Despite working together for years on NBC’s The Biggest Loser, Bob Harper claims he and fellow trainer Jillian Michaels were not as close off-camera as fans of the show believed they were, nor have they maintained a friendship in the years following the weight loss competition series, thanks to something Jillian did— or, rather, failed to do.
In the newly released Netflix docuseries, Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser, Bob was asked where things stand today with Jillian– who did not participate in the three-part docuseries– to which he acknowledged that fans of the show often noted that he and Jillian were “so close.”
“ … I was like, ‘Well, we were close on TV,’” Bob told producers.
While their seemingly close friendship was made-for-TV, Bob stated that it was Jillian’s lack of concern after one of the scariest incidents of his life that really cemented his decision to cut ties.
“After I had my heart attack, she’s the one person I never heard from. That to me spoke volumes,” he said.
As you may remember, Bob suffered a “widow maker” heart attack in February 2017 while he was working out at a gym in New York City. His heart attack– which left him in a coma for two days– occurred four years after Jillian exited ‘The Biggest Loser’ for good, after already leaving the show a few times in the past.
Bob reportedly made similar comments about his friendship with Jillian in an interview with The Guardian this month, claiming that he and Jillian “weren’t besties,” but rather “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,” Bob added.
To Bob’s point, when asked to weigh in on the news of her former co-worker’s heart attack in 2017, Jillian took the opportunity to bring up Bob’s family’s medical history before going on to criticize some of Bob’s lifestyle choices.
“Knowing a little bit about Bob, I know that he does have a family history of it,” she reportedly told E!’s Daily Pop at the time. “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,” she continued. “Personally, I’m not pro-Paleo. Everyone can just go crazy on me…It’s not a great combination with poor genetics. “Not that he has poor genetics, but if you have heart disease in your family… .”
(According to the Mayo Clinic, a Paleo diet is an eating plan that is based on food humans may have eaten during the Paleolithic Era– around 2.5 million to 10,000 years ago. A modern Paleo diet consists of fruits, vegetables, lean meats, fish, eggs, nuts and seeds while omitting foods such as grains, legumes and dairy products.)
During that same interview, Jillian hinted that she and Bob were no longer in touch with each other, before seemingly making another dig at Bob for choosing to eat a Paleo diet.
“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,” she claimed. “He, personally, is like, ‘I love this challenge.’”
When Bob returned to ‘The Biggest Loser’ as a host in 2020, he told Us Weekly that he and Jillian had not been in touch “at all” in a long time. He also revealed that year on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen that he was happy with the show’s addition of new trainers Erica Lugo and Steve Cook.
“I’m just really excited to be working with the two new trainers. I mean, they are fantastic,” Bob said, to which ‘WWHL’ host Andy Cohen told viewers, “OK, read between the lines.”
In a new interview with Entertainment Tonight, Bob stated that it’s “been more than 10 years” since he last spoke to Jillian.
Interestingly, during the same interview, the show’s doctor, Dr. Robert Huizenga, revealed that he also had issues with Jillian, so much so that he didn’t speak to her for years, even when they were appearing on ‘The Biggest Loser’ together.
“You know, we didn’t talk for any of the last 16 seasons [of the show],” Dr. H. stated.
“You didn’t speak, despite working together on the same show?” the surprised reporter asked.
“That’s correct,” Dr. H. replied, adding that if were to send a message to Jillian now, he’d tell her, “I think you need to learn better communication skills.”
“I didn’t have a relationship with Jillian, but I had a good relationship with Bob,” he added. “He was always willing to discuss things out and compromise and was looking for some help. He wasn’t thinking he knew everything.”
Bob told ET that he wasn’t aware that Dr. H and Jillian didn’t speak on set.
“That’s news to me!” he said.
‘Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser’ is currently streaming on Netflix.
RELATED STORY: Former ‘Biggest Loser’ Contestants, Trainers & Producers Tell All in New Netflix Docuseries About the Controversial Competition Series
(Photos: NBC: Netflix; Instagram)
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