TLC stars Amy and Tammy Slaton of the “1000-Lb Sisters” show found fame on TV amid their weight loss struggles, and this comes after years of depression and stress eating.
Since 2020, Amy and Tammy Slaton have garnered a large following of fans and viewers who are rooting for them on their weight loss journey. The TLC stars whose reality series, “1000-Lb Sisters,” premiered in the same year put up a positive outlook on the show, but they have been through major breakdowns in their lives.
Tammy and Amy Slaton are known for being the obese sisters who started their TLC series at a combined weight of 1000 Lbs, but it was not always this way. The ladies faced childhood trauma and, since then, have been struggling to get by. Here’s their story.
TLC Stars Amy and Tammy Slaton Faced Childhood Difficulties
The Kentucky natives were raised in a dysfunctional family, and there seems to be no mention of their father. The Slaton sisters did not grow up with their mother, who was away working, so they were left with their grandmother.
The ladies’ grandma was the stable adult in their life, but that soon ended when the senior Slaton passed on. At the time, Amy and Tammy were in their preteen years and barely knew how to navigate life. With this sad development, the girls were left to fend for themselves.
Dealing with the trauma of their caregiver’s death, and having to feed themselves, caused Amy and Tammy to turn to fast foods and processed food items. At a later time, Amy revealed that purchasing these food items was cheaper than buying veggies.
The TV stars’ eating went out of control, and their weight suffered the bulk of the excesses. Now Amy and Tammy want to save themselves from the dangers of being overweight.
How They Gained Fame
Their social media visibility started on YouTube when the girls, who have been each other’s support system since childhood, launched a channel. The channel basically served as a way to share their daily lives as overweight people.
The duo also took part in social media challenges, one of which was the Chummy Bunny Challenge. The challenge where one was to stuff their mouth with marshmallows while saying the word “chummy bunny” was the girls’ first contact with fame.
The YouTube clip gathered over 1.8 million views, and from there, Amy and Tammy became social media sensations. The fame also came with backlashes which Amy and Tammy came back from each time.
Once in 2017, Amy shared a derogatory post that a critic made against her and her sister and replied to the troll accordingly. Despite these barraging comments, the Slatons have supporters who stand up for them.
Their Transition To TLC
Amy and Tammy kept on living their lives and showcasing their fascinating interactions on YouTube. The sisters also had some personal life growths; Amy wanted to become a mother.
After her marriage to Michael Halterman, doctors informed her that she has difficulties conceiving because of her weight. Amy was determined to have babies, and so her weight loss journey began.
Known not to take major steps without her sister, Amy urged Tammy, and the pair decided to be each other’s weight loss partners. It was sometime around this period that their fans contacted TLC. Tammy once opened up about how they got their show:
“At first, we were going to be on that show but then TLC and all the producers and everybody at TLC were watching our YouTube videos and they loved how Amy and I interact with each other… we ended up with our show.”
Did The TLC Stars Make Progress?
Since the show launched in 2020, and through its three seasons, fans have watched Amy make tremendous progress and even achieve her goal. The star is a mom to a son, Gage, and she has another child on the way.
The star and her spouse live with Tammy, and with the family expanding, they are considering getting a bigger family home. While the younger Slaton’s healthy lifestyle improved, she still struggles with health conditions and addictions like smoking.
Tammy, on the other hand, has been finding it more difficult to go through with her weight loss pact. In fact, through the show’s three seasons, she has faced backlash from fans for her lackluster attitude.
As of 2021, Tammy’s health was nothing to write home about as she was bedridden for a while. Many fans raised concerns about the possibility that she would gain her weight back.
Early in January 2022, Tammy underwent another health scare, one that required a medically induced coma. Doctors shared that her lungs were failing while her brother, Chris, stated that her health took a turn for the worse.
This happened hours after she settled at a rehab facility for her renewed weight loss pact. So far, news from the TLC stars Amy and Tammy Slaton, shows that the latter is recovering from her failed lungs, while the former is gearing for baby number 2.
