Jillian Michaels rose to fame after being a trainer on The Biggest Loser — which was met with controversy from time to time — but where is she now?
NBC’s The Biggest Loser, which premiered in 2004, followed a group of people deemed overweight who would compete in a 30-week competition. The goal was to lose as many pounds as possible to be crowned “the biggest loser.”
The competition series quickly became a cultural phenomenon as viewers tuned in weekly to see Michaels and Bob Harper train contestants. The Biggest Loser later received criticism for allegedly pushing contestants to lose weight through intense exercise and calorie-restricted diets.
Michaels specifically faced backlash after a 2013 episode of the show when she was accused of cheating by allowing her team to take caffeine pills without doctor’s permission. “I stand by my opinion,” she said at the time. “A caffeine supplement is significantly healthier than unlimited amounts of coffee.”
The show publicly acknowledged that caffeine pills were used in violation of its own rules, and Michaels was reprimanded on screen. Despite having some regrets, Michaels stood by her approach on the show.
“The ones I yelled at are the ones that kept it off,” she shared on Today Health in 2021. “You need them to feel the pain of the way they’ve been living. You need them to have a rock bottom moment where they’re like, ‘I can’t take one more moment.’”
Michaels concluded: “The diet worked amazing. You eat less, you move more, and there you go. The contestants who were unsuccessful when they went home, they had unresolved issues with food.”
Netflix’s August 2025 docuseries Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser further explored Michaels’ time on the show. Since Michaels didn’t participate in the special, keep scrolling to see where the fitness trainer is now:
What Was Jillian’s History With ‘The Biggest Loser’?
The nutritionist was a trainer on The Biggest Loser when the show premiered in 2004. She remained on the show for two seasons before being replaced by Kim Lyons. Michaels returned to the reality show in 2007 and was also a trainer in the Australian version of the show from 2006 to 2008.
Michaels exited The Biggest Loser in 2011 before returning for season 14. Her final season was in 2013 but she didn’t come back again before The Biggest Loser ended its original run in 2016.
How Has Jillian Reflected on Her Time on the Show?
Michaels reflected on what she felt should have been done differently on the show, telling Today Health in 2021 that The Biggest Loser “needed a mental health professional” to better help the contestants.
“I think there was some random guy they could talk to if they needed, but these people needed deep work,” she explained. “When you have someone that weighs 400 lbs, that’s not just an individual who likes pizza. There’s a whole lot going on there emotionally.”
Michaels also said she didn’t like the game element. “Nobody should have been eliminated. That was my No. 1 issue with the show,” she continued. “But the producers gamified weight loss. It was weight loss on a ticking clock.”
Was Jillian Involved in Netflix’s Tell-All Docuseries?
During the third part of Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser, which premiered in August 2025, the docuseries featured a message that read, “Jillian Michaels declined to participate in this documentary.”
Michaels was mentioned in all three parts, and archive footage of her and Harper was used throughout.
What Was Said About Jillian in ‘Fit for TV’?
While Michaels wasn’t featured in Fit for TV, she was still a major topic of conversation when her fellow trainer Harper was asked about their friendship — especially following his 2017 heart attack.
“How do I put this? People were always like, ‘You and Jillian have been so close.’ I was like, ‘Well we were close on TV,’” Harper told producers in the docuseries. “After I had my heart attack, she’s the one person I never heard from. That to me spoke volumes.”
Where Is Jillian Now?
In addition to The Biggest Loser, Michaels had her own one-season spinoff Losing It With Jillian and appeared on The Doctors. She also cohosted Spike’s Sweat, INC and scored her own short-lived E! reality series, Just Jillian.
Off screen, Michaels dated Heidi Rhoades from 2009 to 2018 and they expanded their family with two kids before their split. Michaels has been married to fashion designer Deshanna Marie Minuto since 2022.
Michaels made headlines in August 2025 for her comments about slavery and race while on a panel on CNN NewsNight With Abby Phillip about President Donald Trump‘s order for a review of the Smithsonian Institution’s exhibits.
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