NEED TO KNOW
- Rosie O’Donnell shared a couple of Instagram posts on Tuesday, Aug. 19, after she watched Netflix’s docuseries Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser
- In one post, she shared her disappointment with Jay Leno’s behavior towards The Biggest Loser‘s contestants
- She also expressed frustration that series coach Bob Harper is not apologetic for his treatment and guidance of the series’ contestants
Rosie O’Donnell is calling out Jay Leno for his “mean” behavior.
O’Donnell, 63, posted an Instagram carousel on Tuesday, Aug. 19, reacting to Netflix’s docuseries Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser. In her post, she called out her fellow former TV host for his treatment of the Biggest Loser contestants.
“Jay Leno is a mean a—— #biggestloserdocumentary,” O’Donnell simply captioned her post.
O’Donnell included a photo of Biggest Loser season 8 contestant Tracey Yukich during a confessional. A second slide showed Yukich on The Tonight Show with Leno, 75.
In the docuseries, Yukich and other contestants spoke about the alleged harassment they faced after appearing on the show. Yukich also recalled when she appeared on a live taping of The Tonight Show, where Leno read her death threats aloud.
O’Donnell also called out Biggest Loser coach Bob Harper in another Instagram post. “ok now bob harper – can u not say IM SORRY – seriously- so hurtful- so cruel – come on bob – #biggestLOSERdoc,” she captioned the second post.
In the documentary, Harper, 60, said that he thought the show was “going to be huge” before it even aired.
“Always remember we were trying to make an entertaining show,” he said. “What’s more important for weight loss? We all know it’s diet, but that becomes boring television. You know what’s not boring television? To see us in a gym yelling, screaming… and producers loved that s—. They were like, ‘We want them to puke! We want the madness of it all!’ ”
Although he confessed there were moments that he wasn’t proud of — including yelling at season 7’s Joelle Gwynn — he said he “will stand behind everything that I’ve ever done on that show,” adding that he “would never put anyone in harm’s way.”
O’Donnell’s Instagram carousel included photos of Gwynn and Harper in their confessionals, as well as the pair in the gym together.
The Biggest Loser, which debuted on NBC on Oct. 19, 2004, pitted overweight contestants against each other in a race to lose the most weight relative to their initial body weight over a 30-week period.
Netflix’s three-part docuseries covers the weight loss competition show’s alleged missteps and features new behind-the-scenes details about some of the decisions made by its cast, crew and showrunners during its 18-season run.
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Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser is streaming now on Netflix.
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