Jillian Michaels

Jillian Michaels

  • DOB:

    February 18, 1974

  • Age:

    50

  • Country:

    United States

  • Resides:

    Los Angeles, CA

  • Hometown:

    Los Angeles, CA

  • Known For:

    Fitness expert

  • Spouse/Partner:

    Deshanna Marie Minuto

  • Education:

    California State University Northridge

Summary

Updated

Jillian Michaels is an American personal trainer and businesswoman who became known for her appearance on the hit TV series The Biggest Loser.[1] Rising from her weight challenges, Michaels employs a no-nonsense approach to help others overcome their weight. From fitness tips to nutritional recipes, Michaels educates and advocates for total body wellness.[2] By appearing in podcasts, TV shows, interviews, and with her program, The Fitness App, she’s gained a collective following of over 100 million people.[3]

Achievements

  • Author of eight New York Times bestsellers
  • Multiple television appearances such as The Biggest Loser and The Doctors
  • Creator of the highest-grossing, best-selling home workout DVDs in history

Related People

About Jillian Michaels

Jillian Michaels was born on February 18th, 1974, in Los Angeles, California.[4] She is a television personality, bestselling author, and entrepreneur. She is best known for her role in 12 seasons of The Biggest Loser, which she left in 2013 due to growing negative perceptions of her personality.[5][6] In 2010, Michaels launched her TV show Losing It With Jillian as a spinoff of The Biggest Loser.[7] Today, she runs The Fitness App, a top-rated diet and exercise app with over 1,000 different workouts and a customized meal planner.[8]

Early Life

Jillian Michaels began therapy at five due to night terrors. At 12, Michaels’ parents divorced, catapulting her into a wave of difficulties and anger. Over time, these difficulties led Michaels to gain a lot of weight as a teenager, reaching 175 lbs.[1]

To help with the weight, Michaels’ mother enrolled her in martial arts training when she was 17.[1] Michaels loved martial arts but didn’t expect it to influence her career the way it ultimately did. After a brief failed endeavor with a talent agency, Michaels returned to training before getting started on The Biggest Loser.[1]

Career

Jillian Michaels’ passion for health is evidenced in her long-standing success in martial arts and fitness. Michaels holds a blackbelt in Muay Thai and Akauri-Do from 12 years of training.[3] She is also a certified nutrition consultant with the American Fitness Professionals and Associates (AFPA) and holds four personal training certifications.[3]

In 2008, Jillian Michaels and her business partner Giancarlo Chersich launched Empowered Media, LLC.[3][9] Since its launch, the company has grown into an empire of wellness solutions, from fitness and nutrition to overall lifestyle. Empowered Media has also invested in companies with similar philosophies, like Thrive Market and AQUAHydrate.[3][10][11]

TV Shows

Jillian Michaels has received Emmy nominations for her various TV roles.[3] She makes regular appearances on shows like E! News, Insider, and Wendy Williams and has an impressive array of at-home fitness DVDs, like Killer Abs, Beginner Shred, and Ripped in 30

After the success of The Biggest Loser, Michaels hosted one season of Losing It With Jillian. In the show, Michaels moves in with families for a week and begins coaching them, employing tough love to help them reach their weight loss goals.[7]

Books

Jillian Michaels has published eight New York Times bestselling titles for helping people maintain healthy lives and reach their goals.[12] Her most recent, published in 2018, is The 6 Keys: Unlock Your Genetic Potential for Ageless Strength, Health, and Beauty.

Other titles include:

  • Winning by Losing (2005)
  • Master Your Metabolism (2009)
  • Unlimited: A Three-Step Plan for Achieving Your Dreams (2011)
  • Slim for Life (2013)
  • Yeah Baby!: The Modern Mama’s Guide to Mastering Pregnancy (2016)

The Fitness App

Jillian Michaels’ fitness app for women has won best-of awards from both Apple and Google within the fitness app category.[3] The Fitness App features over 1,000 workouts in yoga, HIIT, kickboxing, running, and more, all designed by Jillian Michaels.[8] The app also offers mindfulness exercises, meditations, a customized meal planner, tools for tracking, and a worldwide forum for women to connect and encourage each other.

Philanthropy

Jillian Michaels’ commitment to serving others doesn’t stop with health and fitness. She is also an advocate for human rights and social issues. Michaels works closely with various organizations to help make the world a better place, including UNHCR, Hope for Haiti, Stand Up to Cancer, PETA, and Dress for Success.[3]

Family and Personal Life

Jillian Michaels has two children: Lukensia Michaels Rhoades and Phoenix Michaels Rhoades, whom she shares with her ex-fiancee Heidi Rhoades.[4] Michaels and Rhoades adopted Lukensia in May of 2012, the same day Rhoades gave birth to Phoenix.[13] Michaels shared that while Rhoades was in labor with Phoenix, she received a call that two-year-old Lukensia’s visa was finally set, and it was time to pick her up in Haiti.[13]

After about nine years together, Jillian Michaels and Heidi Rhoades separated in 2018.[14] In 2019, Michaels met DeShanna Marie Minuto, and the two got married on July 22, 2022.[14]

Jillian Michaels Today

Today, Jillian Michaels devotes her energy to her athleisure clothing line, “Impact by Jillian Michaels,” her Apple award-winning podcast Keeping It Real, and her mobile app, The Fitness App.[3][15][16][8]

Jillian Michaels Quotes

  • “Be brave and be patient. Have faith in yourself; trust in the significance of your life and the purpose of your passion.” —Jillian Michaels, Unlimited: A Three-Step Plan for Achieving Your Dreams
  • “I am doing the best I can given what I have today.” —Jillian Michaels, Winning by Losing
  • “At some point, you have to stop acting as though life is happening to you and acknowledge the ways you are happening to it. Once you take responsibility for your side of the street, you grant yourself the power to improve every aspect of your life by simply acting and behaving differently.” —Jillian Michaels, Unlimited: How to Build an Exceptional Life
  • “If it didn’t come from the ground or the ocean or have a mother—don’t eat it. Think about it. Twinkies and Cheetos—what the hell are these? There’s no Twinkie tree, and I’m pretty positive that nothing ever gave birth to a Cheeto.” —Jillian Michaels, Slim for Life

References

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  1. Jillian Michaels – Talks about Her Career, Dentistry, Oral Health and Future Plans. https://www.deardoctor.com/inside-the-magazine/issue-14/jillian-michaels/
  2. “Food and Nutrition | Jillian Michaels.” Jillian Michaels, https://www.jillianmichaels.com/blog/categories/food-and-nutrition
  3. “Jillian’s Story.” Jillian’s Story | Jillian Michaels, https://www.jillianmichaels.com/about
  4. Who Is Jillian Michaels? Everything You Need to Know. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/jillian-michaels-33465.php
  5. Mazziota, Julie. Jillian Michaels Has Problems with ’The Biggest Loser’ : “The Producers Gamified Weight Loss.” 15 Dec. 2021, https://people.com/health/jillian-michaels-has-problems-with-the-biggest-loser-the-producers-gamified-weight-loss/
  6. Coyne, Kate. Jillian Michaels Reveals Why She Really Left “The Biggest Loser.” 1 Dec. 2020, https://people.com/tv/jillian-michaels-why-i-left-the-biggest-loser/.
  7. “Losing It with Jillian (TV Series 2010– ) – IMDb.” IMDb, 1 June 2010, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1544751/.
  8. “‎Jillian Michaels | Fitness App.” App Store, 1 Feb. 2023, https://apps.apple.com/us/app/jillian-michaels-fitness-app/id1190148494.
  9. “Empowered Media.” LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/company/empowered-media/about/.
  10. “Thrive Market | Healthy Living Made Easy.” Thrive Market, https://thrivemarket.com. 
  11. AquaHydrate. https://www.aquahydrate.com/.
  12. “Health and Fitness Books.” Health and Fitness Books | Jillian Michaels, https://www.jillianmichaels.com/shop/books.  
  13. Slater, Georgia. “People.” Jillian Michaels Explains How She Found Out She Was Becoming a Mom Twice in 24 Hours, 18 Nov. 2021, https://people.com/parents/jillian-michaels-found-out-she-was-becoming-mom-twice-in-24-hours-exclusive/.
  14. Hautman, Nicholas. “US Magazine.” Jillian Michaels and Fiancee Heidi Rhoades Split After Nearly Nine Years Together, 15 June 2018, https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/jillian-michaels-heidi-rhoades-split-after-nearly-9-years/.
  15. “Impact by Jillian Michaels Womens Clothing.” Walmart, https://www.walmart.com/browse/clothing/womens-clothing/impact-by-jillian-michaels/5438_133162/YnJhbmQ6SW1wYWN0IGJ5IEppbGxpYW4gTWljaGFlbHMie.
  16. “Jillian’s Podcast.” Jillian’s Podcast | Jillian Michaels, https://www.jillianmichaels.com/podcast

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