It all started with a television commercial and ad campaign featuring Monica Lewinsky, a woman infamous for an alleged tryst with the former President of the United States William Jefferson Clinton. Lewinsky was lambasted in parodies and satire as, among other things, overweight. On the coattails of her pseudo-celebrity, she struck a deal with Jenny Craig, not only to enter the weight loss program but also to participate in commercials as a spokesperson for the weight loss program.

Since those ads in 2000, jenny craig has had multiple celebrity spokespeople, including Kirstie Alley, Valerie Bertenelli, Jason Alexander and most recently Carrie Fisher. Spinning the celebrity wheel has done wonders in building a familiarity with the Jenny Craig program that has made it one of the most successful systems in the industry.

Competitors have done likewise, noticing the positive trend the use of celebrities has had for the program. As long as celebrities see desired weight loss results in these companies and the opportunity to be paid for their likeness, chances are the trend will continue.