This Fitness Guru Is Getting Backlash For Comments She Made About Lizzo’s Weight

Fitness guru Jillian Michaels has been criticised for ‘fatphobic’ comments on Lizzo’s weight.

In an interview on BuzzFeed’s morning show AM To DM, the 30-Day Shred trainer said that while we “should always be inclusive”, it’s wrong to “glorify obesity”.

When host Alex Berg said she liked seeing plus-size celebrities like Lizzo and model Ashley Graham, Jillian interjected, asking why people don’t just celebrate Lizzo’s music.

Why are we celebrating her body? Why does it matter? Why aren’t we celebrating her music? ‘Cos it isn’t gonna be awesome if she gets diabetes. I’m just being honest. There’s never a moment where I’m like, “And I’m so glad that she’s overweight.” Like, why do I even care? Why is it my job to care about her weight?

.@JillianMichaels on Lizzo: "Why are we celebrating her body? Why does it matter? Why aren't we celebrating her music? 'Cause it isn't gonna be awesome if she gets diabetes." pic.twitter.com/FkKBd8J87b

— AM2DM by BuzzFeed News (@AM2DM) January 8, 2020

The fitness guru’s comments were immediately slammed as fatphobic, with Twitter users accusing her of feeling “threatened” by a fat woman who is celebrates her body.

Others mentioned the fact that Lizzo’s concerts are high energy affairs in which she dances, sings, and plays the flute, something she couldn’t do if she wasn’t fit and healthy.

Jillian Michaels got famous screaming at fat people until they threw up and cried. So yeah, *of course* she sucks.

Her dumb fatphobic thoughts on @lizzo aren't a surprise nor are they original.

— Kendall Brown (@kendallybrown) January 8, 2020

https://twitter.com/SaraJBenincasa/status/1214980808244518912

Lizzo sings, dances, plays the flute, and saved some damn koalas without losing her breath so Jillian Michaels can continue to fuck all the way off https://t.co/wlV8zsV2mh

— suzanne b. (@suzannishly) January 8, 2020

In response to the backlash, Jillian released a statement saying that while “we are all beautiful, worthy, and equally deserving”, there are “serious health consequences that come with obesity”.

I would never wish these for ANYONE and I would hope we prioritise our health because we LOVE ourselves and our bodies.

pic.twitter.com/tQQletU1fO

— Jillian Michaels (@JillianMichaels) January 9, 2020

However, this hasn’t gone down too well either, with people bringing up past criticism of the competitive weight loss show Jillian hosted, called The Biggest Loser.

The show was accused of promoting extreme weight loss methods like severe caloric restriction and over-excercising, and multiple contestants have since admitted to taking risks that endangered their health.

You can see why people don’t really want to hear what Jillian Michaels has to say about this one.

• Body Image
• jillian michaels
• Lizzo