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I am Jazz season 8 premiered on January 24, 2023, at 10 pm ET on TLC.
In the new season, the audience will once more witness transgender reality celeb and LGBTQIA+ activist Jazz Jennings reuniting with her parents Greg and Jeanette Jennings, and siblings Sander, Griffen, and Ari Jennings, while she steers her life amidst recurring hardships. Jazz's grandparents, Grandpa Jack, and Grandma Jacky are also significant figures in both her life and the series.
The official synopsis of the first episode of the eighth season, titled A Night at the Selfie Museum, is as follows:
"Jazz comes home from Harvard ready to assert her independence and go on a search for love; Jeanette keeps a sharp eye on her secretive daughter as Jazz’s mental health goes downhill; Jazz’s friend, Jaclyn, has an announcement.”
Season 8 will see the South Florida-based celeb and author showcase a new journey that she undertakes while handling a variety of accusations.
Meet Jazz Jennings, one of the youngest transgender woman activists and a reality tv star
Born on October 6, 2000, 22-year-old trans woman Jazz Jennings has been a known face in the gamut of reality television. The YouTuber first emerged into the limelight following her debut on the Barbara Walters show in 2007, at the age of 6.
Jazz is a vocal trans rights activist in her state and one of the youngest documented persons to be identified as transgender. She is believed to be the most famous transgender teen in the world. She was diagnosed with gender dysphoria and was assigned male at birth, but later identified as female.
Over the years, Jazz has undergone various gender confirmation surgeries and taken hormone blockers to prevent herself from hitting male puberty. Her surgeries came with several obstacles but she managed to overcome them all.
Jazz and her family have hidden their last name as much as they can. This can be attributed to a June 2015 report in The Miami Herald where her mother, Jeanette Jennings, reportedly hinted at a long name attributed to their Jewish lineage, but did not reveal her family name.
In an interview with PEOPLE, Jazz opened up about receiving death threats and said:
"I get death threats almost on a daily basis. People will comment on my photos saying, 'Burn in hell. Kill yourself. You're an abomination.' But 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."
Jennings has also faced discrimination over her children's book, titled I am Jazz, which was banned from libraries across the world based on fears that it would influence children. Jazz vehemently opposed the ban placed upon her by her country's legislators and made social media posts regarding the same.
Discussing her weight loss journey, Jazz explained that her weight increased in November 2021 - during the previous season of I am Jazz - because she had overindulged in bagels, donuts, and fast food. She acknowledged that she was trying to get in shape and lose weight in the season 7 trailer, but also admitted to having difficulties.
In one of her Instagram posts, she wrote:
“As many of you have noticed, over the past few years, I have gained a substantial amount of weight. I suffer from binge-eating disorder, a disease in which I’m not only addicted to food, but I eat it in large quantities. My binging, along with an increased appetite I experience from some of the meds I’m on, has caused me to gain almost 100 pounds in a little less than 2 years.”
The I am Jazz star admitted that she felt like her body was a "cage." She also opened up about being fat shamed by her family. Since then, she has continued to work hard to get back in shape. Her brother Sander has encouraged her in this endeavor.
What to expect from season 8 of I am Jazz?
In the upcoming season of I Am Jazz, Jennings will be followed in her native home ground Florida as she embraces new experiences and goes on a variety of dates while pushing herself to venture outside her comfort zone.
In the preview of the show, the I Am Jazz star can be heard saying:
"I'm going to go on my first date in four years."
As her social life expands, Jazz says her anxiety sometimes just "takes over." It remains to be seen how she will fare over the course of the series.
I Am Jazz season 8 premieres on January 24 at 10 pm ET on TLC and Discovery Plus.
