Jillian Michaels noticeably did not take part in Fit for TV: The Reality of The Biggest Loser, a Netflix docuseries that pulled back the curtain on what went down on the weight loss show that aired from 2004 to 2020. Michaels served as a trainer on the series for 12 seasons and found herself embroiled in controversy when she was accused of illegally giving her clients caffeine pills during their weight loss journeys.
The backlash the show received for this controversy and more was explored in the three-episode doc, and four days after its release, Michaels hit back. She told TMZ that she’s meeting with attorney Bryan Freedman to explore her options for how to retaliate. That could mean officially lawyering up and taking her complaints against Netflix, the docuseries producer, fellow trainer Bob Harper, and Dr. Robert Huizenga, who served as the medical advisor on the show, to court.
Throughout the day on Tuesday, August 19, Michaels posted screenshots of old text messages and emails that she says absolve her from any blame. Her first post featured an email from a coordinating producer on The Biggest Loser. The message was sent to Michaels, Harper, producers for The Biggest Loser, and Sandy Krum, who Michaels referred to as “Dr. Huizenga’s guy who stayed on set with us and distributed the fat burners.”
The email read, “We just received the books and will be giving them out today. Sandy has the electromix and bi-carb. Do you still want Stacker 2 or 3? I’ll have it for them first thing in the morning.” The message seemed to be referencing energy supplements that were going to be given to contestants.
She also posted her response to the email chain, which said, “Honey can you go to GNC and [buy] my fat burner extreme instead.” Michaels insisted that these messages prove that Dr Huizenga “did approve caffeine pills” on the show and that Harper also knew about the caffeine pills (both Huizenga and Harper were talking heads in Fit for TV). She claimed that Harper was the one who suggested “stackers fat burner,” while Michaels said she wanted to use her own brand “because they were cleaner and had no more than 200 mg of caffeine (equivalent to a strong cup of coffee).”
Michaels also stood by what she’s always claimed: that caffeine was “never banned” on the show. To close out the post, she shared her “second to last text ever to Bob Harper,” which was written in June 2014 and said, “I really think it’s s**tty of you to not even respond to my texts. It’s this kind of thing that always makes me so disappointed [in] our relationship.” This appeared to be Michaels hitting back at Harper for his recent dig about her not reaching out when he had a heart attack in 2017.
In a second Instagram post, Michaels responded to an allegation in the documentary that she told a Biggest Loser contestant, “You’re going to make me a millionaire.” She insisted, “I want to state unequivocally that this is false. The full moment was captured on camera, and both the contestant and I were wearing microphones. If such a comment had been made, it would exist on the audio record.” She also shared screenshots of text messages with two of the show’s executive producers “confirming that this exchange never occurred.”
Her third post responded to the claims that she “restricted contestants from eating enough calories.” She provided an email correspondence with a contestant who was home for the holidays during filming. “I explicitly instructed her to consume 1,600 calories per day,” Michaels pointed out. “Additionally, the two other emails posted here are standard communications with the show’s producers and medical staff, emphasizing the ongoing priority of ensuring contestants were adequately nourished and the need to provide a steady supply of fresh food in the BL house to guarantee ready access to calories.”
Finally, Michaels addressed the controversy surrounding Rachel Frederickson, who won Season 15 of The Biggest Loser, which was Michael’s last time on the show. Frederickson’s extreme weight loss shocked viewers, and Michaels said, “Not only did I never once get the opportunity to personally work with Rachel Frederickson in any capacity — I raised serious concerns both publicly and to NBC directly about contestant health and the condition of Rachel in particular at BL’s Season 15 finale. In response, I received a direct email from Paul Telegdy, then-Chairman of NBC Entertainment. In that email, he made clear that if I did not publicly condone the appearance of contestant Rachel Frederickson at the show’s finale, NBC would pursue legal action against me. I resigned from The Biggest Loser shortly thereafter.”
Once again, Michaels provided the receipts by sharing Telegdy’s full email to her, which can be seen above.
Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser, Streaming Now, Netflix
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