Jazz Jennings took the world by storm when TLC announced that she would star in her own reality show about living life as a young transgender girl. Although it was a controversial choice for the network at the time, I Am Jazz went on to be one of the most successful TLC shows.
The I Am Jazz star has been one of the most notable LGBTQ+ figures since she was young. Since the age of six, Jazz and her family have appeared on many TV shows bringing awareness to transgender youth and working to lower its stigma. Her parents decided to share her story when she was still very young. As a result, she was on many national news and talk shows speaking about being transgender. However, things weren't as positive as they seemed. Here is the sad truth about Jazz Jennings' weight gain.
Updated November 29, 2022: Though Jazz's struggles led to the show I Am Jazz going on hiatus, TLC announced in November 2022 that the series would be renewed, giving viewers a glimpse into Jazz's journey moving forward.
Jazz Jennings Admitted Struggling With Unhealthy Eating Habits
The family shares a lot with fans, but not everything. For a while, fans weren't sure what was going on with Jazz because, despite the TLC show, some things were kept under wraps.
Still, the show followed much of Jazz's personal journey.
Fans have seen Jazz navigate dating and relationships, and they were proud of her for being accepted to Harvard. But this is where things took a tragic turn.
After achieving her dream of getting into Harvard, Jazz experienced severe mental health issues that led to the popular TLC show going on a hiatus.
Jazz revealed she had begun binge eating to cope with mental health issues, eventually gaining about 100 pounds. Of course, this was only revealed after people had criticized her appearance.
Later, I Am Jazz took viewers along the ride as Jazz struggled with her weight and physical appearance.
Jazz Said Even Her Family Fat-Shamed Her
The Jennings family has notoriously accepted their daughter and sister, but this season feels different for many fans. Instead of embracing Jazz and talking it out, family members seem to be less accepting of her weight gain.
Jazz has used food as a tool to cope with her mental health struggles. However, she says her family has torn her down by fat-shaming. She said up-front that she felt humiliated by their comments.
Seeing her once-supportive family staring at her as she eats and arguing over food has shed light on the family dynamic.
Trailers for I Am Jazz showed Jazz playing sports with friends and asking them to go easy on her because she was out of shape. But the show isn't wholly focused on Jazz transforming her mind and body.
While Jazz hasn't gone into detail about her specific mental health issues, many fans speculated that she might be caving under the pressure of living her teen years on TV.
Jazz Jennings Is A Prominent Activist
Thanks to Jazz's efforts, it's more common to see transgender personalities nowadays. For example, Mj Rodriguez recently made history as the first transgender actress to win a Golden Globe.
Another famous and influential star in the community is Hunter Schafer, who plays a transgender character in Euphoria. Nevertheless, the way that Jazz rose to the spotlight wasn't as positive as it seemed.
Jazz became famous because her parents supported her transition as a very young child. But they came under fire when they gave her the freedom to openly live her life as a girl.
Aside from the public spotlight, Jazz also dealt with bullying in her day-to-day life. But the public wasn't much better.
Jazz co-wrote a kids' book, also titled I Am Jazz, to help parents explain everything about being transgender to their kids.
Unfortunately, when a teacher wanted to read the book to her students in support of a transgender person in the classroom, outraged parents blasted the school, saying that the book didn't alight with their values.
Similar criticisms have followed Jazz and her family over the years, even before Jennings published her book.
Appearing on reality TV thrust Jazz and her family — and their values, spats, and challenging moments — into the spotlight, and it hasn't all been positive.
Yet recent episodes of I Am Jazz illustrate that Jazz is continually working toward becoming a better version of herself. And that's really all fans can hope for.