Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper’s Friendship Timeline — Including Where They Stand After ‘Biggest Loser’

Despite working together on The Biggest Loser, Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper‘s offscreen friendship was quite different — but where do they stand now?

NBC’s The Biggest Loser, which premiered in 2004, followed a group of people deemed overweight who would compete in a 30-week competition. The goal was to lose as many pounds as possible to be crowned “the biggest loser.”

The competition series quickly became a cultural phenomenon as viewers tuned in weekly to see Michaels and Harper train contestants. The Biggest Loser later received criticism for allegedly pushing contestants to lose weight through intense exercise and calorie-restricted diets.

Harper was part of the show every season before taking over as the new host in Alison Sweeney’s place. Michaels, however, took part in the first two seasons before being replaced by Kim Lyons. Michaels returned to the reality show in 2007 and was also a trainer in the Australian version of the show from 2006 to 2008.

Michaels exited The Biggest Loser in 2011 before returning for season 14. Her final season was in 2013, but she didn’t come back again before The Biggest Loser ended its original run in 2016.

While Harper and Michaels appeared to be friendly on the show, neither of them leaned into the friendship outside The Biggest Loser. Harper was asked in 2020 about working with Michaels while on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.

“I’m just really excited to be working with the two new trainers. I mean, they are fantastic,” he said, to which Andy Cohen told viewers, “OK, read between the lines.”

Michaels also confirmed she was no longer in touch with Harper after he experienced a heart attack. Their issues were briefly addressed in Netflix’s August 2025 docuseries Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser. Keep scrolling to relive their friendship:

2004

Harper and Michaels joined The Biggest Loser as trainers, which meant their teams were competing against each other season to season. While Harper remained on the show, Michaels left a few times.

2013

Michaels officially left The Biggest Loser for good in 2013.

“I don’t want fans to think I feel like I’m too big for the show or that I’m seeking greener pastures. I’m so grateful to the show and so sad to leave,” she told People at the time about “fundamental differences” between her and the show’s producers that had “existed for awhile.”

The nutritionist said she didn’t like how she was being portrayed, adding, “You saw none of the relationships, none of the bonds that I build with my clients. [It caused] millions of people have this warped negative perception of me.”

Harper, for his part, didn’t address Michaels’ exit and they didn’t appear to remain in contact.

2017

Michaels weighed in after Harper suffered a heart attack while working out at a gym in New York City.

“What do I really think?” she said on E!’s Daily Pop. “Knowing a little bit about Bob, I know that he does have a family history of it. I was there when he lost his mother to a heart attack, with him the night that she died. So there is a family history. I do also think that, you know, you’re in the middle of a CrossFit workout and you’re eating Paleo, it’s not going to help. Personally, I’m not pro-Paleo. Everyone can just go crazy on me.”

Michaels seemingly confirmed she wasn’t in touch with Harper, adding, “From what I remember of Bob, he’s looking at it, and he’s like, ‘Well I can [do it]!’ He’s not thinking about it that way. He, personally, is like, ‘I love this challenge.’”

2020

After returning as a host alongside new trainers Erica Lugo and Steve Cook, Harper told Us Weekly that he and Michaels didn’t keep in touch “at all” in a long time.

“I’m good,” he said at the time. “I’ve got a couple of people from the past but not many. It’s nice that there are fresh eyes on the show but there are also my OG eyes that are there that can help contestants, hopefully!”

2020

Michaels raised eyebrows during an interview with BuzzFeed News’ AM to DM, when she commented on Lizzo‘s weight.

“Why aren’t we celebrating her music? ‘Cause it isn’t gonna be awesome if she gets diabetes,” she said. “I’m just being honest. [My family] loves [Lizzo’s] music, but there’s never a moment when I’m like, ‘And I’m so glad she’s overweight.’ Why do I even care? Why is it my job to care about her weight?”

The trainer took to Twitter to stand by her comments. “As I’ve stated repeatedly, we are all beautiful, worthy, and equally deserving,” Michaels wrote at the time. “I also feel strongly that we love ourselves enough to acknowledge there are serious health consequences that come with obesity – heart disease, diabetes, cancer to name only a few. I would never wish these for ANYONE and I would hope we prioritize our health because we LOVE ourselves and our bodies.”

Harper weighed in on the controversy, telling Us in 2020, “I could never even think where she comes from. When it comes to my thoughts on anyone, I’m never going to give my opinion to anyone that’s not asking for it. It’s none of my business.”

2025

Harper was asked about their friendship in Netflix’s three-part docuseries Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser.

“How do I put this? People were always like, ‘You and Jillian have been so close.’ I was like, ‘Well we were close on TV,’” Harper told producers before discussing his 2017 heart attack. “After I had my heart attack, she’s the one person I never heard from. That to me spoke volumes.”

Harper elaborated in an interview with The Guardian in August 2025, saying, “We weren’t besties, but we were partners on a television show for a very long time. I would not expect Jillian Michaels to do anything other than what she wants to do.”