Jillian Michaels became known for her aggressive approach to coaching on The Biggest Loser,
from obscenity-ridden screams to pushing people to their physical breaking points. But some
of her controversial antics have continued since leaving the show. This is the shady
truth about Jillian Michaels.
"And rebounding, plateau. What do you do? You know, you do the same thing you do every
other week. You beat the hell out of them."
Jillian Michaels has always been known for speaking her mind, and while she sometimes
gets away with it, the public had a bone to pick with the fitness trainer when she chose
to go after national treasure Lizzo.
The Biggest Loser star found herself swimming in controversy following a January 2020 interview
with the BuzzFeed News morning show, AM to DM. It all started when host Alex Berg praised
A-listers like Lizzo and Ashley Graham, and said,
"I love that they're putting images out there that we normally don't normally get to see
of bodies that we don't get to see being celebrated."
However, Michaels didn't have the best response, and replied,
"Why are we celebrating [Lizzo's] body?...Why aren't we celebrating her music?...Because
it isn't going to be awesome if she gets diabetes. Like, I love her music...my kid loves her
music. But there's never a moment where I'm like, 'And I'm so glad that she's overweight!'...Why
is it my job to care about her weight?"
Almost immediately, critics slammed Michaels for being fatphobic, and disguising it as
concern. Eventually, the personal trainer took to Twitter and issued an apology, but
unfortunately, the damage was already done.
"Think of me as though we're in AA, right? And I'm the person that's been sober 20 years."
Jillian Michaels made quite an impression during her time as a coach on The Biggest
Loser. As a 2016 article in The Guardian noted,
"Fitness experts have repeatedly called Michaels' practices on The Biggest Loser into question."
"GO GO GO GO JOHN! We gotta really dig deep here, buddy. Okay? Come on, COME ON! PUSH!"
For instance, as the publication noted, Michaels often appeared to go too far on the show and
even caused someone to dehydrate so severely that they urinated blood. Meanwhile, eating
disorder physician, Dr. Ed Tyson, told The Guardian,
"Contestants are absolutely at a greater risk of developing eating disorders as a result
of being on the show."
It was also revealed that many contestants have simply regained all the weight that they
lost. As the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases revealed
to The New York Times in 2016,
"As the years went by and the numbers on the scale climbed, the contestants' metabolisms
did not recover...It was as if their bodies were intensifying their effort to pull the
contestants back to their original weight."
"I just beat him until all of his walls were down. UGH! Rip it, go! UGH! Come on, let me
hear it!"
"UGH!"
"UGHHH!!"
"Ugh!"
When it came to some of the questionable weight-loss tactics used on The Biggest Loser, it seems
that even Jillian Michaels had a moment of realization. Speaking to the Daily Mail about
her third and final departure from the series in 2014, Michaels revealed,
"I asked for changes and they said no, so in my opinion I believe it was their choice.
I was willing to stay if certain changes were made and they said no."
Michaels had started to feel guilty over the weight loss of some of the show's contestants,
such as Rachel Fredrickson. Of Frederickson's whopping 155-pound weight loss, Michaels told
the Daily Mail,
"I thought she lost too much weight without a doubt...I felt actually pretty ashamed...I've
come to a point in my career where I have to have control and that's where I'm out."
Although we're currently living in a world where people of all shapes are finally being
celebrated in the media, fat-shaming is something that still hasn't entirely been erased by
everyone. As Vice puts it,
"Using 'health concerns' as cover for fatphobia is something fat people have heard before,
and this attitude actually contributes to the anti-fat bias that prevents fat people
from receiving proper mental and physical healthcare."
Michaels appeared on The Wendy Williams Show in January 2020 and told the audience,
"You know, there was so much fat-shaming for such a long time that now the pendulum has
swung to a place where it's like, 'You are 250 pounds and you're owning it! Go!'"
She continued,
"That would be like handing an alcoholic [a drink]. It's like, 'You're an alcoholic, this
is fantastic! Here's a vodka tonic!'"
Understandably, people were not happy about Michaels' comments. The Biggest Loser host
Bob Harper, told Us Weekly,
"I could never even think where she comes from...I'm never going to give my opinion
to anyone that's not asking for it. It's none of my business."
When she's not causing widespread anger with her comments in the media, Jillian Michaels
has kept busy feuding with Andy Cohen. As it turns out, the beef between these two has
been going on for years, having started when Michaels was Cohen's guest on his Bravo talk
show, Watch What Happens Live. Speaking to Us Weekly in 2019, The Biggest Loser alum
dished,
"We’ve not been friendly for years...I did his show once and it was a really awful experience...extremely
rude...condescending and unprofessional...At the end of it, I was like, ‘I gotta tell
you, that was a truly hideous experience. Like in all the years I’ve been doing this,
nothing like this has ever happened.'"
Michaels revealed that she was getting over the stomach flu, when Cohen asked her to do
shots on the show. The beef apparently started when Cohen thought Michaels was being dismissive.
The situation definitely seems like it was blown out of proportion, but it's not the
only time these two have butted heads. In 2018, Michaels decided to trash talk The Real
Housewives franchise, of which Andy Cohen is an executive producer. Speaking to Life
& Style, Michaels said,
"I hate that...It's like [the franchise] was created by someone that hates women!"
In reply, Cohen told The Hollywood Reporter,
"This is the woman who screamed at people for a living on The Biggest Loser...She should
stay in her own lane."
If there's one thing Jillian Michaels should consider changing, it's her tendency to share
her opinions no matter what. The reason why Michaels' remarks sometimes leave people seeing
red is because her pearls of wisdom often come across as a little rude. For instance,
in December 2019, Michaels posted an Instagram video about veganism, in which the trainer
explained,
"I'm an animal lover, and I also acknowledge that being vegan is one of the best things
we can do for the environment."
Michaels continued,
"But I cannot tell you that any of the research I have ever done...would suggest that being
completely vegan is healthy...And the reason for that, in particular as women...is every
month, and I don't need to be particularly gross...women lose iron...so it's very easy
for us on a vegan diet to become anemic."
While everyone is certainly entitled to their own opinions, Michaels then suggested what
vegans should be indulging in meat every so often or eating eggs. Naturally, some of Michaels'
fans weren't happy with her not-very-vegan-friendly advice, which was immediately labeled as ignorant.
Although Jillian Michaels gets flak from her former fans, the fitness coach has also had
some celebrities call her out for her questionable behavior, too. One specific comment that really
sent A-list critics over the top was when Michaels shared her thoughts on the keto diet.
In an interview with Women's Health, the personal trainer said,
"I don't understand. Like, why would anyone think this is a good idea?...You don't eat
processed sugar, you don't eat processed grains, and to make a very long story short: avoid
the keto diet. Common sense."
Of course, almost immediately, stars bounced back with their own thoughts about Michaels'
unpopular opinions. Longtime enemy Andy Cohen joked on Watch What Happens Live,
"Tonight's 'Jackhole of the Day' goes to Jillian Michaels...Don't feel bad, keto diet. A lot
of people think Jillian Michaels is a bad idea."
Another celebrity who clearly wasn't a fan of Michaels' diet thoughts was NBC weather
anchor Al Roker, who tweeted,
"So [Jillian Michaels] says Keto is a bad idea. This from a woman who promoted on camera
bullying, deprivation, manipulation and more weekly in the name of weight loss. Now those
sound like bad ideas."
The fitness expert had her own bone to pick with the haters and responded on Twitter writing,
"I have an idea...how about a civil intelligent debate on The 6 Keys book and keto instead
of personal attacks and name calling? I'm also a motivator and I know you guys can do
this."
Jillian Michaels was known to push people to their limits on The Biggest Loser, but
to actually cheat on the show seems like a downright shady move, especially for a fitness
trainer. According to Yahoo! Entertainment, during one week of her team's competition
in 2013, Michaels apparently decided to break the rules, resulting in her entire team being
penalized. The show's host, Alison Sweeney, told the contestants before that week's weigh-in
began,
"Before you all step on the scale, there is something important that needs to be addressed...Last
week, Jillian...gave caffeine supplements to each member of her team without [a] doctor's
permission."
Although Michaels was given the opportunity to offer up an apology, she ultimately decided
against it and defended her rule-breaking by saying,
"I stand by my opinion: a caffeine supplement is significantly healthier than unlimited
amounts of coffee."
While it's definitely reasonable to show concern for your child's well-being, automatically
assuming that someone will have issues with eating is pretty problematic. However, Jillian
Michaels shared some surprising comments about her daughter's relationship with food in an
interview with Women's Health in 2020. Speaking about then-nine-year-old Lukensia, Michaels
bluntly declared,
"I know she is going to struggle with food, I know it. She will literally eat and then
say 'I'm hungry.'...So, I'll try to talk to her about it. I know what she's doing, because
I have that issue with food. I used it as a way to bond with my dad...he was overweight,
so one of the only ways we knew how to relate was to eat."
While nobody can really know what's going on behind closed doors, it's possible that
Lukensia's issues with food stem from what she hears the public say about her mom. In
an interview with People, Michaels got real about leaving The Biggest Loser, and said,
"Millions of people have this warped negative perception of me."
As it turns out, Michaels' profession has even impacted her personal life with her children.
Recalling a moment after her caffeine pill scandal on The Biggest Loser, the personal
trainer revealed that when she picked Lukensia up from camp, she heard her daughter recall
being bullied. As Michaels told People,
"I know who your mom is, she's a cheater. I saw it on TV."
Ultimately, it looks like one of the most significant issues the public seems to have
with Jillian Michaels is her opinion on political correctness in diet culture. Living in a world
where body positivity is a message that everyone would like to spread, Michaels might want
to start keeping certain comments to herself.
Speaking to Women's Health in 2020, Michaels was asked if she believes The Biggest Loser
would work in our society today. She explained,
"I think the world has shifted to a place where that format and messaging is considered
fat-shaming. But it isn't, and it's not meant to be...I think we're politically correct
to the point of endangering people."
Michaels continued to say,
"Yes, we want to be inclusive of everyone and [respect that] everyone comes in all different
shapes and sizes...But obesity in itself is not something that should be glamorized..."
After Michaels' interview was released to the public, she was immediately met with criticism.
As NBC News reported, people were quick to lash out on Twitter, with various celebrities
even chiming in with their two cents. Actress Jameela Jamil responded on Twitter and wrote,
"Elitist ignorance from a renowned long time bully of fat people. Don’t just shame and
blame. Cheap food, which most can afford is full of hormones and sugars. Many work too
many jobs to have time/money to work out."
It seems that Michaels is always going to divide opinion with her ideas about weight.
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