In court documents, the doctor blames a former contestant, who accused him of supplying her illegal drugs on the show, over her defamatory statement which results in the cancellation of the show.
- Jul 13, 2017
AceShowbiz - NBC's "The Biggest Loser" reportedly won't be returning for another season. According to Daily Mail, Dr. Robert Huizenga, who was fired from the show following drug scandal, reveals in the court documents that the long-running series has been canceled by the network after running for 17 seasons due to recent bad publicity.
In court documents obtained from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Huizenga accuses former contestant Joelle Gwynn of libel, which leads to the alleged cancellation of the series. "Ms. Gwynn's outrageous accusations, which resulted in the cancellation of 'The Biggest Loser' and Dr. Huizenga losing two other opportunities on television, are particularly egregious given Dr. Huizenga's strict life-long anti-drug beliefs and strict anti-drug policy on 'The Biggest Loser', where he did not even permit contestants to take legal, over-the-counter caffeine pills or drink more than one cup of coffee, much less illegal drugs," court papers read.
On March 23, Huizenga filed a lawsuit against New York Post and Gwynn, who appeared on "The Biggest Loser" in 2008, after the latter claimed that she was given illegal weight loss pills during her appearance on the show. Gwynn told the publication in a 2016 interview that the show's trainer Bob Harper, under the doctor's approval, supplied contestants with Adderall, a drug prescribed to patients with ADHD and is also known to suppress appetite, and pills containing Ephedra extract, which has been banned by the FDA.
"People chastise Bill Cosby for allegedly offering meds to women, but it's acceptable to do to fat people to make them lose weight. I feel like we got raped, too," she said, before adding that she felt "jittery and hyper" after taking the pills.
Both Harper and Huizenga denied the allegations, with Harper saying, "These allegations are absolutely false and are in direct conflict with my lifelong devotion to health and fitness. Safety is paramount in my training regimen and, while demanding, my approach has always focused on the overall well-being of contestants as they lose significant weight and educate themselves, for the first time, on living a healthy lifestyle."
NBC hasn't released any official statement regarding the matter.
