Jillian Michaels is a reality star, fitness expert, nutritionist, author, and businesswoman, most commonly known for her appearances in various reality television series such as The Biggest Loser (2004-2022), The Doctors (2008-2022), and Just Jillian (2016-).
She has spoken about her youth, stating that she was very overweight and using food to comfort herself after her parents got divorced when she was just 13. As a way to get her to exercise, her mother enrolled her in after-school activities such as martial arts to help her focus on her fitness and overall well-being. After her first few classes, Jillian mentioned that she fell in love with the sport and started having fun, relying on food less and less for her happiness. She now holds a black belt in martial arts and is a personal trainer.
In her career as a personal trainer, Jillian uses a mix of weight training, kickboxing, yoga, and Pilates to achieve results. She takes her training very seriously, being certified by CanFitPro, the National Exercise & Sports Trainers Association (NESTA), and the Aerobics Fitness Organization of America (AAFA).
Jillian first entered the cultural zeitgeist as one of the original trainers on the reality show The Biggest Loser in 2004, exiting the series as a regular in 2006 but coming back to train in 2007, 2012, and 2013. She has then gone on to appear in other seasons as a guest and in spinoffs from 2011-2013.
Thanks to this newfound fame, Jillian took the opportunity to launch Jillian Michaels: The Fitness App, which is currently rated as one of the top fitness apps, and has won awards for best of in fitness categories.
Jillian came out in 2012, stating,
Let’s just say I believe in healthy love. If I fall in love with a woman, that’s awesome. If I fall in love with a man, that’s awesome. As long as you fall in love… it’s like organic food. I only eat healthy food, and I only want healthy love!
Soon after that, she got engaged to her long-term partner Heidi Rhoades, and also shared her thoughts on why she came out later in her career.
Adoption was something I was passionate about and planning on pursuing. I didn’t know where the future was going to take me, where I was going to live, or where I was going to find my child, but I did know [that the system penalizes same-sex couples] and that I needed to be able to say “I’m a single mom” to adopt in certain places. I was not going to allow prejudiced people with power to limit my ability to find the right child for me. So I was open [about having been in relationships with women], but the minute I had my family legally, that is when I came out fully.
Since then, Jillian has been very open about her personal life and relationships, also sharing that coming out has been great for her family, as it has shown her kids that they should never be afraid of who they are and that it might not be the easiest path, but that there’s freedom in authenticity and having the courage to be yourself.
In 2018, Jillian and Heidi Rhoades split after nine years of being together, although they remain friends and still co-parent their children. That same year, she started a relationship and married her wife, DeShanna Marie Michaels.