Jillian Michaels Releases New Statements Surrounding Lizzo Body Image Controversy

Shortly after her controversial interview regarding body image issues and a certain famous singer, Jillian Michaels is clarifying her comments about Lizzo. The former Biggest Loser personality appeared on Extra on Monday, Jan. 13 in order to try to set the record straight days after her statements about Lizzo caused a public outcry.

As a refresher, this whole drama started when Michaels appeared on Buzzfeed’s AM to DM on Jan. 8. While the trainer did praise the “Good as Hell” singer, the conversation about her took a turn when host Alex Berg brought up Lizzo’s message about self-acceptance.

“Why are we celebrating her body?” Michaels said in response. “Why does it matter? Why aren’t we celebrating her music? ‘Cause it isn’t gonna be awesome if she gets diabetes.”

More recently, on Extra, Michaels clarified that her comments were not meant to be about Lizzo specifically.

“Here’s the reality… It was actually about The Biggest Loser and does that show work today, and I said I don’t think so, because I think the world has become so PC that we’ve gone so far to glamorize obesity and… I think this is where things can become unsafe, that we’re denying the reality of certain health ramifications,” Michaels told Extra‘s Billy Bush.

“There’s two different narratives,” she continued to clarify. “One narrative is love yourself, value yourself, and — by the way — only from this place can you be healthier, mentally, physically… believe in your worth and believe in your ability, but where this comes into play, right, you’re weight, your size, whatever you want to call it, is your health, and denying that there are serious health ramifications when we are overweight is just not a lie I’m willing to tell.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Michaels said that she regretted the fact that Lizzo got brought into this issue in the first place.

“Well, first of all, she didn’t invite this at all and what I really regret is this argument became about a person and what happened was I was asked if I celebrate her being overweight and I should have said, ‘I don’t celebrate anyone being overweight,’ and I don’t know what would I say to her,” Michaels said. “I’m a huge fan, which is exactly what I said in the interview.”

“Unfortunately, a human being was attached to a case that I was making,” she added. “I wish that I would have responded that I don’t celebrate anyone being overweight.”