Obesity and the COVID-19 cytokine storm reinforce one another in a bidirectional relationship. In one direction, obesity is a risk factor for cytokine storm onset: obese patients carry elevated baseline levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, increasing their risk of hypercytokinemia after SARS-CoV-2 infection. In the other direction, an active cytokine storm is a risk factor for greater morbidity and mortality in obese patients, because inflamed adipose tissue and pro-inflammatory adipokines amplify the immune over-response and impair pulmonary function.