud, irrational radicals." why write this book? you've written a number of "new york times" best-sellers. why write this one? >> i needed to write this book for me. and i needed to write it as a blueprint for america, in my view. and i think the family unit is

the backbone of america. >> byron: is that dr. phil being a little preachy there? right? your critics might say, moral police. is that what you're aiming for? >> like i say, you need to hear it however you choose. >> byron: one issue dr. phil chose to focus is "activists in what many in the political arena called woke agendas are on the attack." you're critical what was you describe as woke culture? >> i'm criticized of weaponized woke culture. being woke means you're enlightened and sensitive about other people that might be facing challenges and be disenfranchised. that's a wonderful way to be. what i have a problem with is weaponizing it, virt due-signaling with it, attacking people with it. >> byron: he says the book is a call to action for americans. "we should all hear alarms going off when societal building blocks like education and mental health, marriage and family

unity, scientific facts and biological truths are treated like outdated and irrelevant news." >> i'm not here to win an argument, i'm here to solve problems. and a big problem we've got is people in charge of problem solving who are not interested in solving problems. >> byron: that sounded like a shot to the bow of politicians in our country right now. >> hear it however you want to hear it. >> byron: to understand where he gets his drive may lie in this simple question. what makes you angry? what pisses dr. phil off? >> petty, small people that attack those that can't defend themselves. it's what kept me going for 20 years is giving a voice to people that didn't have it. sometimes it was children who couldn't fight back against abusive parents. >> byron: what i hear you say is that you knew a little boy whose father was an alcoholic, and perhaps someone didn't always stand up for him, and now as a man you're going to stand up for people? >> yeah.

i stood up for him pretty good when i could, at the time. you know, when you're a child of an alcoholic, you become very independent very early on. i remember when i was in seventh grade i went in and out of my bedroom window to keep from going through the chaos. you just learned to adapt. >> byron: if those wounds have healed, it happened with the help of his life partner. >> she's my barometer. she's the feminine side of dr. phil. >> byron: by his side through 47 years of marriage, his wife, robin mcgraw, has been to nearly every single one of his shows since 2002. >> sometimes ill be working on a show at night, i'll be talking about this, "oh, you don't want to say that." "oh, you don't want to do that." >> byron: what were your thoughts about him saying, honey, by the way, we're going to leave cbs where we could stay if we wanted, leave cbs, we're going to go do this.

what do you think? >> i think he's brilliant, and i truly think he has what it takes to help anyone in need. so i believe in him, and i stand with him, and i stand behind him. if he says we're going to go do this, i say, i'll start packing. >> byron: what is the one thing in life for which dr. phil has no doubt? >> i tell people, and i mean this, if you don't have passion in your life, you need to find it. and i am truly blessed to be passionate about what i'm doing. >> andrew: our thanks to byron. when we come back, independence daylighting up the new york skyline. i won't let my moderate to severe plaque psoriasis symptoms define me. emerge as you. with tremfya®, most people saw 90% clearer skin at 4 months

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♪ >> andrew: finally tonight on this independence day, all eyes trained to the sky as the macy's july fourth fireworks show got under way in new york. the pyrotechnics bigger and better than ever with 60,000 shells launched from barges floating in the hudson river. truly spectacular. other amazing effects including comets, waterfalls, and multicolored ghost pyro. that's "nightline." watch full episodes on hulu. we'll see you right back here at the same time tomorrow. thanks for staying up with us. good night, america.