Fitness trainer Jillian Michaels is over celebrities trying the now-trendy Ozempic, but she’s glad that a few are at least being honest about it.
“I appreciate the transparency — and they’re not claiming to be doctors,” Michaels, 49, exclusively told Us Weekly on Tuesday, November 7, while discussing her iTouch Wearables partnership. “I would simply say to them, ‘Be so careful. This is what you’re messing around with is serious, serious stuff.’ And maybe they should take a closer look, because while the trend is telling us you want to be a size 2 now instead of a size 6, some of the people that are doing it … I thought they had beautiful bodies to begin with.”
Michaels cited Chelsea Handler as one such example. “I’m like, ‘Did Chelsea Handler need to lose weight? Did I miss it?’ I thought she looked great,” the Biggest Loser alum shared. “I always thought she looked amazing, [but] I appreciate her transparency. She’s not claiming to be something other than what she is.”
Handler, 48, revealed on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast in January that her doctor allegedly prescribed her semaglutide (the generic name for Ozempic) to help her drop five pounds. Handler hadn’t known semaglutide and Ozempic were the same medication until weeks later, and she stopped taking the “diabetic drug” since she doesn’t have diabetes.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Ozempic and Wegovy are medications that are commonly used for chronic weight management in adults with obesity or who are overweight with a weight-related condition, including high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes. Many celebrities — from Handler to several Real Housewives — have seen the injections as a quick fix to drop a few pounds.
“I would just say to celebrities that are taking it [to] be real careful. This is not what you think it is, and nobody is invested in telling you the truth,” Michaels told Us, noting that if Ozempic was a “good thing,” then she would definitely “be in the business.”
“Why would I not?” she quipped to Us. “It’s huge money … So, when I tell you I don’t like it, it’s not [because of] money. Here’s why I don’t like it: No. 1, read the side effects on the box.”
Michaels pointed out that thyroid tumors, gallbladder issues, kidney disease, pancreatitis and muscle loss are also listed as side effects of using the controversial drug. “This is not a joke,” she added. “You never come off of Ozempic. And if you do, all of the metadata says you gain it all back and then some, because now you’ve messed up your metabolism and you’ve lost a bunch of muscle. So you’re not starting from zero. You’re all the way behind the eight ball.”
Michaels instead encourages her fitness clients to lose weight with the tried-and-true method of diet and exercise. Users can even track their progress viaiTouch Wearables, which Michaels recently collaborated with on a new collection.
“I found iTouch Wearables and I was like, ‘Oh, my God, it has everything … that I could find in the most expensive tracker,’” she said. “It tracks calories burned; it’s a pedometer; it reminds you to take your medication. You get your messages on it, and you can set the phone camera with it from a distance. [It] does all those things and it’s $89 bucks and totally customizable.”
She continued: “I’m really proud of [this partnership] because I just think we’re putting something great into the world that gives people all the tools they need to stay healthy, stay motivated, and having all that information. Plus, it comes with three months free of my app, so even if you’re just starting out, you get all the meal plans, all the workout programs, meditations, all that stuff [that my app offers].”
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
