Jazz Jennings Gets Candid About 100-Pound Weight Gain

I Am Jazz star Jazz Jennings opened up about her 100-pound weight gain over the past two years. Jennings, 20, revealed on Instagram Friday that she suffers from a binge-eating disorder that involves eating food in large quantities. She also said some of the medication she is taking played a role in her weight gain. The TLC star published a photo of herself before her weight gain next to a recent picture, adding that it was time to “hold myself accountable.”

“As many of you have noticed, over the past few years, I have gained a substantial amount of weight,” Jennings wrote. “I suffer from binge-eating disorder, a disease in which I’m not only addicted to food, but I eat it in large quantities.” She said her binge-eating and an “increased appetite” she experiences because of some of her medication, led to her gaining almost 100 pounds in less than two years.

“I’m posting this photo because it’s time for me to address my weight gain and hold myself accountable,” Jennings continued. “I’m ready to change my ways; I’ve been saying I’m ready to turn over a new leaf, but I’m running out of trees now.” She is now ready to “take the initiative” and make “positive changes” to her health. She has family, friends, and professionals supporting her, but Jennings noted that she has to be “the one committed toward bettering myself.”

“I know I have the power in me to lose the weight, and I intend on sharing my progress with all of you. Love you all, and thanks for understanding the battle I’m fighting to win,” she wrote in the end. Jennings also shared before-and-after photos in her Instagram Story. “Beautiful every shape and size,” she captioned a recent photo of herself. “Loving you is easy cuz you’re beautiful,” she captioned another picture.

Many of Jennings’ famous followers shared supportive comments on her Instagram post. “Sending you love and support Jazz. We are cheering you on,” Katie Couric wrote. “You are so resilient and can do anything you put your mind to. I believe in you and will be by your side every step of the way,” her brother Sander Jennings wrote. “You are beautiful inside and out, Jazz. Whatever changes you desire in your life I know you have the strength and determination to make them happen,” writer Lee Swift wrote.

Jennings’ decision to open up about her eating disorder came a few days after TLC announced I Am Jazz will be coming back for a seventh season. The show debuted in 2015 and won the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Reality Program in 2016. Jennings has been in the public spotlight since 2007 when she became the youngest trans child to appear on television with a Barbara Walters interview. I Am Jazz is available to stream on Discovery+.