Baylen Dupree is getting real about her Tourette syndrome diagnosis as the social media sensation shares the highs and lows of her real life on her new TLC show, Baylen Out Loud. Ahead of the Monday premiere, PopCulture.com has an exclusive sneak peek of Baylen’s emotional meeting with therapist Dana as she opens up about the “one thing” that embarrasses her about her diagnosis.
“Dana first came into our life when it was such a dark spot for Baylen,” says Baylen’s mom Julie at the start of the clip. “And it was a dark spot for us.” Husband Allen agrees, “You watch your kid suffer, feeling lost like [you’re] in the dark.”
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The social media personality was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome in 2020 ahead of her 18th birthday, but had been experiencing the tell-tale involuntary movements and vocalizations on and off since early childhood. It’s a “helpless” feeling, Julie admits, not knowing how to help your child.
“Even after you get the diagnosis, then you come back here and you’re like, ‘Alright. Now what do we do?’” she explains. “So there’s lots of medications and therapies to explore and you just start at the beginning and see what works.”
Dana is a big part of Baylen’s treatment and earns a teary greeting from the whole family as she comes over for a session. Baylen then experiences an instance of coprolalia, an involuntary swearing tic, which Dana explains as the “urges to say obscene things” that are only seen in about 10% of Tourette cases.
“That’s the one thing that I am so embarrassed about is my coprolalia,” an emotional Baylen tells her. “Like, I’m embarrassed by it.” Dana assures Baylen they’ll work on it during their session, explaining to the camera, “Baylen has one of the more severe cases of Tourette syndrome.” And while this kind of therapy “is not a cure,” it is a way for people to “manage their tics more effectively.”
Baylen’s openness about life with Tourette syndrome has led her to more than 10 million followers on TikTok and Instagram. The TLC personality, who is now 22, will now give a candid look at life with her diagnosis on Baylen Out Loud, as well as her push to become more independent and her relationship with her four siblings — Sammy, 19, Burke, 23, Sven, 16, and Vick, 13.
Baylen Out Loud premieres Monday at 9 p.m. ET on TLC.
