Fitness personality Jillian Michaels was visibly stunned during a recent podcast episode after learning that the existence of Jesus Christ is widely accepted among historians—not just through biblical accounts but also via Roman historical records.
The revelation came during a conversation with historian and Hoover Institution senior fellow Victor Davis Hanson, who outlined how Roman officials responded to Jesus and his movement in first-century Judea. Michaels, clearly taken aback, admitted she had misunderstood the historical consensus around Jesus’ existence.
“I thought we didn’t even know this guy… this is going to infuriate people and I’m so sorry and I stay out of it, but I thought we weren’t even really sure whether or not Jesus existed,” Michaels said. “And the apostles wrote this stuff hundreds of years ago.”
Hanson calmly responded by explaining that Roman documentation confirms Jesus’ existence as a real historical figure. “We have Roman documents completely separate from religion,” he said, describing Jesus as “magnetic,” “romantic,” and someone who caused concern for the Roman authorities by challenging the political and religious status quo.
He also detailed how Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, tried to shift blame for Jesus’ death to the local Jewish religious authorities to maintain order. “The Romans wanted a quiet province,” Hanson said. “They did not like Jesus and what he represented was anti-Roman… So they said basically, the Jewish religious establishment doesn’t like him either. So we can get rid of him and say the Pharisees did it.”
Hanson contrasted Roman imperial ideology with Jesus’ teachings, noting that Jesus preached humility, forgiveness, and care for the poor—values completely at odds with Rome’s military-driven, might-makes-right ethos.
For Michaels, the history lesson was eye-opening. “This is so wild. I’m sorry. I know it’s not wild for people who know this information, but I genuinely thought, okay, the Jews had the Old Testament, the Torah, and then maybe there was this guy, Jesus,” she said, admitting her assumptions were based on vague knowledge of the Dead Sea Scrolls and second-hand interpretations of biblical texts.
Though she rarely comments on religion, Michaels described herself in 2024 as “agnostic” and “not a religious person,” making her reaction less about faith and more about her astonishment at what she admitted was a major gap in her understanding of history.
The exchange quickly spread online, drawing reactions ranging from mockery to praise for her curiosity and willingness to admit what she didn’t know. For Hanson, it was a chance to highlight that even deeply religious or controversial figures like Jesus have firmly established historical roots—something even secular scholars overwhelmingly agree on.
The post Jillian Michaels Is Shocked To Discover Jesus Was A Real Person appeared first on Real News Now.
About Author
