What The Cameras Never Showed You On My 600-Lb Life

March 2024 · 2 minute read

In Season 7, viewers were treated to one of the most moving "My 600-Lb Life" episodes to date, in which Destinee Lashaee, who had come out as a trans woman, was enabled to live her truth through gastric sleeve surgery. But while Destinee's journey is portrayed as inspiring on-screen, her experience away from the cameras was allegedly one of shocking bigotry.

As reported by The Sun, Destinee claimed in a lawsuit that the producers were transphobic and forced her "to shave her face" on camera. "The filming of her shaving was so painful that it was not made part of the show. The stress led Plaintiff to have a breakdown in which she kicked the producers out of her home, and threatened to kill them and herself," she alleged in legal documents. 

Additionally, she claimed that the show's purported interest in patients' psychological wellbeing is a mere facade and that she was only given a single session in therapy "so that it could be filmed and be part of the show." This substantiates previous claims of the show's commitment to patients' mental health being nothing more than showbiz artifice. In her legal filings, Destinee sought $1 million in damages.

She isn't the first person to sue the show over claims that producers lied. In 2020, Starcasm reported that the family of LB Bonner, who was featured in Season 6 and later died by suicide, sued the producers, claiming that he was also only given just "one therapy session," contrary to their promises.

If you or a loved one has experienced a hate crime, contact the VictimConnect Hotline by phone at 1-855-4-VICTIM or by chat for more information or assistance in locating services to help. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline​ at​ 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.

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