Jillian Michaels On Lizzo: What Did ‘The Biggest Loser’ Former Host Say About the ‘Truth Hurts’ Singer?
What do former The Biggest Loser host Jillian Michaels and Grammy-nominee Lizzo have in common? The former has been talking about the latter, and it’s not exactly great news. Here’s what Michaels recently said.
Who is Jillian Michaels?
You’re likely familiar with her name, but how exactly do you know who Michaels is? The Los Angeles native got her start as a personal trainer in the 1990s. She is known for her workout videos and infomercials for programs. Michaels has also worked with a number of gyms and put out DVDs and books on health and fitness.
However, you’re most likely familiar with Michaels from her time on TV. She was a trainer on The Biggest Loser beginning with the show’s inception in 2004. Michaels has been on and off the show numerous times over the years. She also attempted to launch her own show a couple of times.
She’s been promoting her fitness app
As everyone knows, the beginning of the year is one of the most popular times to discuss health and weight loss. After the holiday season, “New Year, New You” and similar sentiments become commonplace. And Michaels has, naturally, been taking advantage of that.
Michaels has been appearing on various programs like The Wendy Williams Show talking about her new Women’s Health cover, her fitness app, and much more. But given the nature of the subject and Michaels’ well-known propensity for “telling it like it is,” it’s not surprising this got a little out of hand.
Here’s what Michaels said about Lizzo
Michaels’ recent interview on BuzzFeed News’ AM2DM brought about a conversation about body positivity. The interviewer, Alex Berg, started talking about Lizzo and those who “are really preaching self-acceptance.” Michaels then said, “I love her music, 100 percent. I don’t know anything about her. I’m sure she’s a cool w- awesome chick.”
Berg continued, saying, “I love that they’re putting images out there…of bodies that we don’t get to see being celebrated.” Michaels interrupted, “But why are we celebrating her body?” adding, “It isn’t going to be awesome if she gets diabetes.” She continued, saying, “There’s never a moment where I’m like, ‘And I’m so glad that’s overweight.’ Why is it my job to care about her weight?”
Fans are angry about Michaels’ ‘fat-shaming’
A lot of people on Twitter were unhappy with Michaels’ comments. Some replies, like the above, were simple. Others delved into the issue further, like author Sara Benincasa. She took the time to write a thread about how Michaels has a “deep-seated self-hatred” and body dysmorphia, and how it’s really just about making sales for her.
Others were upset with Berg for not calling Michaels out. After Berg shared the clip, she wrote that she, “had to restrain [herself] from defending Lizzo’s honor!” Several people wrote that she was “a coward” for not speaking up after what Michaels said.
Did Lizzo respond?
Lizzo, to her credit, has taken this (as she does everything else) in stride. If she’s heard about the clip (which we can assume she has), she isn’t letting it show. The artist has been far too busy looking glamourous and performing in Australia to help raise money to fight the bushfires.
The musician shared one post that may indicate she’s heard about Michaels’ comments. She posted a video in which she walks outside onto the deck of the beautiful place she’s staying, and looks around. Lizzo captioned it, “Today’s mantra is: This is my life. I have done nothing wrong.” She continues, “I forgive myself for thinking I was wrong in the first place. I deserve to be happy.” This is the positivity we live for.
Michaels tries again
After her comments spread, Michaels turned to social media to clarify. She wrote, “As I’ve stated repeatedly, we are all beautiful, worthy, and equally deserving. I also feel strongly that we love ourselves enough to acknowledge there are serious health consequences that come with obesity – heart disease, diabetes, cancer to name only a few. I would never wish these for ANYONE and I would hope we prioritize our health because we LOVE ourselves and our bodies.”
