Jillian Michaels has found herself at the center of another controversy following the release of Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser, a new Netflix documentary that goes behind the scenes of one of the biggest reality shows of the 2000s.
Michaels was one of two fitness trainers who appeared on The Biggest Loser. The series ran for 17 seasons on NBC between 2004 and 2016 and saw a group of contestants competing to win $250,000 by losing the highest percentage of body weight.
As revealed in the new docu-series, despite spawning a multi-million-dollar franchise and making stars out of its contestants, players’ well-being was often low on the list of priorities, an issue highlighted by the case of Rachel Frederickson.
While many of the cast and crew appear on Fit for TV to share their side of the story, Michaels declined to participate. But she’s come under fire for an unrelated controversy. Warning: some may find this content distressing.
Why is Jillian Michaels under fire?
Jillian Michaels is facing backlash after comments she made about American history and slavery while appearing on CNN’s NewsNight With Abby Phillip to discuss Donald Trump’s review order of the Smithsonian Institution’s exhibits.
The Smithsonian houses some of the most significant cultural and historical displays in the US, including the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which chronicles the history of slavery, segregation, and the civil rights movement.
Trump’s directive calls for a review of how these topics are presented, as detailed in a letter sent to Smithsonian secretary Lonnie Bunch.
“This initiative aims to ensure alignment with the President’s directive to celebrate American exceptionalism, remove divisive or partisan narratives, and restore confidence in our shared cultural institutions,” Trump administration officials wrote.
The move has been accused of attempting to whitewash and rewrite the country’s darkest chapters, with the NewsNight episode hosting a debate on the topic.
Michaels spoke in support of Trump, arguing that he’s “not whitewashing slavery… You cannot tie imperialism and racism and slavery just to one race, which is pretty much what every single [museum] exhibit does.”
She doubled down online, writing on X/Twitter, “I’m denigrating all of humanity by pointing out that 98% of American white people in 1860 didn’t perpetrate slavery… and in fact many white Americans died to end it?”
Her comments have sparked an angry response, with many pointing out the faults in her arguments.
“Why on earth would you try to frame 1.5% as if that somehow makes slavery a small issue?” said one. “Sure, most white Americans in 1860 were not wealthy enough to own slaves, but that does not mean the other 98% were abolitionists.”
Another said, “If less than 2% of white Americans owned slaves, does that erase the fact that the other 98% lived in a society built on slavery’s profits?”
A third added, “The civil war was not 98% of the country vs. 2% of the country… AND after the war came Black codes, Jim Crow, kkk, segregation, redlining, etc.
“AND slavery didn’t end… it just moved to the prison system which luckily also had an escape valve: misdemeanor charge to allow whites to not go to prison, and felony to make sure black folks did.”
Her comments have also sparked concern about Michaels’ teenage daughter, who she and her ex-girlfriend adopted from Haiti.
“This woman has an adopted black Haitian daughter. Someone needs to step in here,” wrote one, while another replied, “CPS is that someone.”
This week, Michaels also shared clips from a recent vacation in Africa, sparking similarly angry comments. However, she’s since removed the comments function from this post.
On a separate post, one wrote, “Girl, not you turning off the comments like that’s going to save you.” Another said, “You exercise everything but that brain huh.”
Netflix documentary details troubling Biggest Loser moments
Michaels doesn’t get off scot-free in Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser. Numerous clips show her screaming at contestants and forcing them to continue extreme workouts despite causing them to vomit or fall to the floor.
A troubling moment arrives when fellow trainer Bob Harper began shouting at contestant Joelle Gwynn, “Sh*t the f**k up and just do it.” Michaels can be seen at the sidelines laughing.
Joelle herself appears in the new documentary, describing how it felt like an out of body experience. “I’ve never seen someone get abused like that,” she says, adding that it felt like the abuse she suffered at home.
Elsewhere, The Biggest Loser physician, Dr. Robert Huizenga, accuses both Harper and Michaels of ignoring his precautions designed to look after the health of the contestants.
One of those was to avoid caffeine, but Michaels later admitted to giving her teams caffeine pills to help suppress their appetites.
In another allegation, Season 1 winner Ryan Benson claims that the day he won, Michaels whispered in his ear, “Thanks, you just made me a millionaire,” indicating that she allegedly cared more about profit than people.
Even though Harper and Michaels were seemingly in it together, he later says in the docu-series that when he had a huge heart attack in 2017 during a workout, Michaels never reached out to him.
Jillian Michaels net worth & and life now
Despite these controversies, Michaels has an estimated net worth of $18 million, which she’s earned through her appearance on The Biggest Loser and her fitness brand, including multiple books, DVDs, and apps.
Although she spent much of her life in California, Michaels moved to Miami, Florida, in 2021. The following year, she and fashion designer Deshanna Marie Minuto got married.
Prior to this, Michaels was in a relationship with yoga instructor Heidi Rhoades. In 2012, they adopted their daughter, and Rhoades gave birth to a son that same month.
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