Jazz Jennings, the star of I Am Jazz, is returning for a fifth season. TLC has revealed that I Am Jazz will return to the network on January 1.
The first few episodes will air on Tuesdays at 10/9c but the series will move to its normal timeslot, starting Tuesday, January 22 at 9/8c.
Season five will follow transgender teen advocate Jazz Jennings, as she begins on her most intimate journey ever. In a YouTube preview where Jazz announces the new season, she reveals that this is the season where she finally gets her gender confirmation surgery.
The journey has been a long one for Jazz, who has now turned 18. She started her transition from boy to girl when she was just five years old. While she had always felt like a girl on the inside, she really wanted her exterior to match what she was feeling.
The cameras will be there as Jennings undergoes her gender confirmation surgery, which is one of the most personal events of her life. But this season also shows her celebrating her 18th birthday, while still navigating life, teenager life, and issues with her transition.
The show has given her an amazing platform, and she devotes much of her time to advocating for LGBTQ rights. She’s been awarded TIME Magazine’s Most Influential Teens (2014 and 2015) award and she was also mentioned on The Advocate magazine’s Top Forty Under 40 annual list. She’s also been recognized for other awards.
Prior to her confirmation surgery, Jazz had to lose 30 pounds. She showed off the difference on her Instagram account back in May. The struggle to shed the weight could also be something that will be featured on the show.
In 2016, I Am Jazz won a GLAAD Award for Outstanding Reality Program and Jazz served as the 2016 Grand Marshal in the New York City Pride March, making her the youngest person to serve as Grand Marshal in the history of the march, according to the TLC press release.
Jennings has also written a children’s picture book called I Am Jazz with Jessica Herthel. She is also a co-founder of Transkids Purple Rainbow Foundation, which helps support transgender youth and their families – just like Jazz.
I Am Jazz returns to TLC on Tuesday, January 22 at 9/8c.