Jillian Michaels Slams Oprah Winfrey as ‘Evil’ for Obesity Defense

Jillian Michaels and Oprah Winfrey know a little something about weight loss … and gain.

Michaels’ background as a fitness expert, including workout videos, books and a high-profile stint on TV’s “The Biggest Loser,” made her a go-to voice on staying trim.

Winfrey has battled the scale for decades, often sharing her personal journey with TV audiences and her self-titled magazine.

The two don’t see eye-to-eye on the crush of weight loss drugs currently in vogue across America.

Not at all.

Oprah Winfrey makes an interesting observation about being obese.

“You don’t overeat and become obese. Obesity causes you to overeat.”

No words. pic.twitter.com/dxYPT2ygy4

— Brando Republic (@BrandoRepublic) January 14, 2026

Winfrey recently went on “The View” and said her “obesity gene” caused her to overeat. That means she must take a weight loss drug like Ozempic in order to stay trim.

Nonsense, Michaels replied on the “Ask Dr. Drew” podcast this week. Except she used more dramatic terms than that.

Michaels noted that Winfrey has a new weight-loss book out that, according to her, works with the weight loss companies that are profiting from a newer class of Ozempic-style drugs meant to curb a person’s appetite.

Here is part of the book’s official description, courtesy of Amazon.com.

Obesity is a disease.

It’s a question of biology, created by our bodies’ need to survive and the environment we created and now live in.

And it’s treatable.

The new medications can lower our body fat set point (our brain’s “Enough Point”), so that we lose weight without battling biology with willpower.

That set Michaels off.

“She’s now spreading the lie that you overeat because you’re obese,” Michaels said. “She’s basically trying to disempower people and placate them and exploit their vulnerabilities … ‘it’s not your fault. You need these drugs,'” Michaels said, echoing Winfrey’s new message.

“You evil…,” she said, pausing before she could utter a profanity. “How much money do you need?”

“To lie about the science and disempower people to make a buck, especially when you’re one of the richest people in the world,” Michaels. “It makes me so angry.

Michaels isn’t against the drugs in question in specific situations, especially in coordination with one’s doctor. What Winfrey is suggesting is a mainstream use of medication when traditional diet and exercise can be equally effective without side effects, including life-long treatment.

“The most disturbing part about it is that it reinforces this notion we have in our culture that, first of all, everything should have a pharmacological agent,” Dr. Pinsky said. 

“Pharmacology is always dangerous,” Dr. Pinsky said. “It will be interesting to see if she has any serious side effects [from the medication]. I’ve seen a number.”

“It shifts us away from personal responsibility,” he added.

“It also negates any trauma, any eating disorders, the entire psychological piece … That’s a huge component,” Michaels said.

Most episodes of “My 600 lb. Life,” for example, reveal that the dieting subjects have suffered severe traumatic experiences in their past. It’s very common for people to “eat their feelings,” to use food as a way to assuage pain and challenging memories.

“Food becomes a defense structure, a coping mechanism,” Michaels said.