Jillian Michaels’ Feuds Through the Years: From Andy Cohen Clapbacks to Keto Diet Controversy

Credit: Jewell/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

Jillian Michaels' Feuds Through the Years: From Andy Cohen Clapbacks to Keto Diet Controversy

Drama, drama, drama! Jillian Michaels is not afraid to speak her mind, no matter what the topic, resulting in many feuds with health professionals and celebrities over the years. The former Biggest Loser star has publicly called out Andy Cohen, Lizzo and Teddi Mellencamp for their differing opinions — and questioned fitness trends and weight loss programs. “We’ve not been friendly for years,” Michaels exclusively told Us Weekly in January 2019 of her tumultuous relationship with Cohen. “I did his show once and it was a really awful experience,” referencing her 2013 interview on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen. The personal trainer called the Bravo host “extremely rude … condescending and unprofessional” after the pair’s rocky first meeting. Cohen, for his part, named Michaels his least favorite guest, claiming she was “mean to my staff.” The pair’s feud didn’t stop there, fueling the fire for many years to come. After Michaels shared her controversial opinions on the keto diet in January 2019, Cohen fired back at her and her negative thoughts on the health plan. [jwplayer UnYaZ28C-l3ahXupL] Al Roker, who lost weight on the keto plan, also clapped back at Michaels after she denounced the diet. “So @JillianMichaels says #Keto is a bad idea. This from a woman who promoted on camera bullying, deprivation, manipulation and more weekly in the name of weight loss,” he tweeted at the time. “Now those sound like bad ideas.” Michaels addressed both Cohen and Roker’s comments about her later that month on the “Skimm’d From the Couch” podcast. “What’s so disappointing is that for years I’ve done the Today show. For years I’ve done segments with this guy,” she said of Roker. “I was always greeted with the ‘Kiddo,’ right? And the big hug and the ‘How’s the family?’ and, like, I always thought we were homies.” As for Cohen, Michaels noted that he is “just not a nice guy.” Scroll down to relive some of Michaels’ most noteworthy feuds over the years. [podcast_block]

Credit: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Shutterstock; Gregory Pace/Shutterstock

Jillian vs. Andy Cohen

The Biggest Loser alum first butted heads with the Bravo host in 2013 after he said she was his least favorite guest on Watch What Happens Live. “She freaked out after the show and was so mean to my staff,” he alleged at the time. Five years later, Michaels claimed that Cohen “hates women” and slammed his Real Housewives franchise. Cohen proceeded to fire back, saying, “This is the woman who screamed at people for a living on The Biggest Loser. She should stay in her own lane.”

Michaels reignited her feud with Cohen after she slammed the keto diet in 2019 and faced backlash over her comments. “Don’t feel bad, keto diet. A lot of people think Jillian Michaels is a bad idea,” Cohen said, which prompted the trainer to be blunt about her feelings toward him once again. “Andy Cohen … is just not a nice guy. And I’ve said that for many years,” she said on a January 2019 episode of theSkimm’s “Skimm’d From the Couch” podcast. “I had a really crappy experience with him on his show. … He’s, like, constantly looking for, like, a way to pick at me. … He doesn’t do keto. He doesn’t believe in keto. He’s just an a–hole.”

Credit: Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock; Gregory Pace/Shutterstock

The Keto of It All

The Slim for Life author has slammed the keto diet on numerous occasions. In January 2019, Michaels told Women’s Health that she believes keto is a “bad plan for a million reasons,” which caused Cohen to say that she “is a bad idea.” Her comment also caught Al Roker’s attention. He tweeted that Michaels “promoted on camera bullying, deprivation, manipulations and more … in the name of weight loss” during her time on The Biggest Loser.

Three months later, Michaels doubled down on her keto concerns while appearing on the “#Adulting” podcast. “People can criticize me all they want, but the bottom line is, it is science and the science is there, and it is bad for your overall health and wellness.”

Michaels brought up her past feud with Cohen and Roker during a November 2020 interview on the aforementioned podcast. “Like with keto — Al Roker and Andy Cohen — I was like, ‘Great, let’s have this debate!’ [They were] gone. Vanished! Bye, bye. Gone!” she said at the time. “You know, anybody who — paleo, vegan — I mean, bring it! So, you have to do your work and be prepared in order to put something out in the world that has staying power and that delivers on the results.”

Credit: John Nacion/Startraks; Nina Prommer/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock; Courtesy of Lindsay Broekel/Instagram

CrossFit Controversy

Michaels shared her opinions on CrossFit during an interview with Shape in December 2018. When the accompanying video resurfaced online in February 2019, the former Sweat INC. host received some heat for her comments. “I have a few issues with CrossFit, which is not a secret. First of all, you’ve got what, maybe 20 to 25 movements that don’t really vary?” Michaels said at the time. “And you’re doing them over and over and over again. So on one hand it stops being effective because you’re not challenging the body from various angles of push and pull, with different varieties of exercises and different types of movements that work different modalities.”

She added: “And I know CrossFit (athletes say), ‘Oh, we work all the modalities!’ — but no, not really, so shouldn’t you choose a workout that has a little bit more flexibility and strength so you get more mobility, not just power, which is speed and strength.”

CrossFit athlete Brooke Ence clapped back at Michaels’ comments during a February 2019 episode of “Between the Reps” podcast. She attributed Michaels' rant to “needing to stay relevant so she needs to create controversy.” Ence added: “Honestly I feel bad for her, whoever fed her the information about what is CrossFit did not do their homework and in turn made her look like a complete moron.”

Weightlifter Lindsay Broekel also responded to the Shape interview, writing on social media, “How about you feature @crossfit now and let them defend their position. Maybe even have @jillianmichaels there and let’s get a little debate going. Crossfitters probably have 25 different ways they walk on their hands nevermind 25 different movements…. ??♀‍.”

Credit: Jeffrey Mayer/JTMPhotos Int'l/MEGA; Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock

Jillian vs. Lizzo

The fitness guru came under fire in January 2020 after she suggested the “Juice” singer’s weight will lead to diabetes. “Why are we celebrating her body? Why does it matter?” Michaels asked during an interview with BuzzFeed News’ AM to DM. “Why aren’t we celebrating her music? ‘Cause it isn’t gonna be awesome if she gets diabetes. I’m just being honest.”

The personal trainer issued a statement regarding her comments after receiving backlash from Whoopi Goldberg, Jameela Jamil and others. “As I’ve stated repeatedly, we are all beautiful, worthy, and equally deserving,” she wrote via Instagram. “I also feel strongly that we love ourselves enough to acknowledge there are serious health consequences that come with obesity – heart disease, diabetes, cancer to name only a few. I would never wish these for ANYONE and I would hope we prioritize our health because we LOVE ourselves and our bodies.”

Lizzo subtly commented on the issue by posting a video of herself walking around her place and taking in views. “At the 25 second mark I want you to take 5 deep breaths ... in through the nose ... out through the mouth,” she captioned the Instagram post. “Today’s mantra is: This is my life. I have done nothing wrong. I forgive myself for thinking I was wrong in the first place. I deserve to be happy.”

Credit: Famous/ACE PICTURES/INSTAR; Broadimage/Shutterstock

Jillian vs. Teddi Mellencamp

The 6 Keys author criticized the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum during an appearance on the “#ADULTING” podcast in November 2020, after Mellencamp’s weight loss program, All In, came under fire earlier in the year. “You know, these women are not, they’re not nutritionists,” Michaels said. “They’re not registered dietitians. It sounds like they’re not certified fitness experts.”

She continued: “And it doesn’t sound like they got all of those individuals behind their program. And I could very well be wrong — I don’t know — but it doesn’t sound like they did. So, this is where I would say, look, get out of your lane. You don’t see me commenting on politics? I don’t understand half of these policies. I’m not an economist. I didn’t go to school to study foreign policy. You know what I mean? That’s not my lane … I would say, stay in your lane. And when you’re in your lane, do your work.”

Mellencamp previously defended the program in September 2020, saying she “100 percent feel[s] confident in the fact that we let you know before signing up exactly what the program entails. If it’s something that you want to do and you want us to hold you accountable to your goals, we are there to do that for you. If it’s not something you want to sign up for, you don’t. That’s why I love that we are very transparent from the beginning.”