The personal trainer leaves the NBC reality series for the third time following controversy about contestant Rachel Frederickson's drastic weight loss.
- Jun 26, 2014
AceShowbiz - Jillian Michaels won't return for the next season of "The Biggest Loser". "After helping hundreds of contestants transform their lives and inspiring millions of viewers at home, 'The Biggest Loser' and Jillian Michaels have decided to part ways and she will not be returning for season 16 when it airs in the fall," NBC says in a statement.
This is the third time the personal trailer leaves the NBC reality series. She first joined the show in its debut in 2004 and later quit in 2006, only to return in 2007. She left the show again in 2011, but returned for season 14 and 15 which aired in 2013.
Michaels' latest departure comes following controversy about winner Rachel Frederickson's shocking weight loss in season 15 finale. She initially said she's "not comfortable commenting on Rachel's journey" because she's not Frederickson's trainer. She later said that she "was stunned" because nobody had told her before about Frederickson's dramatic transformation.
"Obviously, I thought she had lost too much weight and I was immediately concerned and wondering how this happened, how no one had said something to me and how the checks and balances that have been put into place, in my opinion, this had fallen through those checks and balances," she told HuffPost Live.
A source said in March that Michaels considered to leave the show because she's "deeply concerned about the direction the show has been taking." The source explained further, "She is turned off by the mean-spirited story lines and poor care of the contestants. Michaels wants to distance herself from the Biggest Loser brand. Especially considering what happened with Rachel, her feeling is that there isn't proper attention paid to the contestants' health or wellness."
"The Biggest Loser" season 16 will debut Thursday, September 11 at 8 P.M. on NBC.
