WW International, known best as WeightWatchers, is preparing to file for bankruptcy in the coming months, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal citing those familiar with the matter.
The weight management company is said to be negotiating with lenders and bondholders.
The storied weight loss brand acquired telehealth provider Sequence in 2023—among the first to make a move in adopting prescription weight loss medications, but it’s become an increasingly competitive space, with competitors Ro, Noom, Hims, Hers and Midi Health. Now, even gyms and fitness equipment companies like Echelon are joining the fray.
By early 2024, former talk show titan Oprah Winfrey stepped down from WeightWatchers’ board after nearly a decade of service. At the time, she revealed she was using weight loss medication and wanted to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest ahead of her ABC primetime special, “An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution,” which focused on the rise of weight loss drugs.
Later that year, WeightWatchers CEO and director Sima Sistani announced she would step down after two years at the helm as the company had lowered its full-year outlook, with Sistani citing a “rapidly changing landscape” that would require reimagining its operations—including workforce reductions.
The messaging lingered, with new WeightWatchers president and CEO Tara Comonte describing the company as being in a “period of significant transition” earlier this year, with 2025 a “year of reset.”
“We believe we have multiple growth levers over the mid to long term and hold a unique competitive position in this evolving market,” she said during WeightWatchers’ Q4 2024 earnings call in February. “That said, transformations take time, and they take investment and our existing debt, which results in approximately $100 million of annual interest payments, is a significant ongoing burden for the company.”
In a bid to stay relevant in a shifting and competitive weight loss medication environment, WeightWatchers rolled out a new program designed to make its platform more personalized and sustainable for users. The update included insurance-covered access to registered dietitians for personalized nutrition counseling, an AI-powered food scanner for instant Point tracking, macronutrient insights and an expanded list of over 150 ZeroPoint foods. More recently, WeightWatchers introduced an update to its nutrition tracking features, allowing members to hyper-personalize their experience by choosing to view calories, added sugars and customize nutrient categories to their individual goals.
WeightWatchers didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
