Bravo's Workout Loses Propel After Dissing Cancer Patient
Workout star Jackie Warner allegedly made some remarks recently on the show about a woman's breasts that outraged fans and now have caused the show's sponsor Gatorade Propel, to pull its advertising. According to fans, Warner had her manager take the fall for the remarks.
Here's the lowdown, via one of the show's former fans: "Brian brought in his client to train. Jackie and her office manager were sitting in the office together and they started making fun on Brian's client's breast for being too hard and too perfect and obviously implants. What Jackie and her office manager didn't know was that the clients boyfriend was standing outside their office and heard the whole thing. He walked into Jackie's office and informs her that his girlfriend is a breast cancer surviver. Jackie in turn has the whole scene edited out for the show, and has her manager take the fall for making the statements. But the next day, Brian comes into Jackie's office and confronts her with her statements (because according to Brian, whom I believe) it was Jackie who made the statements about this clients' breast being too hard. Jackie refused to talk about it. Brian continued and in turn Jackie fired Brian."
Warner has since apologized about what happened on the show, saying "The producers decided (regrettably) to create through editing a very different and what I think a very negative show."
Gatorade has apparently pulled its sponsorship, releasing a statement which reads, in part "We have watched the episode in question, and we too were surprised and saddened to see the conversations unfold between these trainers. Since this episode aired, we have heard from many viewers of The Workout who are also consumers of our product, and we understand and relate to your disappointment in what occurred. We have notified Bravo we no longer wish to be associated with The Workout and will be pulling our commercials. Furthermore, we will not renew our sponsorship of this program in subsequent seasons."
Read the entire statement here.
Watch the clip discussed above, AFTER THE JUMP...
Yet another reason I'm glad I don't watch reality television, other than Project Runway!
Posted by: Sebastian | May 12, 2008 10:15:17 AM
Normally I like Bravo TV but not much longer if they keep that (Jackie Warner) caliber of person on TV.
My aunt is in the midst of breast cancer. I promise you none of her life warrants ridicule.
Posted by: Toutwest | May 12, 2008 10:24:28 AM
Wow, what a shock. Jackie is a phony, superficial, power hungry b*tch? Wow, what a shock.
Posted by: deanpaul1 | May 12, 2008 10:34:01 AM
Jackie is a tool. I used to enjoy the show, but I got sick of her. She is so full of herself. Too much hubris. Hopefully this knocks her back to reality.
Posted by: DanDan | May 12, 2008 10:42:54 AM
Jackie is the reason I can watched Bravo. I find her fake. I find her demeanor condescending, and malicious. She treats both her clients and employees like crap all the while her "love" life spirals out of control. She has personal issues she needs to take care of first before she can walk through life in happiness and peace.
Posted by: Bashkrom | May 12, 2008 10:46:19 AM
Jackie is the reason I can watched Bravo. I find her fake. I find her demeanor condescending, and malicious. She treats both her clients and employees like crap all the while her "love" life spirals out of control. She has personal issues she needs to take care of first before she can walk through life in happiness and peace.
Posted by: Bashkrom | May 12, 2008 10:47:10 AM
It's really a shame because, besides Jackie (who now completely disgusts me, but before just left me unsettled), the reason I loved this show was because, in my opinion, it featured prominently and positively many gay "characters" in a very real way. For that, I really appreciated and could grasp the merits of the show; but being a huge fan of Brian and with a mother that survived breast cancer, I will unfortunately no longer watch. It's lost it's positive spin for me.
Posted by: David | May 12, 2008 10:54:31 AM
I have never liked Jackie, she's not a nice person. Have always perceived her as mean and playing in to the stereotype of a self absorbed Dyke. Jackie easily took the crown from Leona Helmsley when it comes to Queen of Mean.
Posted by: Bojo | May 12, 2008 11:03:58 AM
Jackie Warner is the worst boss I've ever seen--she's controlling, manipulative and lies her way out of everything. Why anyone is still watching this show is beyond me. Maybe losing its sponsors will finally force it off the air.
Posted by: Mark | May 12, 2008 11:06:51 AM
Good, I'm glad she's been dropped.
She needs to be brought down more than a peg or two.
She should be ashamed as a woman.
I hope she keeps her breast for the rest of her life.
Posted by: Maverick69 | May 12, 2008 11:24:15 AM
I don't know the show, or like "reality" programming. We have all said stupid uninformed things. The only thing to do then is IMMEDIATE UNQUALIFIED APOLOGY AND CONFESSION OF DEEP PERSONAL STUPIDITY. We ran the Race for the Cure here in Salt Lake City this weekend. If you need a humbling experience do it, they have one in your town. Running or walking with survivors, seeing families with the notes pinned to their shirts ("In memory of", or "In celebration of"), some with lists of people in their lives who have faced this cancer. I cry a little every year, I'm doing it now thinking of all the individual stories of pain and loss and courage and triumph. Happy Mothers Day.
Posted by: Rikard | May 12, 2008 11:40:35 AM
I don't know the show, or like "reality" programming. We have all said stupid uninformed things. The only thing to do then is IMMEDIATE UNQUALIFIED APOLOGY AND CONFESSION OF DEEP PERSONAL STUPIDITY. We ran the Race for the Cure here in Salt Lake City this weekend. If you need a humbling experience do it, they have one in your town. Running or walking with survivors, seeing families with the notes pinned to their shirts ("In memory of", or "In celebration of"), some with lists of people in their lives who have faced this cancer. I cry a little every year, I'm doing it now thinking of all the individual stories of pain and loss and courage and triumph. Happy Mothers Day.
Posted by: Rikard | May 12, 2008 11:41:44 AM
That show is a complete and utter train wreck, as it was way before this incident. Why people are interested in her negativity is beyond me, but I don't find any redeeming qualities at all. Most of the GLBT characters are done to pure stereotype, just like all the other Bravo TV realities. It ruined half the Project Runway season, and other shows like this one or Flipped Out (or whatever that one's called) is just painful to watch. Seriously, can't they cast a show with a boss people could like and admire?
Posted by: Ryan | May 12, 2008 11:53:38 AM
Like Rikard states, we have ALL said stupid, uninformed things. Jackie didn't KNOW that lady was a cancer survivor? It wasn't professional or wise, but it wasn't malicious. I don't know about y'all, but I've laughed and commented about what I thought was a ridiculous breast enhancement. Gimme a break.
I don't care one way or the other about Jackie Warner, but it was a MISTAKE for chrissake. When did every fucking thing become so offensive?
Posted by: Michael | May 12, 2008 12:01:47 PM
What is sad - is that instead of being truly sorry for what happened, she deflected the blame from her and had the scene "reshot" so it to appear as she was innocent and her assistant was to blame. Not only is that the sign of a bad boss, it also a sign of a bad person. When I watched this episode this weekend, I immediately made a decision not to watch another episode and cancelled it from my TIVO. Hopefully more people will do the same.
Posted by: Gerard | May 12, 2008 12:18:57 PM
Michael, please don't try to justify this type of behavior by saying 'we all do it.' No, we all don't sit around making catty comments about other people's appearances. It's NEVER right, NEVER helpful, and NEVER productive.
By all means continue your superficial, bitchy comments, but please stop fooling yourself that it's ever OK to tear someone else down for your own amusement.
Posted by: wetcnt | May 12, 2008 12:23:55 PM
I'd have to agree with you Michael. It was not malicious in any way. The point is she apologized and recognized it was a mistake. We're not all angels in this world. We don't always make the right decision or the best comment. The point is being accountable.
And about who said what, how does this fan really know how and what was edited out? We really can judge what we don't know.
Posted by: Dave | May 12, 2008 12:24:57 PM
The breast cancer thing is the only reason she was made to feel bad about it. The people who come to her gym should not be made fun of by the office assistant. They're vulnerable enough as it is when they go to her gym. She was at WORK and Jackie totally condoned it. The whole thing is just so tacky.
Posted by: JoshEV | May 12, 2008 12:32:35 PM
I agree with the other Michael above. Not that I want to defend the show, but who here hasn't made a catty comment about someone's appearance? This one just happened to be on television (although technically it wasn't - I watch the show and they edited out the entire conversation). Don't throw rocks...
Posted by: Michael 2 | May 12, 2008 12:33:33 PM
I have to tell you in the fitness industry, most people that I have come across are pretty "full of themselves". I don't see this with Jackie Warner.
I think a lot of people look her success and think she is manipulative, but I see her as extremely intelligent and cutting edge. I work in the fitness industry and I would to work for someone like Jackie.
As far the comments made, it was bad judgement, pure and simple. I would have never thought that the woman Brian was training was a cancer survior. Kudos to her, but I don't think it was malicious.
Brian is a baby and he really needs to realize that Jackie is the boss. She is running the show, it is her name on the door.
She is impressive, he is not!! and that is the bottom line.
i think Jackie is a good example of what goes on in the gay world. We aren't perfect and we don't all have stable relationships. And there are those out there who want to do damage...and in the fitness world there are lots of gay people. But, that doesn't mean that they are professional or even ethical.
Posted by: Paul | May 12, 2008 12:38:42 PM
Regardless of whether it was malicious or not, firing (smoking hot) Brian for wanting to discuss it truly reflects more on her character than anything. Yes, we have all put our foot in our mouth and said things we shouldn't, and the proper thing is to apologize to whoever needs to be apologized to. Her reaction to him shows her culpability more than anything...
Posted by: homofascist | May 12, 2008 12:42:44 PM
A sweet "innocent" woman gets busted saying or doing something horrible and she plays victim while trying to set up a man to take the blame (think Susan Smith, Lindy Enland, etc.).
How shocking. How unexpected.
Posted by: Wade | May 12, 2008 12:46:15 PM
Finally some reporting on this! Also, it's not just Brian saying she made the statements. Go to Bravo's website, click on the blogs and then the blog of Lisa, the office manager who "took the fall" who ALSO blogs that Jackie made comments. Jamie Eason, Brian, AND Lisa maintain Jackie made these comments, not just fans.
Posted by: Juli | May 12, 2008 12:50:50 PM
How come nobody is mentioning how Jackie uses her position of power to hit on her employees? Taking the straight girls on a lesbian cruise and repeatedly making passes at them--? I can't believe nobody is suing her for sexual harassment and creating an uncomfortable work environment. Thank you, Bravo, for giving audiences yet another horrible portrait of a gay/lesbian person. That horrible person in charge of programming at Bravo (Andy sometime) and his awful blog and annoying persona should also be fired.
Posted by: JoHnny | May 12, 2008 12:53:11 PM
The problem is this: after making a comment, she didn't handle it properly.
It's her business and she decided to treat her business like a high school cafeteria with gossipy girls.
Obviously, the client and her boyfriend felt slighted because they brought it up to Brian afterwards. So, with an upset client, Brian is not allowed to discuss this with his employer? Not allowed? Ridiculous. And then she says, "Go take your client somewhere else." Yes, that's a mature individual.
Jackie Warner is manipulative and a terrible employer. What she creates is mistrust, favoritism and low morale for her employees.
She handled that situation incredibly poorly and has now lost a large endorsement from the very network that showcases her. Which, by the way, she stoops to blame as well.
She is clearly not a mature, responsible person.
Posted by: Sean H | May 12, 2008 12:56:00 PM