Jillian Michaels' 2 Kids: All About Lukensia and Phoenix

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo: Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagic

Jillian Michaels' journey to motherhood was a whirlwind.

In the same month, the fitness trainer and her then-fiancée Heidi Rhoades welcomed their daughter Lukensia, 14, via adoption from Haiti, and welcomed their son, Phoenix, 12.

Becoming parents of two simultaneously wasn’t in the plans for the former couple, but when Rhoades was in labor, Michaelsreceived a text that Lukensia got her visaand she would be able to adopt the then 2-year-old. Reflecting on the “hectic"period of her life, she told PEOPLE in September 2012, “It’s been hectic, chaotic, confrontational — all the things you imagine it would be, but it’s also been magical, meaningful, and rewarding.”

While Michaels and Rhoadesannounced their splitin June 2018, the pair still co-parent their two children together. TheBiggest Loserstar has since married fashion designerDeShanna Marie Minutoas well.

Jillian Michaels/Instagram

Over the years, Michaels has become anexpert at balancing her family lifewith her busy career. “With two young children, I had to figure out a way to balance my days,” she told PEOPLE in April 2015. She went on to explain that she sets aside 12 hours a week with “no kids allowed” to focus solely on her own personal demands. “This way I can spend five to six hours with the kids and work for the other eight hours. If I have any extra time, it goes to the kids,” she explained. “Things seem to work out, and it keeps me sane!”

Keep reading for everything to know about Jillian Michaels' two children, Lukensia and Phoenix.

Lukensia Michaels Rhoades, 14

Michaels and Rhoades welcomed daughter, Lukensia “Lu” Michaels Rhoades, via adoption from Haiti on May 12, 2012, when she was 2 years old. The former couple brought home their daughter just days after Rhoades gave birth to their younger child, son Phoenix.

The adoption process was “not an easy one,” as Michaels told PEOPLE in 2012. However, the trainer, who was diagnosed with endometriosis as a teenager, never gave up hope. “I felt the calling to adopt,” she said. “You just know in the deepest part of your being that you are meant to find this little soul and guide them through life.”

Michaels first applied for adoption in 2010 through the Democratic Republic of the Congo. After not hearing anything from the agencies for a year, she found out that there were children in Haiti up for adoption. She and Rhoades met Lu when she was 18 months old while Rhoades was pregnant, however, they still had a long road ahead of them to make the adoption official. In the end, though, Michaels said it was all worth it.

“Thatmoment of getting Luout of Haiti and the wheels of the plane touching down in New York … she was an American citizen after two years,” Michaels recalled to PEOPLE. “It was a heavy moment.”

Reflecting on heremotional adoption journeyduring a November 2019 interview for PEOPLE’sMe Becoming Mompodcast, Michaels opened up about how difficult it was to leave Lu in Haiti before the adoption was finalized. “The second time I went [to Haiti], she stayed with me at the guest house — they call it the guest house. So she wasn’t in the orphanage,” she explained. “So they kept telling her like, ‘This is your mama, this is your mama.’ And she was like, ‘Rad, you’re my mama.’ She liked me right away.”

During an interview withRedbookwhen Lu was a toddler, Michaelsdiscussed her parenting styleand shared how she was encouraging her daughter to be independent and confident.

“Kids are accident-prone; they’re going to tumble. As long as I know [Lu] is not going to die or get badly hurt, it’s okay,” Michaels said. “We’d rather her be adventurous and fall and get back up, than helicopter around her and make her feel fragile.”

The fitness trainer also encourages her kids to live a healthy lifestyle, which includes eating healthy — with a weekly “treat day” — and being active.

“Lu loves horses, so I take her to the stables, and she loves dancing, so I put music on and she dances around the house,” Michaels shared with PEOPLE in 2013. “We run on the beach with the dogs and take her out to ride her tricycle. Wejust have a healthy lifestyle— we play!”

Growing up, Lu also spent time on tour with her mother. In 2013, she and her brother accompanied their mom on her Maximize Your Life tour and even celebrated her 3rd birthday on the road.

Now that she is a tween, Michaels “talks openly” with her daughter about food and her relationship with it. “My daughter really struggles with food, she has all the same issues with food that I had,” Michaels revealed during an appearance onPEOPLE Now. She added that the mother-daughter duo “talk about food in a way that is healthy.”

Phoenix Michaels Rhoades, 12

The former couplewelcomed their son, Phoenix Michaels Rhoades, on May 3, 2012. Michaels and Roads found out that Lu’s adoption was finalized as Rhoades was going into labor and days after Phoenix was born, they brought her home. At the time, Michaels joked to PEOPLE, “We’re swimming in babies over here.”

Phoenix also appears to have a passion for fitness like his mom. In August 2016, Michaels posted avideoon Instagram of her then-4-year-old son doing one-arm push-ups. “Start em young 😁 who else’s kids think they’re Olympians?” she wrote in the caption.

Throughout the years, Phoenix has also rocked several different hair colors in addition to his natural brunette locks. In 2021, his mom showed offhis green hairon Instagram. By September 2022, his hair wasbuzzed and bleached blondeas he posed for a photo withMichaels' wife, Minuto, at a New York Yankees game.

source: people.com