💥 Jillian Michaels Is Proof Your Health Is Political

Once upon a time, Jillian Michaels was yelling at people to do burpees on national television.

Now? She’s grilling the White House press secretary about school lunch policies and giving keynote speeches at Turning Point USA.

Let’s unpack how Jillian Michaels went from “last chance workout” to “last chance to deregulate nutrition policy.”

1. From Dumbbells to the West Wing

In May, Jillian walked into the White House press briefing with a question about processed food. On its surface, not a bad topic, the MAHA report (Make America Healthy Again, yes really) raises some legitimate concerns.

But what was missing is any mention of how health outcomes are shaped by environment, policy, and access. She wants action... just not the kind that comes from regulation.

2. The Stats She Doesn’t Mention (But Should)

Let’s pause for a second and talk about what actually affects people’s ability to “eat clean” (N.b. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS CLEAN EATING!!!!) and “make healthy choices.”

• 13.5 million Americans live in food deserts - places with no affordable, nearby access to fresh produce.

• 25% fewer supermarkets are found in low-income Black and Brown neighborhoods than in wealthier white ones.

So when Jillian skips over these systemic realities and implies we just need better discipline or education, it’s not about empowering people - it’s about pretending structural problems can be fixed with kale and willpower.

3. Enter: The Roganverse

If you’re still unsure about where all this is going, look no further than her Joe Rogan Experience episode. There, Jillian really starts cooking with anti-government gas when she states: “Big Food hired a bunch of registered dietitians to co-opt this concept of intuitive eating… it’s just a flat-out lie.”

Sit down Jillian.

Whilst I'm all for critiquing corporate food culture she turns this into full-blown distrust of public health messaging and not just “the system,” but the experts, science, and dietitians themselves

4. The Wellness-to-Right Pipeline Is Alive and Treadmilling

And we of course cannot talk about this without mentioning that Michaels is following a familiar path:
Start with a seemingly bipartisan critique (ultra-processed foods), throw in some libertarian spice (“freedom from the nanny state”), and then serve it to an audience already primed for distrust.

Her words from a recent Fox News appearance? “I hold a million cards in your game of woke victimology poker.”

This is not cute and it’s a not-so subtle shift from shouty “nutrition coach” to so-called “culture warrior,” and it’s not helping anyone without access to a Whole Foods or even fresh food for that matter.

To be clear, food policy needs reform. But the answer isn’t blaming individuals or tearing down public programs in the name of “freedom.”

Jillian Michaels may be lifting political weights now, but she’s doing it on the backs of people who actually need systemic support, not just fitness slogans in freedom font.

Until next time,

L x

P.s. Please excuse typos, I am low-key fuming writing this.

P.p.s Now I'm off to telli YouTube that I am completely uninterested in watching anymore Jillian Michaels content because this research has royally f*cked up my YT algorithm