TikToker Baylen Dupree is opening up about living with Tourette syndrome, using social media to reclaim her narrative, and raising awareness in her new TLC reality show, "Baylen Out Loud."
With nearly 10 million followers on TikTok, the 22-year-old has gained attention for her honest portrayal of navigating life with the condition, all while maintaining humor and staying connected with family and friends.
Dupree told "Good Morning America" that she decided to be more transparent about her life online after experiencing bullying.
"I had videos being sent around. I had people talking," she recalled. "There was a lot going on where I basically was like, 'I want to be in control of my diagnosis, my life, my condition.'"
"I wanted to just take my power back," she said.
Tourette syndrome is a neurological disorder that causes sudden, unwanted and uncontrollable movements or vocal sounds known as tics, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, part of the National Institutes of Health. Tourette syndrome is part of a group of tic disorders affecting the developing nervous system.
Most people with Tourette syndrome experience their most severe symptoms in their early teens, but tics usually lessen and become more manageable by the late teens or early 20s, the agency states. For some, however, Tourette syndrome remains a chronic condition with symptoms extending into adulthood.
Billie Eilish opens up about having Tourette syndrome: 'I have made friends with it'Dupree shared that she first noticed her tics around the age of 6 or 7, starting with minor motor tics that eventually went away but returned when she was 15.
"They started off very, very mild, like I rarely during the day would tic as common as I do now," she explained. "My tics back then weren't as active as they are now."
She added that her condition worsened during COVID-19, significantly impacting her life, taking control and deteriorating her mental health.
Dupree's new TLC show, "Baylen Out Loud," follows her journey with severe vocal and motor tics as she navigates adulthood, supported by her loving family in West Virginia -- including her five siblings, father Allen and mother Julie -- and her boyfriend Colin, according to TLC.
Discussing her decision to do the show, Dupree told "GMA" that she wanted to shed light on the realities of living with Tourette syndrome, offering viewers a more in-depth perspective than the short clips she shares on social media.
"You can see kind of everything in my life," she said of the show. "I'm allowing you to be in my life and see my journey and see what it's like to live with TS, but to also involve other people and involve their stories and their journeys."
She said she hopes the show will also help and inspire others with disabilities.
"I just want people to watch it and just see that it's real and that it's a struggle, but it also has ups and downs, and the only way to get through it is to make light of it and to just keep going and have God on your side," she said. "I just wanted to take a negative situation and the negative thing that happened [and turn it] into a positive thing, and bring light onto it, because I only have one life."
For those supporting loved ones with Tourette syndrome, Dupree stressed the importance of patience, understanding and consistent support.
Acknowledging that the journey is never easy, she also encouraged people to embrace differences and show grace.
"All of us are more alike than we are different," she said. "So, just keep showing up, keep being patient, and just let them tic, because we're all beautifully complex."
"Baylen Out Loud" premieres Monday, Jan. 13, at 9 p.m. ET on TLC.
