Juillian Michaels Warns Against International Adoption Unless You Have 'A Lot of Money'

4 October 2011
Jillian Michaels Prevention Magazine Cover - P 2011

Jillian Michaels Warns Against International Adoption Unless You Have 'A Lot of Money'

"I honestly don’t know how somebody without money and help could ever get this done," she says.

Former Biggest Loser trainer and The Doctors co-host Jilllian Michaels has been pretty open about the struggles she has gone through while adopting a child from the Democratic Republic of Congo. But, in a recent interview she cautions others who may not have the same financial resources as her against it.

“I honestly don’t know how somebody without money and help could ever get this done. It’s a full-time job,” she says in the current issue of Prevention magazine.

Last December, Michaels announced she was leaving the NBC weight loss show to venture into her own TV projects and explore creating a family. In February, she announced she was adopting internationally. Two months later, she signed a deal to join the syndicated daytime talk show, The Doctors, as a co-host and as a correspondent on Dr. Phil – both shows are produced by CBS TV Distribution.

All the while, she has been very open about the hardships of international adoption. But, she seems more fatigued in this interview than she has ever before.

“I regret saying this now, but I think for anyone pursuing this [I’d advise them] to explore foster care in this country,” she says. “In the US, you get your referral, you bring the kid home. They’re already American citizens. I don’t want to tell people to adopt internationally – but I’ve learned that you’ve got to have tremendous patience and financial resources because it’s going to cost a lot of money. If you don’t have those two things, go domestic.”