Fears For Jazz: Jennings Delayed Harvard Due To Mental Health Issues
Jazz Jennings announced on Tuesday that she has delayed her admission to Harvard University. Now, a source exclusively revealed to RadarOnline.com that her decision was due to a decline in the TLC star’s mental health.
A source close to the Jennings said the I Am Jazz star has been “so stressed out” and “showing signs of depression” since as early as last fall.
“Jazz hasn’t been herself for months now,” the source told RadarOnline.com. “She was not in the right position to be starting school and living on her own."
The trans star shared with the world in May that she decided to go to the Massachusetts ivy league school. She was open about also considering a cross-country move to her other top choice school, Pomona College in California.
“#Harvard 2023 I am so stoke for this next chapter of my life!” Jazz captioned the photo. “Feeling so blessed and grateful right now. Thank you so much to my incredible family for your unconditional love and support; none of this would be possible without all of you. I can’t wait for what’s to come!”
According to the source, Jennings talked to friends about packing for Harvard and “doing school work” in late August, just before her freshman year would have begun.
However, Jennings’ last-minute decision is not surprising to those close to her.
“She’s not happy,” the source said. “Jazz has told friends that she has things anyone in her position would want: money, the perfect female body. But she’s just not happy. Somewhere down the line she’s lost herself.”
DAILY. BREAKING. CELEBRITY NEWS. ALL FREE.
As RadarOnline.com readers know, Jennings has been open with her fans about her mental health struggles. In an interview with Thrive Global in June, the TV star admitted she is in a "constant state of being burned out," and worried that enrolling in Harvard may add even more pressure.
"It’s also a place where I can feel that anxiety and depression to an even greater degree than I do now, because there’s so much going on all the time,” she said. “You want to be involved in everything, but school’s stressful in and of itself. I’ll be studying for tests and exams and trying to be the best I can be. In high school, I always got straight As, because I put that pressure on myself.”
Jennings’ mental health issues are a combination of dealing with fame and struggling to know who she really is when the cameras are off, the insider added.
“She doesn’t really have the time to just be Jazz,” the source said. “She doesn’t know how to just be a teen and not be an advocate.”
As RadarOnline.com readers recall, Jennings has had a year of up and downs. In addition to graduating high school, the trans advocate introduced her first-ever boyfriend, Ahmir Steward, on season five of her hit show.
Steward, however, admitted the long-distance between the couple was “hard.”
Last year, the famous teen also underwent a gender confirmation surgery, which she described as the “final step of transitioning.”