We know that Jackie Warner, fitness guru and star of Bravo’s Work Out (Tuesdays 10 p.m.) is hot ghetto mess of an individual– the poster child for unprofessional behavior. For the past two and half seasons, Bravo has looked the other way as Jackie openly dated one employee and made sexual advances towards others. But this latest screw up in which Jackie and/or her assistant Lisa made disparaging remarks about the breast implants of a client who happened to be a cancer survivor and the decision by Gatorade (Propel) to pull its sponsorship, may leave Bravo wondering if Jackie, despite the show’s popularity, is more of a liability than an asset.
It seems that last week’s episode in which the comments were made and in which trainer Brian Peeler, who was fired by Jackie for confronting her about those remarks (the woman was his client), was the last straw for some of the show’s viewers. They took their grievances to Gatorade, makers of Propel water (which you see everywhere on the show, or shall I say, used to), and the beverage maker issued the following statement:
On behalf of The Gatorade Company, we want to thank you for contacting us and sharing your concerns about the relationship Propel has with the TV show The Workout, specifically around the incident where one of Jackie Warner’s trainers makes a comment to Jackie about a client’s breasts. What made this exchange even more troubling was the discovery the woman being discussed is a breast cancer survivor.
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. Please note, because this season’s episodes, and past seasons’ episodes, have already been filmed and edited, moving forward you may still continue to see Propel used in the show.
We take very seriously the concerns you have shared, and we understand why there is discomfort for our consumers with an association of Propel and The Workout, given the unfortunate events that unfolded during this week’s episode. We hope our immediate actions send a clear message to the community that we greatly value what you have to say, agree with your sentiments, and appreciate you taking the time to share your concerns with us. (Source)
Wow, she really did it this time. Those adoring housewives, for whom she was a cute lesbian crush, have turned on her like rapid dogs and rightfully so. I saw the episode and I was shocked but not surprised. I guess I’ve become somewhat numb to Jackie’s antics which seem a bit over the top this year — even for her.
Now the wait is on to see who files the first lawsuit against Jackie (and possibly Bravo/NBC Universal and the producers of the show). Let’s see, could it be Peeler? He’d have a great “wrongful termination” suit. Could it be the client? I can just imagine the money that her attorney would ask for “pain and suffering”. Oh, she can also claim “loss of income” since she is also a fitness model and could say that editors/photographers, since the disclosure, are reluctant to work with her. The possibilities are endless.
From the looks of things, it seems that Jackie’s next major appearance may be in a California courtroom. And what a show that will be.
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