Former “Biggest Loser” trainer <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jillian-michaels" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jillian Michaels</a> said the data “irrefutably” shows that trans-identifying male athletes should be banned from competing against girls and women in sports if fairness is paramount.
During the celebrity fitness trainer’s recent appearance on “<a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13342963/Celebrity-trainer-Jillian-Michaels-trans-athletes-banned-girls.html">Fox and Friends</a>,” Michaels told the hosts that it doesn’t matter when a biological male starts taking puberty blockers, it’s biology that males are stronger and faster.
“You&#8217;ve got two competing goals in sports,” Michaels said. “One is inclusion, which everybody can understand and get on board with.”
“However, the second goal that&#8217;s in direct opposition with inclusion in this instance is going to be a fair competition,” she added. “If your overriding priority is going to be fairness over inclusion, you&#8217;ve got to turn to the data.”
“And the data irrefutably shows that biological males are 10 to 30 percent stronger, faster, have better endurance, better aerobic capacity across the board,” Michaels continued.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Jillian Michaels says evidence &#8216;irrefutable,&#8217; trans athletes should not compete against girls <a href="https://t.co/ztiQHUPdpv">https://t.co/ztiQHUPdpv</a>
— Fox News (@FoxNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/FoxNews/status/1782819493107908965?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 23, 2024</a></blockquote>
She said that the data is clear that things like cross-sex hormones do not change what we already know about males and females.
“If we defer to the studies &#8230; they show that even on puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, the decrease in physical performance is quite trivial,” Michaels said. “That&#8217;s what the data says.”
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She then gave the hosts an example, citing grip strength of “a biological male transgender female” and a “biological female transgender male.”
Michaels said that the trans-identifying male&#8217;s “grip strength was 17 percent greater than the female on testosterone and puberty blockers.”
Michaels&#8217; appearance comes days after <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/grotesque-betrayal-of-students-critics-blast-bidens-new-title-ix-regulations-championing-gender-identity" target="_blank" rel="noopener">President Joe Biden</a>’s administration announced a massive revision to Title IX &#8212; a policy that was originally enacted to protect women and girls &#8212; to now to protect trans-identifying people.
On Friday, Biden and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona revised the law enacted in 1972, which, in <a href="https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/t9-final-rule-summary.pdf">summary,</a> now “clarifies that sex discrimination includes discrimination based on sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, pregnancy or related conditions, sexual orientation, and gender identity.”
Former Senior Counsel at the U.S. Department of Education Sarah Parshall Perry blasted the move and said, “Under the new rule, girls and women will no longer have any sex-separated bathrooms, locker rooms, housing accommodations, or other educational programs. Women’s sports are likely endangered, too.”
“Any education institution, including many private schools that receive even nominal federal funding, will be affected by this rule,” she added. “The rule also erases other important protections, like due process protections for students accused of sexual misconduct, free speech protections for students and teachers who don’t want to use ‘preferred pronouns,’ and parents’ right to know if their child is in the process of a gender identity ‘social transition’ at school.”
Nicole Neily, president of Parents Defending Education, echoed Perry&#8217;s sentiment, calling the move “grotesque,” and accused the White House of capitulating “to extremists in his party, sacrificing the First Amendment on the altar of Title IX and disregarding clearly established Supreme Court precedent on the definition of sexual harassment.”
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/joe-biden-must-go-megyn-kelly-blasts-presidents-title-ix-revision" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8216;Joe Biden Must Go&#8217;: Megyn Kelly Blasts President&#8217;s Title IX Revision</a>

Jillian Michaels

‘Irrefutably’: Celebrity Trainer Suggests Trans-Identifying Male Athletes Should Be Banned From Competing Against Women

Joe Biden

Social Issues

Sports

Title IX

Transgender Athletes

U.S.

Former “Biggest Loser” trainer and fitness coach <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jillian-michaels">Jillian Michaels</a> warned against the dangers of the semaglutide injection drug Ozempic, which is primarily used to treat type 2 diabetes but is frequently used for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/obesity">weight loss</a>.
Ozempic has become a popular pick among <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/celebrities">celebrities</a> for weight loss, with big-name stars, including Sharon Osbourne and Oprah, admitting to using the drug to drop pounds. But Michaels cautions users about some of the drug’s side effects, which she says outweigh the benefits.
&#8220;If it was the easy way out, I would recommend it,&#8221; the 49-year-old fitness coach <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/biggest-loser-star-jillian-michaels-warns-against-ozempic-use-these-celebrities-are-not-health-experts">told</a> Fox News Digital during an interview published Wednesday. &#8220;I&#8217;d be like, ‘Fantastic, let me get in the business. Let me get my app on board. Let me sell these drugs through my app.’ Just like Weight Watchers.&#8221;
&#8220;Of course, I would get in line and profit like crazy if I didn&#8217;t really believe these things were bad, based on the research that&#8217;s already out there,&#8221; Michaels added.
The “Biggest Loser” trainer cautioned people against taking health advice from untrained celebrities.
“All these celebrities are not health experts,&#8221; Michaels told Fox News. &#8220;They&#8217;re not nutritionists. They&#8217;re not fitness experts. And they don&#8217;t spend all day talking to doctors.&#8221;
She continued, saying, &#8220;Every medication, whether it&#8217;s antibiotics or vaccines, have a cost-benefit analysis. They all have side effects. So, when we look at Ozempic and all of those drugs there are many side effects from extremely nefarious to just absolutely sh***y, no pun intended.&#8221;
Michaels mentioned both common and serious <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/users-say-ozempic-causing-one-really-gross-side-effect">side effects</a> associated with semaglutide, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, pancreatitis, changes in vision, kidney issues, and gallbladder problems.
She also mentioned a phenomenon that’s been nicknamed “Ozempic face.” This happens when a person using the drug loses weight too quickly, which results in sagging skin, especially in the face. 
Finally, the fitness coach pointed out how people who use Ozempic for weight loss will need to stay on the medication to maintain the benefits if they don’t change their lifestyle. She argues that since the medication is an appetite suppressant, the same results can be achieved without resorting to using Ozempic.
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&#8220;Here&#8217;s the problem with this: [It’s] that you can never get off these drugs. If you do get off of them, all of the meta-analysis shows us that you will gain all the weight back, and then some, two-thirds of it within the first year,&#8221; Michaels told the outlet.
&#8220;You will plateau on Ozempic. It will stop working right around the 18-month to two-year mark. It&#8217;s going to stop working. Now what are you going to do? Because now you&#8217;re literally beholden to it. It&#8217;s expensive. Insurance isn&#8217;t going to cover it forever. Are you going to be on it forever? So, we don&#8217;t even know what this looks like five years down the road, ten years down the road.&#8221;
&#8220;It has proven what I&#8217;ve been saying for three decades, calories in, calories out is weight loss. Health is a different conversation, but it facilitates weight loss,” she said. 
&#8220;Second thing, we know that women and men of all ages can lose weight because most of these people on Ozempic are 40-plus. And they’re shrinking, so it looks like you can still lose weight if you’re eating less food.&#8221;

Fitness Star Jillian Michaels Warns Against Ozempic Use, Calls Side Effects ‘Extremely Nefarious’

Fitness Star Jillian Michaels Warns Against Ozempic Use, Calls Side Effects 'Extremely Nefarious'

Celebrities

Entertainment

Health

Obesity

Fitness entrepreneur <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fitness-guru-jillian-michaels-gets-blasted-for-saying-obesity-should-not-be-glamorized" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jillian Michaels</a> bluntly spoke her mind this week about transgender athletes competing against girls and women in female sports during an interview with podcast host Tomi Lahren.
Michaels emphasized that sports are &#8220;biological&#8221; and men can simply not compete against females due to those biological differences. Safety and fairness, Michaels said, are key factors.
“Sports is biological. It just is,” she told Lahren. “And I think that you’re starting to actually see women get hurt.”
“<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/thats-fed-joe-rogan-talks-trans-swimmer-destroying-female-competitors-fallon-fox-comments" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fallon Fox</a>, for example, is an MMA fighter who is a transgender female. Beating the s*** &#8230; out of biological women,&#8221; Michaels said. &#8220;Like, this is beyond the fact of fairness. What we have trouble with as a society is &#8216;fairness,&#8217; right? Everybody wants to be &#8216;fair.&#8217; It’s not fair.&#8221;
“Here’s the problem,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;I understand it’s not fair to trans athletes, because where are they going to compete? It’s also not fair to biological female athletes. You have an issue, right? You’re not going to be able to be fair to everyone.&#8221;
As noted by Michaels, Fox, a male who identifies as transgender, made headlines when he <a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/transgender-female-boxer-gives-female-opponent-concussion-breaks-her-eye-so" target="_blank" rel="noopener">competed</a> in MMA fights against women and physically hurt them. In one such fight, Fox dominated female fighter Tamikka Brents, winning by knockout in the first round. Fox broke Brents&#8217; eye socket and gave her a concussion.
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“Like Lia Thomas is 6-foot-1,&#8221; Michaels said, referring to the transgender NCAA swimmer who is male and formerly competed against men before switching to female athletics. &#8220;The percentage of biological females who are 6-foot-1 is under 1%. Lia Thomas was number 400 when she swam as a male. And number one when she swam as a female.&#8221;
Thomas made news last year when he dominated the women&#8217;s NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming Championships. NCAA swimmer-turned-advocate Riley Gaines competed in the women’s 200 freestyle at the tournament and placed fifth, tying with Thomas. Only Thomas received the fifth place trophy for the photo-op after the event, while Gaines was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/i-left-there-with-no-trophy-ncaa-female-swimmer-who-tied-for-fifth-with-trans-athlete-says-officials-put-lia-thomas-ahead-of-her" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> by the NCAA that her trophy would come in the mail.
“We’re going to systematically destroy women’s sports,&#8221; Michaels added. &#8220;I’m sorry, listen, if you want to be trans, I support you. I want you to have all the same rights that I do. But at the end of the day, someone’s going to get &#8216;effed here. And if you’re looking at, okay, you’ve got X amount of trans athletes and X amount of women, you’re not going to win this one. Right. No one’s coming out unscathed.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Catch <a href="https://twitter.com/JillianMichaels?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JillianMichaels</a> full answer on this TONIGHT 7pmET “Tomi Lahren is Fearless” on YouTube, X, Facebook and <a href="https://t.co/kfev7OtHAd">https://t.co/kfev7OtHAd</a> ⬇️ <a href="https://t.co/YmM86qmvZU">pic.twitter.com/YmM86qmvZU</a>
&mdash; Tomi Lahren (@TomiLahren) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomiLahren/status/1740065359087202513?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 27, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-hill-i-will-die-on-sage-steele-says-espn-told-her-not-to-talk-about-lia-thomas-she-disobeyed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">‘A Hill I Will Die On’: Sage Steele Says ESPN Told Her Not To Talk About Lia Thomas. She Disobeyed.</a>

Jillian Michaels.

‘Sports Is Biological’: Fitness Guru Jillian Michaels Says Trans Athletes Will ‘Destroy’ Female Sports, Hurt Women

Fitness Guru Jillian Michaels Speaks Out About Trans Athletes

Lia Thomas

Riley Gaines

Tomi Lahren

On January 8, fitness guru Jillian Michaels appeared on Buzzfeed’s morning show “AM to DM” on Twitter.
During the segment, host Alex Berg praised singers like Lizzo for “preaching self-acceptance.” This led to the following exchange between Berg and Michaels:
<blockquote>MICHAELS: I love her music, yeah, 100%. I don’t know anything about her. I’m sure she’s a cool, awesome chick.
BERG: Yeah, and I love that they’re putting images out there that we normally don’t get to see of bodies that we don’t get to see being celebrated.
MICHAELS: But why are we celebrating her body? Why does it matter? That’s what I’m saying. Why aren’t we celebrating her music? Because it isn’t going to be awesome if she gets diabetes. I’m just being honest. I love her music, like, my kid loves her music, but there’s never a moment when I’m like, “And I’m so glad she’s overweight.” Like, why do I even care? Why is it my job to care about her weight?</blockquote>
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Well, that’s the clip that blew up on social media. There’s actually some more context. The full exchange between Berg and Michaels about fat acceptance and the unhealthy nature of obesity can be read at the end of this piece.
Following the interview, Michaels got <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jillian-michaels-on-lizzo-why-are-we-celebrating-her-body-wont-be-awesome-if-she-gets-diabetes">smacked</a> on social media for her comments about Lizzo. The fitness guru received <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jillian-michaels-on-lizzo-why-are-we-celebrating-her-body-wont-be-awesome-if-she-gets-diabetes">backup</a> as well.
On Wednesday, Michaels posted a photo to her Instagram from when she was 14 years old and 175 lbs. She captioned the image: “Here&#8217;s me at 5&#8217;0 tall and 175 lbs. If I can do it – anyone can. Share your story&#8230;”
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<a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B7WQJ6qJSb1/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Here&#8217;s me at 5&#8217;0 tall and 175 lbs. If I can do it &#8211; anyone can. Share your story&#8230;</a>
<p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" href="https://www.instagram.com/jillianmichaels/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Jillian Michaels</a> (@jillianmichaels) on <time style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;" datetime="2020-01-15T16:52:57+00:00">Jan 15, 2020 at 8:52am PST</time>
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Some indeed shared their stories below the post.
User Kimberspores wrote: “I was close to 180lbs at 5&#8217;3&#8243; at one point. Now I&#8217;m at 145 and working on losing more with your help. I honestly have never felt more inspired than when you&#8217;re yelling at me from my tv screen.”
User Thesarahsaurus13 wrote: “You helped me go from 165 to 120 lbs! But better than that, you give me the motivation to get up and care about myself every day! Thank you!!”
Others thanked Michaels for not backing down.
User irrevelry wrote: “Started following you after your comments about heavy entertainers&#8230;nothing personal against overweight people it’s just the truth. Thank you for standing by your statements. Gravitas for sure. We need more of your voice of reason.”
Michaels replied:
<blockquote>Honestly – I was asked a question [if] I celebrate her being overweight. Had zero intention to involve her. I don&#8217;t celebrate ANYONE overweight because it kills people. BUT it doesn&#8217;t mean I don&#8217;t celebrate the actual person. Sorta like if your best friend was a smoker – you love them, celebrate them, but certainly wouldn&#8217;t celebrate the fact that they smoke&#8230; <a href="https://www.instagram.com/prettybitches_bychloe/">@prettybitches_bychloe</a> I’m looking at you.</blockquote>
As of publication, Michaels’ throwback photo has over 25,600 “likes” on Instagram.
Below is the full exchange between Michaels and Berg from “AM to DM”:
<blockquote>BERG: Well, you&#8217;ve said before that you think political correctness has gone too far in the health and fitness world. What did you mean by that?
MICHAELS: Political correctness has just, like, come so – I can&#8217;t even – I think it’s insane, and it&#8217;s like, the pendulum, just, as far as it swings in one direction, it swings back in the other, right? And you&#8217;ve got these crazy extremes whereas, “Oh, she&#8217;s, you know, she&#8217;s too fat to be a pop star!” Well, you say things like that, and you know, then there&#8217;s gonna be, you should never be able to say things like that, right? But for years, people were. They could fat-shame, and they could exclude people, and they could make people feel less than in all forms of media, and we should always be inclusive, but you cannot glorify obesity. It’s dangerous. It kills people. It’s the number one cause of bankruptcy in our country.
So, there&#8217;s a middle ground here. Now it&#8217;s like, “Oh, that woman is 250 pounds! Good for her!” and it&#8217;s like, it shouldn&#8217;t be one way or the other. It’s really no one&#8217;s business to comment. It’s not something you should judge. It’s not something you should celebrate. That woman&#8217;s health is up to her – but, I mean, 250 pounds, I would say 999 times out of 1,000 is going to mean heart disease, cancer, diabetes, autoimmune issues, and early death.
BERG: I have to say, I personally found, and I love celebrities like Lizzo or Ashley Graham who are really preaching self-acceptance.
MICAHELS: I love her music, yeah, 100%. I don&#8217;t know anything about her. I&#8217;m sure she&#8217;s a cool, awesome chick.
BERG: Yeah, and I love that they&#8217;re putting images out there that we normally don&#8217;t get to see of bodies that we don&#8217;t get to see being celebrated, and&#8230;
MICHAELS: But why are we celebrating her body? Why does it matter? That’s what I&#8217;m saying. Like, why aren&#8217;t we celebrating her music? ‘Cause it isn&#8217;t gonna be awesome if she gets diabetes. I&#8217;m just being honest. I love her music, like, my kid loves her music, but there&#8217;s never a moment where I&#8217;m like, “And I&#8217;m so glad that she&#8217;s overweight!” Like, why do I even care? Why is it my job to care about her weight?
BERG: For a lot of people, that image resonates that they feel good enough, and actually, I want to get to a tweet about this that was in response to your conversation with Wendy Williams yesterday when you spoke a little bit about body positivity, and Cocoa Popps tweeted: “Saw Jillian Michaels talk about people ‘celebrating obesity.’ Body positivity isn&#8217;t about celebrating being unhealthy. (and you can be overweight and be healthy.) It’s embracing yourself without society&#8217;s permission. Very disappointed by what she said and the presumptive tone.” So, what do you say to a response like that?
MICAHELS: Okay, I would say, first of all, most people that are that are morbidly obese are not healthy. Now, if they&#8217;re working on losing weight – and because they&#8217;re working out and they&#8217;re eating right you can reverse that stuff pretty quick – but I mean, I&#8217;ve been doing this a real long time. I have yet to meet a person that&#8217;s gotten themselves to 200, 250, 300 pounds, and the doctor goes, “Looking good!” I mean, no. Just no. Just no. So, I would say to Cocoa Popps, like, first of all, this isn&#8217;t what you do, so you don&#8217;t know. You haven&#8217;t been to the doctor with person after person after person after person that&#8217;s 100 lbs overweight and looked at their labs – like, you just, you don&#8217;t know. That’s not what you do.
I&#8217;m not saying, and never have I said, that we shouldn&#8217;t be inclusive and accepting. I&#8217;m saying that I don&#8217;t love Lizzo because she&#8217;s overweight. I like her because of her music – and by the way, if you said to me, like, “Hey, Lizzo can live to be 90 and motivate people, or she can die at 60 and motivate people,” why wouldn&#8217;t I say, like, “I really hope she&#8217;s as healthy as she can be”? It’s not about saying that I don&#8217;t respect her, [that] I don&#8217;t think she&#8217;s awesome. I absolutely do, but I also would hate to see her get sick, and I mean &#8230; it&#8217;s the number one cause of bankruptcy in the country, like, come on! It’s a problem. These are facts.</blockquote>

Jillian Michaels and Lizzo.

Jillian Michaels Posts Pic Of Herself When She Was Overweight After Lizzo Blow Up

Fat Acceptance

This article has been updated since its original publication.
Fitness icon Jillian Michaels (&#8220;The Biggest Loser&#8221;) has defended her critique of pop singer Lizzo&#8217;s body positivity image in response to critics claiming she &#8220;body-shamed&#8221; her for daring to point out that obesity leads to serious health issues.
In an exclusive <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2020/01/09/jillian-michaels-defend-lizzo-fat-shaming-comment-health-diabetes/">interview with TMZ</a> on Thursday, Michaels said that her comments had nothing to do with Lizzo&#8217;s worth as a human being and everything to do with her position as a health expert.
&#8220;Look, I&#8217;m a health expert,&#8221; Michaels told TMZ. &#8220;For decades, I have said your weight and your size have no bearing or merit on your value, your beauty, your worth, your ability. Where it does have relevance is your health. And to pretend that it doesn&#8217;t is not only irresponsible, it&#8217;s dangerous. And it&#8217;s just not a lie I&#8217;m willing to tell because it&#8217;s politically correct.&#8221;
Michaels went on to say that her &#8220;overall point&#8221; is that loving oneself does not exclude taking care of one&#8217;s health.
&#8220;My overall point is to take care of your health because you love yourself,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;That&#8217;s kind of the whole point. And that we should value people based on their skills and their abilities. It should be irrelevant what size they are.&#8221;
Ultimately, Michaels&#8217; critique had less to do with Lizzo&#8217;s weight and more to do with how segments of the media have been celebrating her body for smashing traditional standards of beauty while seeming to have no regard for the health consequences. Even in her <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jillian-michaels-on-lizzo-why-are-we-celebrating-her-body-wont-be-awesome-if-she-gets-diabetes">interview with Buzzfeed</a> on Wednesday, Michaels simply pointed out her health concerns and did not denounce Lizzo as an individual.
“I have to say, I have personally found and I love celebrities like Lizzo or Ashley Graham who are really preaching self-acceptance,” the Buzzfeed host said.
“I love her music, yeah, 100 percent,” Michaels responded. “I don’t know anything about her, I’m sure she’s a cool, awesome chick.”
“Yeah, and I love that they’re putting images out there that we normally don’t get to see of bodies that we don’t get to see being celebrated,” the host continued.
“But why are we celebrating her body? Why does it matter? That’s what I’m saying,&#8221; said Michaels. &#8220;Why aren’t we celebrating her music? Because it isn’t going to be awesome if she gets diabetes. I’m just being honest. I love her music, my kid loves her music, but there’s never a moment when I’m like, ‘I’m so glad she’s overweight.’ Why do I even care? Why is it my job to care about her weight?”
Shortly thereafter, Michaels experienced a public flogging on social media for being an alleged &#8220;fat shamer.&#8221; Here are just a few helpful samplings:
&#8220;Nick Jonas and Halle Berry both have diabetes. Fat does not equal diabetes,&#8221; said one Twitter user, who seemed unaware of the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.
&#8220;TW Fatphobia — Once you understand that nothing she is saying is backed by fact or science, this interview becomes all the more pathetic. This isn&#8217;t about health, this is about humiliating and shaming bodies that are not white and thin,&#8221; said another Twitter user.
&#8220;All this time it turns out Jillian Michaels was the biggest loser,&#8221; said Trayvon Free.
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Nick Jonas and Halle Berry both have diabetes. Fat does not equal diabetes.
&mdash; Gheigh Niggaologist (@NegroClarkKent_) <a href="https://twitter.com/NegroClarkKent_/status/1214982485668438022?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2020</a></blockquote>
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TW Fatphobia &#8211; Once you understand that nothing she is saying is backed by fact or science, this interview becomes all the more pathetic. This isn&#39;t about health, this is about humiliating and shaming bodies that are not white and thin. <a href="https://t.co/yeYZrWBvLf">https://t.co/yeYZrWBvLf</a>
&mdash; belen (@cloudiabelen) <a href="https://twitter.com/cloudiabelen/status/1214994383038083072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2020</a></blockquote>
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All this time it turns out Jillian Michaels was the biggest loser. <a href="https://t.co/KKEN9SI7vi">https://t.co/KKEN9SI7vi</a>
&mdash; Travon Free (@Travon) <a href="https://twitter.com/Travon/status/1215004740783763456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2020</a></blockquote>
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UPDATE: The original article attributed statements made by the Buzzfeed host to Jillian Michaels during her Wednesday interview. This article has been slightly altered to reflect that.

LizzoMiche

Jillian Michaels Refuses Apology For Allegedly ‘Fat Shaming’ Lizzo Amid Backlash

Political Correctness

On Thursday, <a href="https://www.womenshealthmag.com/uk/fitness/fat-loss/a30105892/jillian-michaels-cover-star/">Women’s Health UK</a> released an interview with author and fitness guru Jillian Michaels.
During the interview, Michaels stated that the celebration of obesity is dangerous, and only encouraged by political correctness:
<blockquote>I think we’re politically correct to the point of endangering people. Yes, we want to be inclusive of everyone [and respect that] everyone comes in all different shapes and sizes&#8230;
That nobody should ever be body shamed or fat shamed or excluded and that everyone is equally deserving and should feel equally valuable. But obesity in itself is not something that should be glamourised. But we’ve become so politically correct that no one wants to say it.</blockquote>
She later added that the reason shows like “The Biggest Loser” aren’t promoted to the degree they once were is due to political correctness: “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. Now we’ve gone so far in the opposite direction.”
A new season of “The Biggest Loser” premiers on the USA network in late-January.
Following the release of the interview, Michaels was dragged on social media:
Actress and abortion activist Jameela Jamil tweeted:
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2/2 Just existing, or even DARING to post a nice picture of yourself feeling beautiful and sexy isn’t glamorizing ANYTHING. It’s just existing and loving yourself. Not a crime. Not a threat to anyone. Shame and erasure doesn’t work. If it did, we’d be a *very* thin world by now.
— Jameela Jamil (@jameelajamil) <a href="https://twitter.com/jameelajamil/status/1203749258047787008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2019</a></blockquote>
<blockquote>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. There’s PCOS, Insulin resistance, Medication side effects, etc&#8230;Just existing, or even DARING to post a nice picture of yourself feeling beautiful and sexy isn’t glamorizing ANYTHING. It’s just existing and loving yourself. Not a crime. Not a threat to anyone. Shame and erasure doesn’t work. If it did, we’d be a *very* thin world by now.</blockquote>
Twitter user @Cyclopticcake wrote a similarly scathing rebuke:
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<a href="https://twitter.com/JillianMichaels?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JillianMichaels</a> your women’s health article was trash. it was hurtful and dehumanizing. it negates the humanity of fat folks. if you want better for fat people than stop shaming them. signed, a glamorous fat who will not put up with you.
— jessie oliver (@cyclopticcake) <a href="https://twitter.com/cyclopticcake/status/1204873396997230592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2019</a></blockquote>
<blockquote>You know what’s unhealthy @JillianMichaels – feeding people caffeine pills so they’ll lose weight, negating people’s humanity with words like “obese,” telling people that them feeling good about themselves is “glamorizing obesity.” Do you know the damage that does to fat folks mental health, @JillianMichaels? Are you essentially saying that our only purpose is to be confined into a dehumanizing box that you literally profit off of? Would you speak this way about or to any other marginalized group? &#8230; Your Women’s Health article was trash. It was hurtful and dehumanizing. It negates the humanity of fat folks. If you want better for fat people, then stop shaming them. Signed, a glamorous fat who will not put up with you.</blockquote>
User @Joybur10 wrote: “Body positivity isn’t about ‘glamorizing’ obesity, Jillian Michaels. It’s about fighting the pressure to ‘glamorize’ EATING DISORDERS.”
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Body positivity isn’t about “glamorizing” obesity, Jillian Michaels. It’s about fighting the pressure to “glamorize” EATING DISORDERS. <a href="https://t.co/h4DuQAJGWb">https://t.co/h4DuQAJGWb</a>
— Joy Burton (@joybur10) <a href="https://twitter.com/joybur10/status/1203136963118800896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2019</a></blockquote>
“Health at every size” activist Ragen Chastain criticized Michaels in her “<a href="https://danceswithfat.org/2019/12/12/jillian-michaels-is-still-trying-to-glamorize-bullying/">Dances with Fat</a>” blog:
<blockquote>Jillian Michaels is nothing but a bully who wants a world where she can continue to use fatphobia to <a href="https://danceswithfat.org/2016/05/06/the-biggest-losers-big-surprise/">profit off her weight loss lie. </a>That’s bad enough, but trying to co-opt the language of fat activists to do it is a new level of despicable, even for her.</blockquote>
Michaels did find support:
One Twitter user <a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/jimmyfetish/status/1204800270229811205?s=21">wrote</a>: “I fully support your views on obesity and of course you might not read this, but you were honestly a big inspiration for me! At this point, I’ve lost 70lbs from the original 240lbs I was, and I couldn’t be happier :)”
@Makneekuh wrote: “<a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/JillianMichaels">@JillianMichaels</a> is on point. I love to see my students/clients embracing their journey. You can&#8217;t take this journey without living yourself. But be realistic about where you&#8217;re at and where you need to get to to be the BEST,  HEALTHIEST version of YOU!”
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<a href="https://twitter.com/JillianMichaels?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JillianMichaels</a> is on point. I love to see my students/ clients embracing their journey. You can&#8217;t take this journey without living yourself. But be realistic about where you&#8217;re at and where you need to get to to be the BEST, HEALTHIEST version of YOU! <a href="https://t.co/ZPoXpPfXE5">https://t.co/ZPoXpPfXE5</a>
— M. H. (@makneekuh) <a href="https://twitter.com/makneekuh/status/1205219111690588160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2019</a></blockquote>
Journalist Emily Miller wrote: “Even though I&#8217;m eating my way through holiday season on carbs/sugar/crap, I totally agree with <a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/JillianMichaels">@JillianMichaels</a> saying that ‘obesity in itself is not something that should be glamorized&#8230;. We’ve become so politically correct that no one wants to say it.’”
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Even though I&#8217;m eating my way through holiday season on carbs/sugar/crap, I totally agree with <a href="https://twitter.com/JillianMichaels?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JillianMichaels</a> saying that &#8220;obesity in itself is not something that should be glamorized&#8230;. We’ve become so politically correct that no one wants to say it.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/tTZBuae0wg">https://t.co/tTZBuae0wg</a>
— Emily Miller (@emilymiller) <a href="https://twitter.com/emilymiller/status/1205246061478055937?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2019</a></blockquote>
Michaels hasn’t responded to Jamil’s tweet, nor has she tweeted anything regarding the backlash her comments have generated.
The <a href="https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/weight-management/adult-overweight-obesity/health-risks">National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases</a> (NIDDKD) reports that being overweight or obese can contribute to developing Type II diabetes, heart disease, various cancers, high blood pressure, stroke, sleep apnea, metabolic syndrome, fatty liver diseases, kidney disease, and osteoarthritis, among other things.
According to a <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1614362">study</a> published in The New England Journal of Medicine, “in 2015, high BMI contributed to 4.0 million deaths &#8230; which represented 7.1% &#8230; of the deaths from any cause; it also contributed to 120 million disability-adjusted life-years &#8230; which represented 4.9% &#8230; of disability-adjusted life-years from any cause among adults globally. A total of 39% of the deaths and 37% of the disability-adjusted life-years that were related to high BMI occurred in persons with a BMI of less than 30.”
[Ellipses in the above paragraph indicate where “uncertainty intervals” were removed for clarity. However, as an example, the NEJM article states that “high BMI contributed to 4.0 million deaths (95% uncertainty interval, 2.7 to 5.3).” This means that the authors are 95% confident that the true effect connected to “high BMI” deaths is between 2.7 million and 5.3 million.]

Fitness Guru Jillian Michaels Gets Blasted For Saying ‘Obesity’ Should Not Be ‘Glamorized’