Jillian Michaels is one of the core tenets of the popular NBC reality competition The Biggest Loser to receive renewed attention thanks to the Netflix documentary Fit for TV: The Reality of The Biggest Loser. The 51-year-old personal trainer first came to nationwide prominence thanks to her starring turn as one of the trainers on the show, which immediately became a ratings juggernaut and a part of the American reality TV phenomenon despite now being viewed as one of the more controversial outputs from that era of TV.
The show has since been criticized consistently for its negative portrayal of body positivity, pushing its contestants past the point of healthy fitness, and now per the Netflix docuseries, shady dealings when it comes to being pressured into signing contracts and hard-to-follow rules on the show. Jillian made the choice to not participate in the documentary, calling it an "egregious lie" in an interview with FOX.
Jillian Michaels' net worth
© Getty ImagesDespite not being on TV for nearly six years, 11 years after her final appearance on The Biggest Loser in season 15, airing in 2014, Jillian remains the wealthiest person to come out of the experience, thanks in large part to her continuing work in the space and her various media enterprises.
Per Celebrity Net Worth, Jillian's personal wealth is valued at $18 million. In comparison, her fellow trainer and eventual host Bob Harper (who was interviewed in Fit for TV) has a net worth of $4 million, despite his longer ties with the show, having stayed as a trainer from its genesis all the way until its final 18th season on NBC.
© Getty ImagesJillian's work and wealth
Her journey into the world of fitness began when she was in college, working as a personal trainer to support herself. Following a stint as an agent with International Creative Management, in 2002, she opened Sky Sport & Spa in Beverly Hills, and two years later, she was recruited for the very first season of The Biggest Loser.
© Getty ImagesShe stayed with the show for its first two seasons, exiting in 2006 and replaced by Kim Lyons. She returned in 2007 and stayed until 2011, calling it quits after season 11. She came back the following year for season 14 and stayed until early 2014, capping it off with season 15 and a total of 12 seasons as the Red Team trainer.
© Getty ImagesIn 2008, she co-founded her own media company, Empowered Media LLC, and has since launched a variety of fitness and wellness programs, including Body Revolution and BODYSHRED. Her other products also include nine books (eight of which are New York Times bestsellers), several fitness DVDs, a streaming fitness service called FitFusion, and her podcast Keeping It Real. In 2017, Lionsgate Films was ordered to pay the star $5.8 million when they uploaded her fitness videos to their YouTube page, potentially costing her paid subscription revenue.
© Getty ImagesHer personal life has also been documented in short-lived shows like The Biggest Loser spin-off Losing It With Jillian and the E! reality series Just Jillian. She signed a multi-year contract with CBS in 2011, appearing on their shows The Doctors and as a correspondent on Dr. Phil before exiting the contract in 2012 because it wasn't the "right fit."
