Former “Biggest Loser” coach Jillian Michaels raised a red flag about allowing transgender women play in women’s sports.
The fitness expert told OutKick’s Tomi Lahren that transgender women’s participation in women’s sports could spell the end of female athletic competitions.
During a recent interview on “Tomi Lahren Is Fearless,” the titular host asked Michaels what she would say to people that believe anyone who identifies as female should be able to play in women’s sports.
“Sports is biological,” she remarked. “It just is, and I think that you’re starting to actually see women get hurt.”
.@TomiLahren: Why should men NOT compete against women in sports? According to Fitness expert @JillianMichaels the answer is backed by SCIENCE! pic.twitter.com/UrwZo52UCV
— OutKick (@Outkick) December 29, 2023
Michaels spoke about a transgender mixed martial fighter who did not disclose that they were biologically male before taking on female opponents in the ring.
“Fallon Fox, for example, is an MMA fighter who is a transgender female. Beating the s**t … out of biological women,” she cited.
“This is beyond the fact of fairness,” the nutritionist explained. “What we have trouble with as a society is fairness, right? Everybody wants to be fair. It’s not fair.”
Michaels, who is married to a woman, acknowledged that it also wasn’t “fair” to transgender women that they do not have an arena to compete in.
Though she noted that competing with transgender women wasn’t “fair” to biological female athletes, so governing sporting organizations could not be “fair to everyone.”
“Lia Thomas is six foot one,” Michaels said about the NCAA’s first transgender champion. “The percentage of biological females who are six foot one is under 1%.”
“Lia Thomas was No. 400 when she swam as a male. And No. 1 when she swam as a female,” she noted.
Riley Gaines, the former swimmer turned activist who lost the 2022 NCAA Championship to Thomas, called out Ohio Governor Mike DeWine for delaying his decision on a bill that would bar gender-reassignment healthcare for children.
“Governor [Mike] DeWine of Ohio has had the SAFE Act (protects women’s sports & child mutilation) on his desk to sign into effect since the 15th,” she trolled him on Wednesday.
“He hasn’t signed it yet. He has 2 more days to sign before it becomes law without his signature. Why the hesitation, [Governor DeWine]?”
Governor Mike DeWine has vetoed HB 68, a bill that would protect women's sports and prevent child mutilation. Fortunately, Ohio has the votes to override the veto. @GovMikeDeWine is a spineless coward that needs to be removed from office. pic.twitter.com/u4fGJiF8C0
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) December 29, 2023
Gaines was right to heckle the Republican lawmaker, because he vetoed the legislation, which would also prevent boys who identify as girls from playing in women’s sports, on Friday’s deadline.
DeWine claimed that shutting down House Bill 68, which was passed by the Ohio House with a 62-27 vote, was about the bill’s legality.
“I truly believe that we can address a number of goals in House Bill 68 by administrative rules that will have likely a better chance of surviving judicial review and being adopted,” he told reporters.
Gaines called DeWine a “spineless coward” who should “be removed from office” in a tweet on Friday.
“If our leaders can’t find it within themselves to protect children and women, it’s time we elect new leaders,” she wrote in a follow-up post.
“Who needs Democrats when you have people like [DeWine] as part of the GOP,” Gaines added.
Who needs democrats when you have people like @GovMikeDeWine as part of the @GOP? pic.twitter.com/Q3ZNlz2YQq
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) December 29, 2023
Michaels clearly agrees with Gaines, stating that the country is “going to systematically destroy women’s sports,” by including trans athletes.
The reality star made it crystal clear that her beliefs are not driven by transphobia.
“I’m sorry, listen, if you want to be trans, I support you. I want you to have all the same rights that I do,” she noted.
“But at the end of the day, someone’s going to get effed here.”
Michaels said that there are simply not enough transgender women in sports to put their well-being ahead of female athletes.
“And if you’re looking at, okay, you’ve got X amount of trans athletes and X amount of women, you’re not going to win this one. Right,” she concluded. “No one’s coming out unscathed.”