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Jillian Michaels criticized for ‘gross’ comments on Lizzo’s body: ‘It isn’t gonna be awesome if she gets diabetes’

Nearly a month after Jillian Michaels warned of the dangers of “glamorizing” obesity, the trainer and former Biggest Loser host gave her two cents about society’s celebration of body-positive singer Lizzo and said “it isn’t gonna be awesome if she gets diabetes.”

The 45-year-old was making an appearance on BuzzFeed News’s live Twitter show AM to DM on Wednesday when she was asked about the comments that she made about obesity during her earlier Women’s Health U.K interview.

“You cannot glorify obesity,” Michaels repeated on the digital show. “It’s dangerous. It kills people.”

Michaels is accused of body-shaming Lizzo. (Photo: Don Arnold/Getty Images)
Michaels is accused of body-shaming Lizzo. (Photo: Don Arnold/Getty Images)

And when the show’s host, Alex Berg, suggested that she loves celebrities like Lizzo for “preaching self-acceptance” and allowing people to see different types of bodies being celebrated, Michaels pushed back.

“Why are we celebrating her body? Why does it matter? That’s what I’m saying. Like why aren’t we celebrating her music? ‘Cause it isn’t gonna be awesome if she gets diabetes,” Michaels said of the singer. “I’m just being honest. I love her music, my kid loves her music. But there’s never a moment where I’m like, ‘I’m so glad that she’s overweight.’ Like why do I even care? Why is it my job to care about her weight?”

The clip was posted to the outlet’s Twitter account, where followers started speaking out against Michaels, calling her words “incredibly gross” and pointing out the irony of her statement considering her work on Biggest Loser.

Actress and activist Jameela Jamil also commented to say that her “whole damn thin family has diabetes.” She even went on to tell Michaels to “stop concern-trolling fat people and get in the bin.”

Others responded to BuzzFeed News’s tweet to suggest that posting the clip seemed like an endorsement.

However, Michaels’s full interview was later posted to give the clip context. A spokesperson for BuzzFeed News, Matt Mittenthal, additionally tells Yahoo Lifestyle, “AM to DM is a live morning show that brings viewers unfiltered, revealing moments from guests. Alex's interview today did just that.”

Berg also took to Twitter to share her intention of bringing Lizzo up in conversation with Michaels. The host thanked viewers for “checking me on the conversation.”

Michaels posted a statement to Twitter on Wednesday night where she addressed the controversy.

“As I’ve stated repeatedly, we are all beautiful, worthy, and equally deserving. 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,” Michaels wrote. “I would never wish these for ANYONE and I would hope we prioritize our health because we LOVE ourselves and our bodies.”

This story was originally published on Jan. 8, 2019 at 5:41 p.m. ET and has been updated to include Jillian Michaels’s statement.

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