• by Adam Buckman , Featured Columnist, December 11, 2024

The title of the new, upcoming TLC reality series “Baylen Out Loud” can be interpreted in two ways.

The show is built around Baylen Dupree, 22, from West Virginia. She is afflicted with Tourette syndrome. 

It may or may not be the first such show on TV, but it is likely the first Tourette’s docuseries on TLC.

Baylen is already well-known in the Tourette’s community, having shared about her symptoms -- which include “extreme and uncontrollable vocal and motor tics” -- on TikTok.

The title of the show can be seen as a reference, at least in part, to the involuntary, “out loud” nature of these conspicuous characteristics.

But more than that, the title is a reference to Dupree’s outspokenness on the subject, through which she hopes to inspire others. 

“ ‘Baylen Out Loud’ will inspire audiences as they watch Baylen push herself outside her comfort zone in pursuit of the independent life she’s always dreamed of,” says TLC in a press release.

Tourette syndrome takes its name from Georges Gilles de la Tourette, a 19th century, French neurologist.

On-line sources indicate that the condition is mostly a childhood one afflicting about 1% of children, and then decreasing as a child passes through adolescence. 

The cases in which the syndrome’s characteristics continue into adulthood are considered rare. Dupree’s appears to be one of these.

“Baylen’s tics began as involuntary movements and noises and intensified in her teenage years,” TLC says.

“Officially diagnosed with Tourette at the age of 18, Baylen has learned to laugh at herself through it all. With humor, heart and unstoppable determination, Baylen started sharing her candid and light-hearted experiences on social media. 

“Now with 9.5 million followers on TikTok, Baylen has garnered a loyal audience who admires her openness in sharing how she leverages the power of positivity and her strong relationships to navigate life’s challenges,” TLC says.

Individuals with “life’s challenges” are a recurring theme of TLC’s content -- including docuseries centered on hoarders, families of little people, families with children more numerous than average, and the morbidly obese.

“Baylen Out Loud” is scheduled to premiere on Monday, January 13, at 9 p.m. Eastern on TLC.