Jillian Michaels | Lukensia

Jillian Michaels was known for giving tough love to contestants on The Biggest Loser. These days, she’s busy tickling and hugging her 2-year-old daughter Lukensia, whom she adopted from Haiti, and her son Phoenix, whom she and partner Heidi Rhoades welcomed into the world on May 3, 2020.

Michaels and Rhoades, like many adoptive parents, struggled with discouragement during the adoption process. They had been to orphanages in Haiti and met a little girl who had captured their hearts. They had sent in all of their documents, but the wait was beginning to eat away at their optimism. In a 360 degree turn of fate, their son Phoenix was born just 72 hours before Michaels had to fly to Haiti to carry their daughter Lukensia home. They had not one but two beautiful gifts in their lives in a matter of days.