Fitness · Personal Development · United States
American fitness trainer and author, known as a trainer on NBC's The Biggest Loser, who sells The Fitness App subscription and paid workout programs such as 28 Shred.
Jillian Michaels is an American fitness trainer, author and media personality. According to Wikipedia, she was born on February 18, 1974, in Los Angeles, California, under the name Jillian Leigh McKarus. She became widely known as one of the trainers on NBC's weight-loss competition The Biggest Loser, where she appeared in several stretches between 2004 and 2013, and she later led the NBC spin-off Losing It with Jillian (2010) and the E! series Just Jillian (2016). Wikipedia lists a certificate from the American Fitness Professionals and Associates (AFPA) and work developing continuing education material for AFAA; we did not verify these credentials directly with the issuing bodies.
Wikipedia states that she founded Empowered Media LLC in 2008. Her current business is centered on jillianmichaels.com, which sells Jillian Michaels: The Fitness App, and on nine books, including Winning by Losing (2005), Master Your Metabolism (2009), Unlimited (2011), Slim for Life (2013) and The 6 Keys (2018). Wikipedia reports that eight of them reached the New York Times bestseller list. She also hosts the podcast Keeping It Real: Conversations with Jillian Michaels, running since 2011, where she interviews guests on health, science and current events.
She publishes workout and commentary videos on YouTube, where her official channel (@JillianMichaels, linked from her website) had 765,000 subscribers, and on TikTok (@jillianmichaels), with 205,300 followers, both read on September 16, 2026. Her website also links Instagram, Facebook and X accounts.
What she sells: The Fitness App is a subscription with workouts, meal plans, meditation and progress tracking. Her official help center lists $19.99 per month or $149.99 per year, both with a 7-day free trial for new accounts (article modified July 22, 2026). Her site also sells stand-alone programs: 28 Shred and Body Shred cost $49.99 to buy or $29.99 to rent for 90 days, and older individual workouts such as 30 Day Shred and Ripped in 30 cost $4.99 to buy or $1.99 to rent. The 28 Shred page describes eight progressive 30-minute workouts over four weeks, meal plans and one month of app membership. Her website also promotes a supplement brand, Alaya Naturals, and warns that other supplements using her name are not hers.
Reputation record: in February 2010 a class action was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court (case BC431560) against her, ThinCare International and Basic Research LLC over the marketing of the Jillian Michaels Maximum Strength Calorie Control supplement. CBS News reported at the time that she called the claims unfounded and stood behind the product. In a March 26, 2021 opinion in a separate case she brought against her former lawyers (Michaels v. Greenberg Traurig LLP, case B300093), the California Court of Appeal noted that ThinCare and Michaels had been sued in four class actions in early 2010 over the advertising of the products and that those lawsuits were eventually dismissed; the opinion does not give the dates or terms of the dismissals. In August 2025, the Netflix docuseries Fit for TV revisited The Biggest Loser; according to TODAY (August 22, 2025), Michaels declined to take part and described the series as a hit piece. We did not find independent press coverage evaluating the results of The Fitness App or her paid programs, and her website's claims about the app are her own.
Objective facts about their offer, taken from public sources. We don't rate the quality of the programs or the results you may get.
One without a public price
5 official channels
Large audience
Facts checked on Sep 17, 2026.
Alternatives
Fitness · Personal Development · United States
UK-born personal trainer based in California and author of the fat loss books Everything Fat Loss and Fat Loss Habits, known as @bdccarpenter on social media.
Fitness · Personal Development
Nike Master Trainer and founder of The Ocho System wellness framework. Teaches a fitness and wellness class on MasterClass and is booked as a corporate wellness speaker.
Fitness · Entrepreneurship · Personal Development · United States
US Army veteran and founder of Bare Performance Nutrition (BPN) who sells hybrid training programs through the Go One More app and wrote the book Go One More.
Fitness · Personal Development · United States
Fitness creator on YouTube and TikTok who sells workout programs through Alive by Whitney Simmons, a subscription app published by Whitney Simmons App, LLC of Salt Lake City, Utah.
| Program | Type | Published price | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jillian Michaels: The Fitness App (monthly) App subscription with workouts, meal plans, meditation and tracking; 7-day free trial for new accounts. | Other | $20 Checked Sep 17, 2026 | View |
| Jillian Michaels: The Fitness App (annual) Annual billing of the same app subscription; 7-day free trial for new accounts. | Other | $150 Checked Sep 17, 2026 | View |
| 28 Shred Four-week streaming program with eight progressive 30-minute workouts and meal plans. $49.99 to buy; $29.99 to rent for 90 days. | Course | $50 Checked Sep 17, 2026 | View |
| Body Shred Streaming workout program. $49.99 to buy; $29.99 to rent for 90 days. | Course | $50 Checked Sep 17, 2026 | View |
| The 6 Keys Book published in 2018, subtitled Unlock Your Genetic Potential for Ageless Strength, Health, and Beauty. | Book | Not published Checked Sep 17, 2026 | — |
Prices are those published by the mentor on the date checked and may change. “Not published” means we couldn't find a public price.
Compare
The same fields, side by side. No verdict: you decide.
An American fitness trainer and author born in Los Angeles in 1974, according to Wikipedia. She became known as a trainer on NBC's The Biggest Loser, has written nine books, hosts the podcast Keeping It Real and runs The Fitness App.
Her official help center lists The Fitness App at $19.99 per month or $149.99 per year, with a 7-day free trial for new accounts (page modified July 22, 2026). Programs like 28 Shred are also sold separately for $49.99, or rented for 90 days at $29.99.
A four-week program sold on her website with eight progressive 30-minute workouts, meal plans for different diets and one month of app membership. It costs $49.99 to buy or $29.99 for 90 days of access.
The app is sold directly on jillianmichaels.com and in the Apple and Google app stores, with published prices and a free trial. We found no independent study of its results. The class actions filed against her in 2010 concerned diet supplements, not the app, and a 2021 California Court of Appeal opinion states that all four were eventually dismissed.
Wikipedia lists nine titles, among them Winning by Losing (2005), Making the Cut (2007), Master Your Metabolism (2009), Unlimited (2011), Slim for Life (2013), Yeah Baby! (2016) and The 6 Keys (2018).
Reviews are written by Mentor Explorer users, pass through a moderation filter and do not represent the site's editorial position. Some may be in other languages.
Share your real experience. We don't publish serious accusations without evidence or third parties' personal data. See review policy.