Celebrity fitness guru Jillian Michaels has hit back at the controversial new Netflix documentary,Fit For TV: The Reality of The Biggest Loser. The docuseries, which offers a peek-behind-the-curtain at the making of the divisive reality showThe Biggest Loser, contains several startling revelations about the show, and Michaels herself, who is not portrayed in a positive light.
Fit For TVis one of the best documentaries on Netflix, and has shone a light on some of the morally questionable practices taken by reality TV shows. However, the portrayal of Michaels as a sneering bully who bragged about becoming a millionaire, and who allegedly gave contestants caffeine pills, has caused the fitness trainer to hit back.
In several posts on her official Instagram account, Michaels hit back at the claims made about her, providing evidence by way of emails and text messages that she claims exonerate her from the allegations. Check out Michaels' posts below:
In the first post, she shares an email chain between herself, fellow presenter Bob Harper, and the show’s producers, which seems to indicate that she provided contestants with caffeine pills without the show’s knowledge.
She then goes on to share details that she raised concerns about the health of contestant Rachel Frederickson, which resulted in a threat of legal action from then chairman of NBC Entertainment, Paul Teledgy.
She also provided email evidence that seemingly disproves the claim she restricted contestants from eating enough calories.
She finally posted a text message exchange refuting the claim that she stated that a contestant had made her a millionaire.
What This Means For The Allegations Against Michaels
While Michaels does not appear inFit For TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser, her presence in the documentary is strong, and some of the allegations against her are fairly serious. Given that these allegations undermine Michaels' professional integrity, it stands to reason she would want to speak out against them.
The Biggest Loserran 17 seasons on NBC from 2004-2016, and returned for an 18th season on USA Network in 2020.
Following in the footsteps ofNetflix’s Jerry Springer documentary,Fit For TVcontained plenty of revelations, and several of the allegations about Michaels have led to the fitness expert considering legal action against Netflix (perEW). This could set a precedent for future documentaries, if Michaels successfully sues the streaming giants.
Our Take On Michaels' Fit For TV Portrayal
While it is difficult to know what went on behind the scenes ofThe Biggest Loser, the fact thatFit For TVsurpassedWednesday season 2 on the Netflix chartsmeans there is clearly enough drama and revelations to attract viewers. However, this doesn’t mean the documentary isn’t taking artistic license with how events unfolded on the show.
The fact Michaels does not appear suggests there might be bad blood between her and others involved inThe Biggest Loser. Which would also explain the inclusion of these allegations, as well as her attempts to hit back. The fallout fromFit For TVmight yet prove to be an issue for both Netflix and Michaels in the future.
