Jillian Michaels is an American personal trainer, reality show personality, talk show host and entrepreneur from Los Angeles, California. Michaels is best known for her appearances on NBC's The Biggest Loser and Losing It With Jillian. She is also known for her appearance on talk show The Doctors. Since appearing on The Doctors, she and the other co-hosts have all been nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host, as well as the show being nominated for Outstanding Informative Talk Show.

Career

As a personal trainer, Michaels uses a blend of strength training techniques with her clients, including kickboxing, yoga, Pilates, plyometrics, and weight training. Michaels holds certifications with the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA), the National Exercise and Sports Trainers Association (NESTA), and Kettlebell Concepts.

In January 2012, Michaels released a 90-day weight loss program titled Body Revolution. The program features new workouts, meal plans and other personal training regimens.

Michaels' business partner and manager is Giancarlo Chersich. Together they operate Empowered Media, LLC.

Media

Michaels has released over 15 DVDs since 2005, including Ripped in 30, Extreme Shed and Shred and Killer Buns and Thighs. Her latest DVD release, Kickbox Fastfix, was released in March 2012.

In addition to her DVDs, Michaels has also authored several books on health and wellness topics. Several of these books, including Master Your Metabolism and Unlimited, have made the New York Times Best Seller list.

Michaels hosted a Sunday talk radio show on Los Angeles' KFI (640 AM) from 2006 through 2009. Since February 2011, Michaels has hosted a weekly podcast, The Jillian Michaels Show, through iTunes. In December 2011 the show was among the podcasts honored by Apple in its App Store Rewind 2011, winning in the Best New Audio Podcast category.

On October 21, 2008, she launched a new video game for the Wii, Jillian Michaels' Fitness Ultimatum 2009 A year later, she launched a sequel called Fitness Ultimatum 2010. In 2011 Michaels released two more games, Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2011 and Jillian Michaels Fitness Adventure for the Xbox 360.

The Biggest Loser

Michaels was an original trainer on the reality series The Biggest Loser when the show debuted in October 2004. On the show Michaels assumed the role of the Red Team trainer and remained in that capacity for the show's first two seasons. After her departure in 2006 she was replaced by Kim Lyons. She returned to the show in 2007 as the Black Team trainer, competing against Lyons' Red Team and Bob Harper's Blue Team. Along with Harper, Michaels was also a trainer in the Australian version of the show from 2006 to 2008.

On December 7, 2010, Michaels announced via Twitter that the eleventh season of the show would be her last. Michaels made her last appearance on The Biggest Loser in May 2011.

On September 4, 2012, it was announced that Michaels will return to The Biggest Loser in Season 14.

Losing It With Jillian

On June 1, 2010, NBC debuted Losing It With Jillian, a spin-off of The Biggest Loser. In the show, Michaels focuses on one family per episode, visiting their home to work one-on-one with them for a week.

Losing It With Jillian originally ran on NBC in June and July 2010. As of January 2012, all eight episodes of the series are available for viewing online.

Contract with CBS Television Distribution

On May 6, 2011, CBS Television Distribution announced that Michaels had signed a multi-year deal to become a co-host the panel-discussion show The Doctors, as well as serve as a special correspondent on the CTD program Dr. Phil. Michaels had been a guest on The Doctors several times previously. On the show, Michaels hosted a recurring segment called Ask Jillian, which dealt primarily with nutrition and diet topics.

Michaels left The Doctors in January 2012 after only half a season on the series, stating the arrangement "wasn't the fit both the show and I hoped for." Her possible return as a guest was not ruled out. Michaels will continue to appear periodically on Dr. Phil.

Charities

Michaels is involved in a variety of charities, including the NFL's Play 60 the Clinton Foundation's Alliance for a Healthier Generation, Stand Up to Cancer, Working Wardrobes, Hope for Haiti, Sow a Seed and Dress for Success. Michaels also devotes time to animal welfare causes, and she recently helped PETA rescue a racehorse from the slaughterhouse.

Michaels serves as an adviser to the National Day of Dance for Heart Health, an organization that encourages people to exercise, have fun and to laugh, learn and dance for a healthier heart. In January 2012 she was a participant in the Clinton Foundation's inaugural "Health Matters: Activating Wellness in Every Generation" conference.

Controversy

In 2010, Michaels faced four separate lawsuits alleging ingredients in the Jillian Michaels Maximum Strength Calorie Control dietary supplement, the Jillian Michaels Maximum Strength Fat Burner and the Triple Process Total Body Detox and Cleanse were ineffective or dangerous. In each instance, Michaels strongly denied the allegations, calling them "baseless". All four suits were dismissed.

Michaels was the subject of a highly critical October 2010 op-ed piece in the Los Angeles Times. The article claimed Michaels "is not actually a real fitness trainer"?she's an actress playing the role of fitness trainer on TV and in a line of popular DVDs" and alleged she had let several of her fitness certifications lapse. Michaels responded by threatening legal action for defamation, stating she had been an active physical trainer for 19 years and that none of her certifications have lapsed. The newspaper published a correction citing her up to date certifications shortly thereafter and no legal action was taken.

Personal life

Michaels was born in Los Angeles, California to JoAnn McKarus and an undisclosed father, and raised in Santa Monica. Devastated by her parents' divorce when she was 12, she struggled with weight problems during her early teens. In a 2009 episode of The Doctors, Michaels showed a photograph of herself at age 12, saying she weighed and was tall. She began to take control of her weight problems at age 14 when her mother signed her up for martial arts classes. By age 17, Michaels was working as a personal trainer.

Michaels attended California State University, Northridge, supporting herself as a bartender and personal trainer during that time. After working briefly as an agent with International Creative Management, in 2002 Michaels opened the sports medicine facility Sky Sport & Spa in Beverly Hills.

Jillian Michaels suffers from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which she was diagnosed with as a child.

Michaels is close to her mother, brother and younger sister. She is the godmother of actress Vanessa Marcil-Giovinazzo's son, Kassius, born March 30, 2002.

Michaels has stated, "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!" She adopted a girl from Haiti in 2012, and has a son, born to Michaels' partner Heidi Rhoades in 2012.

Bibliography

• Winning by Losing: Drop the Weight, Change Your Life (September 2005), William Morrow, ISBN 0-06-084546-5
• Making the Cut: The 30-Day Diet and Fitness Plan for the Strongest, Sexiest You (April 2007), Crown Archetype, ISBN 0-307-38250-8
• Master Your Metabolism: The 3 Diet Secrets to Naturally Balancing Your Hormones for a Hot and Healthy Body! (April 2009), Crown, ISBN 0-307-45073-2
• The Master Your Metabolism Calorie Counter (April 2010), Three Rivers Press, ISBN 0-307-71821-2
• The Master Your Metabolism Cookbook (April 2010), Crown Archetype, ISBN 0-307-71822-0
• Unlimited: How to Build an Exceptional Life (April 2011), Crown Archetype, ISBN 0-307-58830-0

This biography article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Jillian Michaels (personal trainer)". Reality TV World is not responsible for any errors or omissions this article may contain.