Joelle Gwynn’s lawsuit ended in her favor: on April 16, 2019, a federal judge in Manhattan dismissed all claims against the former Biggest Loser contestant in a defamation case brought by the show’s medical consultant, Dr. Robert Huizenga, over her public allegations that contestants had been given weight-loss pills during production.1The Hollywood Reporter. Biggest Loser Contestant Beats Defamation Suit Against Reality Show’s Doctor
What Gwynn Said That Started the Case
On May 22, 2016, the New York Post ran a story headlined “‘Biggest Loser’ Drugged Us So We’d Lose Weight.” Gwynn, who had appeared on Season 7 of the NBC reality show, described being handed pills by trainer Bob Harper’s assistant: “He’s got this brown paper bag that’s bundled up. He says, ‘Take this drug, it’ll really help you.’ It was yellow and black.”2MarketWatch. Biggest Loser Contestants Were Drugged She said the pills left her “jittery and hyper,” and that when she reported side effects, Dr. Huizenga “gave us some lame explanation of why they got added to our regimen.”3The Wrap. Biggest Loser Doctor Sues New York Post Drugs
The show’s producers called the allegations “without merit and false.”4Los Angeles Times. Biggest Loser Drug Investigation Harper said the claims were “absolutely false and are also in direct conflict with my lifelong devotion to health and fitness.”5Variety. Biggest Loser Weight Loss Drugs
Who Sued Her and For What
Huizenga, the show’s medical consultant for 14 seasons, first filed suit on June 2, 2016, in federal court in Detroit, naming Gwynn and NYP Holdings, parent of the New York Post.6Courthouse News Service. Biggest Loser House Doc Takes on New York Post That court dismissed the case without prejudice on December 21, 2016, finding jurisdiction over the Post unreasonable.7U.S. District Court, E.D. Michigan. Huizenga v. Gwynn, 225 F.Supp.3d 647
He refiled on March 23, 2017, in the Southern District of New York (Case No. 17-CV-2113), pleading three causes of action against Gwynn and the Post:8Courthouse News Service. Huizenga v. NYP Holdings Complaint
- Defamation, based on statements that he encouraged contestants to take street drugs, provided baking soda to manipulate weigh-ins, and allowed contestants to starve.
- Defamation per se, on the theory that the statements disparaged him in his medical profession and falsely accused him of criminal conduct.
- Intentional interference with prospective economic relations, tied to the loss of his role on the show, a production deal for a new reality series, and a position as a medical expert on a national news broadcast.
He sought compensatory damages over $75,000, punitive damages, a public retraction, and a permanent injunction.8Courthouse News Service. Huizenga v. NYP Holdings Complaint
Why the Judge Dismissed the Claims Against Gwynn
U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain dismissed every claim against Gwynn on April 16, 2019. As a public figure, Huizenga had to plead actual malice, meaning facts showing that Gwynn either knew her statements were false or acted with reckless disregard for their truth.1The Hollywood Reporter. Biggest Loser Contestant Beats Defamation Suit Against Reality Show’s Doctor
He didn’t. Judge Swain found that his complaint never explicitly alleged Gwynn had not been given a yellow and black pill, and offered no facts about his interactions with her or the “existence or nature of the allegedly illicit pills” from which the court could infer her account was untrue.1The Hollywood Reporter. Biggest Loser Contestant Beats Defamation Suit Against Reality Show’s Doctor Generalized statements about his “non-drug exercise-centric fat loss approach” were not specific enough to show Gwynn’s story was “inherently improbable or made with the knowledge that they were false.”9Bloomberg Law. Biggest Loser Defamation Claims Against Contestant Dismissed
The tortious interference count failed on a separate ground: Huizenga did not show Gwynn’s statements were “specifically aimed at interfering with his business interests.”10Yahoo Finance. Former Biggest Loser Contestant Wins Defamation Suit The court left the door open for Huizenga to seek permission to amend, but no further filings against Gwynn appear in the record.
What Happened to the Case Against the New York Post
The dismissal applied only to Gwynn. Huizenga’s claims against NYP Holdings continued for nearly another year and ended in a stipulation of voluntary dismissal with prejudice filed on February 24, 2020, and signed by Judge Swain the following day. The full case closed in March 2020.11PlainSite. Huizenga v. NYP Holdings, Inc., Case No. 1:17-cv-02113 Dismissal with prejudice bars refiling. The terms were not made public.
What Gwynn Has Said Since
Gwynn largely withdrew from public view after the ruling. She resurfaced in the 2025 Netflix docuseries Fit for TV: The Reality of The Biggest Loser, where she said her original quotes had been “taken out of context,” adding, “I addressed several issues, and they decided to make that a highlight.”12BuzzFeed. Biggest Loser Fit for TV Facts She did not retract the substance of what she told the Post in 2016.