Fitness Trainer Accused of Fat Shaming Moms
HAMMER: Now on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "Geico`s 15 Minutes of Fame." Tonight, No. 2 on our countdown, what`s life been like for this fit mom of three since she created a firestorm after posting this photo of herself on Facebook with the caption "What`s your excuse?" Did Maria Kang actually inspire people to get in shape just like her, or did she tick off moms everywhere? She is here tonight, and we are about to find out. So that photo of Maria showing off her six-pack abs as she`s surrounded by her three young boys has gone absolutely viral. But it hasn`t been entirely good. So what`s it been like for her since then? Maria is with us tonight from Sacramento, California. Great having you here, Maria.</s>MARIA KANG, FITNESS BUFF/MOTHER: Great. Thank you for having me.</s>HAMMER: Absolutely. So you`re a fitness trainer and you said that you wanted to motivate people with your fit physique. But of course, you know, you got accused of so-called fat shaming. Did you find it`s really unfair that you`ve gotten so much heat over this?</s>KANG: Yes, I definitely think it`s a little bit unfair, especially since I`m not a fitness trainer. That`s not where I get my bread and butter. I`m actually a business owner of two residential care homes. So I created this to inspire moms, and I think that there`s a little bit of bullies out there right now.</s>HAMMER: So tell me what life has been like since you first -- first posted the photo. What have you been hearing? What have people been saying to you?</s>KANG: You know, it`s been incredible. People are still posting mean comments, sending me e-mails saying that`s I`m fat shaming, that I should be -- that I`m a bad mother, that I neglect my kids, that there`s no way that I look this good without being -- having surgery or having a lot of PhotoShop done. So it`s been an incredible experience so far.</s>HAMMER: Did you have any sense you were going to get this kind of a reaction? Or did you think, "Oh, just put this out here. Maybe it will inspire people"?</s>KANG: Definitely not. I mean, I knew that it was going to be a powerful image. I knew that people were going to see my kids, 3, 2 and 8 months at the time, and my fit image and say, wow, she`s looking pretty good. Maybe I can do it, too. Because I`m a real mom, you know. I`m not some Kim Kardashian celebrity on a magazine out there that`s looking at -- look at me, I have a nice body after having a baby. I`m a real mom. So I think a lot of people were pretty shocked.</s>HAMMER: Well, Maria, I`ve got some good news for you, because I just spoke with my good friend, Snooki. She`s competing on "Dancing with the Stars," as you know this season. And I asked her if she thought you were fat shaming people or bullying people in any way. Here`s what Snooki had to say.</s>POLIZZI: This is not bullying at all. I mean, for me, when I had my child, I decided to lose all my weight and be healthy for my child. So I feel like when she posted that and said, "What`s your excuse," it`s more like motivation. Like it can be done. You have three children. You can lose all the weight and you can be healthy. So it`s not bullying at all. If anything, it`s inspiration and it`s motivation. And I look up to her.</s>HAMMER: Well, there you have it, Maria. There you have Snooki putting things in perspective. She`s firmly in your corner. I wish you the best of luck and thank you so much for being with us tonight, Maria Kang. I appreciate it.</s>KANG: Thank you so much.</s>HAMMER: All right. As we move on, our No. 1 must-see, must-share story of the day is so big, it`s on two -- Yes, two -- continents. The big reveal is coming up next. Plus, this SBT exclusive special event.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Confront his most feared enemy. Himself.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Give me that briefcase.</s>BALDONI: No. Everything Emily expects from me is in here. Everything she needs from me is in this briefcase.</s>HAMMER: OK. Have you seen this thing? It is the engagement viral video that is intense. It`s emotional. And I think it`s as entertaining as any big-budget movie. And tonight, the couple in the proposal video right here exclusively to watch it with us. And they`re going to reveal the secrets of what has to have been such an emotional day that they will never forget. Now next week it is all about "SBT Game Show Madness." This is going to be so much fun. I`m going on location, visiting classic TV game shows. Now, on Tuesday I`m taking a spin with Pat and Vanna at "Wheel of Fortune." Wednesday I visit Cedric the Entertainer, the new host of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" And Thursday it is my dream come true day on "The Price is Right." "Game Show Madness" all next week on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.