TLC announced today that they are beginning production on All That Jazz, a new reality show starring transgender teen Jazz Jennings and her family.
“Jazz’s story is universal, yet unique, and we’re proud to partner with her family to share it with TLC’s audience,” Nancy Daniels, the general manager of TLC, said in a statement. “Jazz may be known as an author and activist, but she’s first and foremost a teenage girl with a big, brave heart, living a remarkable life.”
TLC Group President Marjorie Kaplan added they hope the show will help “celebrates and demystifies difference in an effort to help create a world without prejudice.”
So, just who are Jazz Jennings and her family members? Now 14, Jazz first appeared on TV as a kid, shortly after she began living as her true female self: In a 20/20 interview from when Jazz was six, parents Greg and Jeanette Jennings explained Jazz seemed to identify as a girl from the very beginning. However, they were surprised when she was diagnosed with Gender Identity Disorder around the age of five.
After that point, they let Jazz determine how she wanted to dress and act.
“[Jeanette] and I are in 100 percent agreement as to how we should raise Jazz,” Greg said. “We don’t encourage, we support. And we just keep listening to what she tells us.”
Since then, Jazz has spoken out for herself on her own popular YouTube channel and in interviews — leading to her inclusion on last year’s list of 25 Most Influential Teens from Time.
“In a landmark year for transgender visibility in the media, Jennings stands out for how much she’s already accomplished,” Time said of Jazz. “She’s been interviewed by Barbara Walters, met Bill Clinton and become the youngest person ever featured on the Out 100 and The Advocate’s 40 Under 40 lists.”
She even co-wrote a children’s book, I Am Jazz, which is based on her experiences.
“This is an essential tool for parents and teachers to share with children whether those kids identify as trans or not,” Orange is the New Black‘s Laverne Cox said. “I wish I had had a book like this when I was a kid struggling with gender identity questions. I found it deeply moving in its simplicity and honesty.”
The TLC show will follow Jazz as she continues to be an advocate for transgender peers. It will also show how she deals with typical teenage things such as dating and sleepovers — as well as the not-so-typical challenges, like “avoiding male puberty.”
In addition to Jazz and her parents, All That Jazz will feature her siblings, college student Ari and 17-year-old twins Griffen and Sander. Grandparents Jack and Jacky will also appear on the show.
All That Jazz premieres on TLC this summer.
