Celebrity News January 19, 2019
Food Fight! Jillian Michaels Shocked by Beef with Andy Cohen & Al Roker
Fitness and health expert Jillian Michaels is responding to pushback she received from talk-show host Andy Cohen and "Today" show weatherman Al Roker — beef that sprang from her staunch opposition to the keto diet.
Michaels, like some others in the nutrition field, is down on keto, saying last week in a Women's Health video, “I don’t understand. Like, why would anyone think this is a good idea? 'You know what we need to do? All fat and animal protein!' No! Bad plan. For a million reasons." She is instead a proponent of eating a balanced diet and avoiding processed foods.
Andy Cohen took issue with Michaels's professional opinion, branding her a "Jackhole" on his Bravo show. Roker, who swears by the diet, accused Michaels of “on-camera bullying, deprivation, and manipulation” on "The Biggest Loser" in disregarding her stance.
Michaels responded on Twitter, "I have an idea... @Andy @alroker how about a civil intelligent debate on The 6 Keys book and keto instead of personal attacks and name calling? I’m also a motivator and I know you guys can do this. 💪🏽" "The 6 Keys" is Michaels' new book.
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People reports Michaels addressed Roker in a video, saying she was always around to chew the fat with him. “If you want to debate the science of keto, then, by all means, let’s do that," she offered, "but the personal attacks are bizarre. It’s unnecessary, it’s uncalled for, it’s beneath both of us, right?”
Michaels has expressed surprise that Roker would call her out publicly. "What’s so disappointing," she told Us, "is that for years I’ve done the 'Today' show. For years I’ve done segments with this guy.”
She was much less diplomatic regarding Cohen, who she recalled to Us Weekly as being "extremely rude" when she did his show.
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“We’ve not been friendly for years,” Michaels, 44, told Us Friday at the iHeartRadio Podcast Awards Presented by Capital One®, recalling that she "did his show once and it was a really awful experience." She went on to describe Cohen snapping at her when Michaels seemed not to be following his pre-show instructions. "Do... you... understand?" she recalled him saying to her condescendingly.
On the "Skimm'd from the Couch" podcast, Michaels went further, saying, "Andy Cohen, I mean, is just not a nice guy. And I’ve said that for many years. He’s, like, constantly looking for, like, a way to pick at me... He doesn’t do keto. He doesn’t believe in keto. He’s just an a**hole.”
The bottom line is that people have strong opinions about food — but who knew a debate over how much animal fat we consume would lead to such a high-profile war of words?
