The Journey After Fame Hasn't Been Easy For TLC's Jazz Jennings

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This article includes mentions of mental health struggles and eating disorders.

So, who exactly is Jazz Jennings? Well, America first met Jennings back in 2007, when she made an appearance on ABC's "20/20" at just 6 years old. Jennings was categorized as male at birth, and as she grew up, it was apparent that she was more in touch with her feminine side. According to her parents, Jennings preferred to wear dresses, and she would correct her parents whenever they encouraged her with a cheerful "Good boy!" rather than "Good girl." Jennings came out when she was 5 years old, making her one of the youngest known cases of gender transition at the time.

"Ever since I could form coherent thoughts, I knew I was a girl trapped inside a boy's body," Jennings wrote in an article for Time. "There was never any confusion in my mind." According to the reality star, much of the confusion stemmed from other people not understanding her perspective. Even her own parents were caring, but they had their limits. "My parents were cool about it but drew the line at going out in public dressed in girls' stuff," Jennings recalled.

Jennings would go on to become an LGBTQ activist, using her platform to raise awareness on transgender rights. However, her life in the spotlight has not been a walk in the park. She has publicly disclosed personal struggles with her health, let her fans in on her experience with an eating disorder, and even endured threats to her life. Read on for a deeper look into the difficulties Jennings has faced since she became famous.

Over the years, laws have been enacted that restrict interactions between transgender individuals and cisgender girls and women. In Idaho, for instance, transgender girls and women are prohibited from participating in female sports at all levels, including college. Back in 2025, President Donald Trump vowed to cut federal funding for schools that did not comply with the ban.

Amid supreme court cases battling these laws, Jazz Jennings took to Instagram to share her own experience. "When I was 8 years old, I was banned from playing girls' soccer," the activist wrote in the caption. "I was told I had an 'unfair competitive advantage' because I was born biologically male." Jennings explained that, at the time, she was simply pursuing her passion and that her involvement in the sport was all about having a good time with her friends. "Transgender athletes should be allowed to play!" she concluded.

Still, that wasn't her first encounter with a policy of that nature. In a 2016 article for Cosmopolitan, Jennings disclosed that she wasn't allowed to use the girls' bathroom when she enrolled in elementary school. She had to use a unisex bathroom that offered little privacy, as everything she did could be heard. It was a plight that she continued to grapple with in her teens. "It's legit discrimination, and it's unfair to me and other transgender individuals who face the same thing," she affirmed.

Jazz Jennings is a three-time author. In September 2014, Jennings published her first book, "I Am Jazz," a children's book written in collaboration with Jessica Herthel and illustrator Shelagh McNicholas. The picture book told Jennings' real-life story in a way that a young audience could understand. According to "Orange is the New Black" star Laverne Cox, who is also an advocate for transgender awareness, the book offers answers to questions she had while growing up.

Naturally, Jennings intended to hold reading sessions with her target audience, but it wasn't always an easy task. In December 2015, she was scheduled to appear at Mount Horeb Primary Center in Wisconsin. However, the event got canceled after concerns were raised by a conservative group. The organization, Liberty Counsel, issued a warning that it would pursue legal action, arguing that the event would infringe on "parental rights" (via The Capital Times).

In the end, several people turned out for a reading session at a library. Although Jennings got a nod from the public, the same could not be said for the state of Florida. Jennings' book, as well as author Kyle Lukoff's "Call Me Max," were both pulled from shelves in Palm Beach County, Florida, in 2022. The move was in accordance with Florida House Bill 1557, which became law and banned classroom instruction on gender identity for young children.

Jazz Jennings' family was prepared for her to undergo a gender-affirming procedure; her mother even threw a "farewell to penis" party (via People). The reality star finally went under the knife in June of 2018. Jennings shared updates with her fans post-surgery, and years later, she would proudly display her scars on Instagram, acknowledging them as proof of a hard-fought battle. And true to her word, the procedure was not easy. 

Ahead of the Season 6 premiere of Jennings' TLC show, "I Am Jazz," her surgeons disclosed that she had experienced complications during her first surgery, which required her to undergo a second procedure. "Taking Jazz on as a patient for surgery, we knew it was going to be a one-of-a-kind surgery," one of her surgeons, Dr. Jess Ting, shared (via People). "We don't have the experience of having said we've done 50 of these. I was just not expecting her to have a complication as severe as what she did have." According to Dr. Ting, "[Jennings] was under so much tension that it created these larger wounds" (via TLC). He had to fix the damage by using a skin graft to cover the open wounds.

"Getting the surgery was so transformative on not just a physical level, but an emotional and spiritual level too," Jennings told Kate Couric Media. But this didn't mark the first time Jennings and her family felt distressed over her transition. Early on, they had difficulties finding a pediatric endocrinologist to work with her. Likewise, negotiating with insurance companies to cover medical-related costs proved to be a Herculean task.

Jazz Jennings' role as an activist is not without its own set of challenges, the biggest of which is online harassment. "I receive a lot of hatred and cruelty from people who are discriminatory and hateful towards the trans and LGBTQ community," Jennings told Variety. "It's really hard sometimes seeing those hateful comments." Jennings emphasized that the hostility didn't really have a big impact on her personally, but she felt saddened that the world was full of such widespread animosity.

One such incident aired on "I Am Jazz" shows the extent of transphobic hostility. Jennings hosted a Facebook live session in the company of her friends, Noelle and Lynn, and the trio shared their experiences with cyberbullying and mental health struggles. They later received a call from someone who accused them of "trying to get attention" (via YouTube). Jennings hung up the call and proceeded to respond by saying, "I think you are just being completely disrespectful. You are jumping to conclusions without educating yourself and [need to] understand that we are people as well."

According to Jennings, her fans often come to her rescue whenever she receives malicious comments on social media platforms (Jennings herself responded to Derick Dillard's transphobic tweets once). However, sometimes those small interactions escalate. "My supporters will normally stand up to that hateful person, and then it will become a big argument, and it's just a lot," the reality star told Teen Vogue. These disputes can be overwhelming, but Jennings thinks they provide an opportunity to educate the public more. "I will continue advocating for my community until it's resolved, and the hate is gone," she vowed.

Jazz Jennings has been transparent about her emotional and psychological struggles. In a video shared by Child Mind Institute, Jennings disclosed that she was first diagnosed with depression and anxiety when she was 12 years old. At the time, the reality star had just begun middle school and started to experience negative thoughts. Much of her suffering, she said, also came from comparing herself to other people and looking at life as a "popularity game." As a result, she ditched some of her passions, such as sports and art.

Jennings also struggled with mental health when she gained weight (details on this later). Her authentic experience was documented on Season 7 of "I Am Jazz," during which she took a break from Harvard University to focus on her inner well-being. "I was in this dark, dark place and this was the season I started climbing out of that space and recovering," the reality star revealed in a conversation with Today. 

She also opined that the public believes her mental strain comes from her transgender identity, a perspective that couldn't be further from the truth. "It's really important that people realize that yes, I do have mental health issues. No, it has nothing to do with me being transgender or my transition," she said. While the masses remain conflicted about the root cause of her challenges, she has relied on her family for support. (Jennings celebrated her father in an emotional post shared to Instagram, which features many other family-centric photos and videos). She also sought professional help and started taking medication, even though she wasn't consistent with the treatment at first.

Jazz Jennings' dating life as a transgender woman has not been smooth sailing. During Season 8 of "I Am Jazz," the reality star documented the process of re-entering the dating scene after a four-year break. In a promotional clip on Facebook, Jennings voiced her biggest concern: that most prospects couldn't look past her identity. "Many people don't realize that being a transgender woman doesn't solely define me — it's only one part of me," she wrote in the caption.

In Season 8, we saw Jennings get anxious about a kiss, plan a date with a guy who was much older, and come face to face with a new crush. At some point, she even had questions about whether she was asexual. "I downloaded dating apps, which mom wasn't really fond of," Jennings had told People ahead of the season. "So, you'll see a little bit of that, our relationship with that." The hate comments also seemed to persist, since Jennings received a disturbing remark on a dating app. 

According to her conversation with People, it is Jennings' wish that people be more "empathetic, and accepting, and loving" when it comes to the transgender dating experience. This was definitely not the case when she introduced viewers to her boyfriend, Ahmir, back in 2019. According to Ahmir, his mother would misgender Jennings. "She didn't acknowledge you for who you were," Ahmir told her. (via People).

Jazz Jennings' detractors do not stop at leaving mildly offensive comments on her social media posts; sometimes, they imply potential harm. During a 2015 episode of "I Am Jazz," the LGBTQ+ activist showed her brothers a comment on one of her YouTube videos that read, "Someone please shoot it, if not I'm going to kill it myself and make it die a horrible, painful death" (via Cosmopolitan). While her brothers, Sander and Griffen Jennings were taken aback, the same could not be said for Jazz , who has also been harassed face-to-face. In fact, in the same debut season, two men walked by Jazz and used a transphobic slur against her in person while she sat at a café with her mom, Jeanette Jennings.

These threats can go overboard and instill fear in real life. On a 2023 episode of "I Am Jazz," the reality star's mother revealed that she received a death threat that was far from normal. As such, Jeanette was visibly concerned while Jazz led a protest. "When someone sends a threat to where you live and they know your location, it's a really, really scary feeling knowing that someone is kind of stalking you a little bit and they have these ill intentions," Jazz told People.

Not only is Jazz affected, but her whole family has had to deal with that dark side of fame. "We have been getting some phone messages, and they've actually been kind of disturbing," Jazz's father, Greg Jennings, once disclosed during a family meeting (via YouTube). According to Greg, the caller's tone felt "angry," and as a safety measure, he took the initiative to notify law enforcement. Jeanette, on the other hand, asked her children to stay vigilant and take note of anything that seemed suspicious.

In 2021, Jazz Jennings shared her experience with weight gain and the tension it caused within her family. In a post shared on Instagram in June of that year, Jennings showcased side-by-side photos documenting changes in her physical appearance, captioned in part, "I suffer from binge-eating disorder, a disease in which I'm not only addicted to food, but I eat it in large quantities." The reality star further explained that the disorder, coupled with some medication she was taking, led to the accumulation of 100 pounds over a two-year period.

Jennings assured her fans that she was committed to losing the weight, and over the next couple of years, we saw her do just that. In January 2024, the LGBTQ+ activist took to Instagram to share that she had lost 70 pounds. Jennings wrote that she was in a much better place and couldn't be happier, all while affirming her decision to take a holistic approach to self-improvement. By August 2024, Jennings had lost 100 pounds. She shared a montage of before-and-after workout videos on Instagram, which she partly captioned, "I'm so proud of my progress and want to thank my family, friends, and all who supported me in getting there!" Her openness encouraged some of her followers to share their own experiences, while others couldn't help but marvel at Jennings' stunning weight loss transformation. Of course, Jennings emphasized that there was still "room for improvement."

Although Jazz Jennings confidently uses her voice to speak for the LGBTQ+ community — she served as the youth ambassador for the Human Rights Campaign Foundation — she can be a bit reserved around other people. Jennings joined Harvard University in the fall of 2021 and, naturally, she was expected to be a key participant in the school's activist spaces. Sadly, that wasn't the case, and the reason, as she told The Harvard Crimson, was partly because of "social anxiety." Jennings also admitted that fame made her carry the burden of others' expectations. She had to "be this person that people view me as."

During a 2021 episode of "I Am Jazz," viewers saw Jennings face her social anxiety head on. Her siblings challenged her to begin socializing again, and when she went to her first mixer in a long time, she came in contact with an old flame. Naturally, Jennings found ways to cope in those kinds of moments. "When I'm in a situation, and I'm feeling stressed or anxious, I really just have to take a deep breath and just get into that place of alignment again where I'm back to where I need to be," the activist told Thrive Global.

Jazz Jennings' beautiful relationship with her family and friends has been documented online, and so has the strong bond she had with her pet cat, Nemo. In 2024, Jennings posted an adorable TikTok video of herself singing "You Are My Sunshine" to Nemo, which she captioned in part, "Look ... I know I'm not the best singer, but singing to Nemo makes me so happy." In a similar fashion, Jennings took to Instagram to post a cute photo of herself and Nemo having a moment outdoors in spring 2025. The activist flashed a bright smile as her hand glided over Nemo's white fur.

Of course, throughout the years, Jennings revealed some interesting details about Nemo, such as the fact that he only had one ear at birth. He was also named after the Pixar movie "Finding Nemo," a nod to the eponymous character's lucky fin. Unfortunately, after 12 years of being Jennings' buddy, Nemo passed away. A saddened Jennings took to Instagram to share pictures of some of their cherished moments, captioning the tribute, "RIP my sweet angel, Nemo. You have brought me nothing but joy, and I will miss you dearly. Thanks for being my best companion."

If you or anyone you know is in crisis, or needs help with an eating disorder, contact the relevant resources below:

• Contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.
• Visit the National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA's Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).