Jillian Michaels has publicly responded to claims made about her in the new Netflix documentary called Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser. She was a fitness trainer on the NBC reality show The Biggest Loser for many years. The documentary includes accusations from former contestants, other trainers, and medical staff about the show’s practices. Michaels did not take part in the documentary and is now sharing emails and text messages to challenge what she says are false claims.
She denies giving contestants banned caffeine pills, restricting their calories to unsafe levels, and ignoring her co-star Bob Harper after his heart attack. Michaels says she has proof from old messages that tell a different story. She is also considering legal action against Netflix and the people who made the documentary.
Jillian Michaels Shares Proof About Caffeine Pills
The Netflix documentary claims that Jillian Michaels broke show rules by giving caffeine supplements to contestants without permission. Michaels strongly denies this. She posted email chains from 2009 on her Instagram account. These emails appear to show producers and the show’s doctor discussing which caffeine pills to give to contestants.
Michaels says the emails prove that Dr. Robert Huizenga, the show’s medical consultant, approved caffeine pills for use on many seasons. She also claims that fellow trainer Bob Harper knew about the pills and even suggested a specific brand called “stackers fat burner.” Michaels says she wanted to use her own brand because it was cleaner and had no more caffeine than a strong cup of coffee.
“Caffeine was NEVER banned on The Biggest Loser. Wild how some folks still lie like itโs 1985 before texts and email were a thing,” Michaels wrote on Instagram.
The documentary featured Dr. Huizenga saying caffeine was “absolutely against everything in the show.” He said he had banned coffee and that this rule was in the contracts. Michaels admits she was penalized on the show for giving the pills herself, which she was not allowed to do. However, she says it is a “total lie” that caffeine was completely forbidden for contestants.
Jillian Michaens Responds to Bob Harper’s Heart Attack Comments
Bob Harper said in the documentary that Michaels never contacted him after his near-fatal heart attack in 2017. He said this was especially hurtful because people thought they were close. Harper stated that her silence “spoke volumes” to him about their relationship.
Michaels responded by sharing a screenshot of a text message she sent to Harper in 2014. The text suggests their friendship had already ended years before his health crisis. In the message, Michaels tells Harper she is disappointed he does not reply to her texts.
“I really think itโs shitty of you to not even respond to my texts. Itโs this kind of thing that always makes me so disappointed [in] our relationship,” the text message reads.
Michaels told TMZ that her relationship with Harper was “long and complex.” She implied that the documentary did not show the full history between them.
Jillian Michaels Denies Telling Contestant She Would Become a Millionaire
Another claim in the documentary is that Michaels told a contestant, “You’re going to make me a millionaire.” This was supposedly said at a season finale. Michaels says this is completely false.
She explains that the entire moment was filmed and both of them were wearing microphones. She says if she had said that, it would be on the official audio recording. Michaels also shared text messages from two executive producers of the show. Mark Koops and Dave Broome reportedly told her business partner that they were not aware of any such comment being made.
Jillian Michaels Challenges Calorie Restriction Allegations
Former contestants said in the documentary that Michaels encouraged them to eat less than 1,000 calories a day. This is a very low and potentially dangerous amount of food for an adult. Michaels denies ever telling contestants to eat so little.
She provided an email from December 2010 that she sent to a contestant. In it, she explicitly tells the contestant to consume 1,600 calories per day while at home during a break in filming. She also shared other emails she says show her communicating with producers about the need to keep contestants well-fed with fresh food.
“With respect to the allegation that I restricted contestants from eating enough calories: I have an example of a direct written correspondence with a contestant, while she was home for the holidays during filming, in which I explicitly instructed her to consume 1,600 calories per day,” Michaels stated.
Jillian Michaels Explains Her Concerns About Rachel Frederickson
The documentary discusses the extreme weight loss of Season 15 winner Rachel Frederickson. She started the show at 260 pounds and weighed only 105 pounds at the finale. Her thin appearance shocked viewers and raised concerns about the show’s practices.
Michaels says she was also concerned at the time. She claims she never worked with Frederickson personally. Michaels says she raised serious concerns about Frederickson’s health with NBC directly. She says she received an email from Paul Telegdy, who was then the chairman of NBC Entertainment.
Michaels says Telegdy told her that if she did not publicly support Frederickson’s appearance at the finale, the network would take legal action against her. Michaels says she resigned from The Biggest Loser soon after this happened.
Why Jillian Michaels Did Not Participate in the Documentary
Michaels did not agree to be interviewed for the Netflix documentary. In comments on her Instagram posts, she explained her reason. She said she believed the documentary would be a “hit piece” meant to make her look bad.
She also pointed out that a Netflix executive, Brandon Riegg, was previously an executive at NBC. He worked on unscripted shows like The Biggest Loser. Michaels suggested this connection meant the documentary’s intentions were not good.
Jillian Michaels Considers Legal Action
Michaels told TMZ that she is meeting with lawyers about possibly suing Netflix. She would also sue the producers of the documentary, Bob Harper, and Dr. Huizenga. She says the documentary is filled with lies and is very damaging to her reputation.
She is deciding between filing a lawsuit or simply releasing all her old emails and messages to the public. Michaels says she has many receipts that prove her side of the story.
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Credits: Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Forbes
