Celebrity fitness coach Jillian Michaels responded on Monday after Wajahat Ali, a contributor for the New York Times, labeled her a “white supremacist.”
At least 15 individuals lost their lives on Sunday when two gunmen opened fire during Hanukkah events at Bondi Beach in Sydney, where a large crowd had gathered for a celebration called Hanukkah by the Sea, according to officials and media reports. During a discussion on “Piers Morgan Uncensored,” Ali critiqued Michaels’ remarks on Islamic extremism, stating that her views were outdated and accused her directly of being a white supremacist.
Michaels defended her viewpoint by explaining, “When people are called Islamophobic, they’re usually reacting to an ideology that doesn’t align with the Western world—not the majority of Muslims. Even if it’s only 10 percent, that’s still a significant number, based on statistics.”
Ali responded with skepticism, saying, “I don’t know how they became radicalized, but they dehumanized Jews. There are 1.7 billion Muslims worldwide. Jillian’s views? They’re from 2001. I found that boring. Now it’s 2025,” he continued. “Jillian, you seem to be figuring it out. Congratulations. Let’s just finish this. You’ve said plenty of hateful and reckless things. You are a white supremacist; you’ve even admitted it.”
Michaels countered quickly, pointing out personal details that caught Ali off guard. “You do realize I’m Arab, right? My background is Syrian, Lebanese, and Turkish. At what point did you say you were a white supremacist?” she challenged.
Ali then asked, “Wasn’t there a clip where you stated you’re a white supremacist? Oh, so you’re not one?”
After Michaels denied the accusations, Ali seemed to backtrack. “Interesting. Okay, I misinterpreted that. I thought you were a white supremacist. I’m relieved you’re not,” he said.
Michaels has Syrian and Lebanese roots on her paternal side, while her maternal grandfather is the son of Italian immigrants. Her maternal grandmother was born in England to a Russian-Jewish father and an Austrian-Jewish mother. There is no credible evidence suggesting Michaels aligns with white supremacist ideologies.
Ali, known for discussing issues related to the Muslim American experience and social justice, is a columnist with the Daily Beast and a former contributor for the New York Times, focusing on topics like Islamophobia and race.
Earlier this month, he made controversial comments about white Americans, accusing them of “breeding” “brown people” in response to President Donald Trump’s remarks on immigration.
“The error you made was allowing us in initially, since we are brown people. I say this as a brown person. Look at the population—India has around 1.2 billion, Pakistan over 200 million, and Bangladesh about 170 million. They’re the only ones there,” Ali commented.
