There is no cure for Tourette syndrome, and it manifests itself in a variety of ways. Some “tics” aren’t aggressive, while others can be more vocal. It’s a disorder that brings embarrassment to those dealing with it. The most exaggerated and probably offensive portrayals of Tourette syndrome appear in films like Deuce Bigelow, though Baylen Dupree does blurt out whatever is on her mind. And there is no filter, as NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo found out while interviewing her. He tried to keep his composure but simply could not. Dupree was explaining her daily struggles with Tourette’s and how she manages it:
NEW: Chris Cuomo can’t hold in his laughter while interviewing a girl with Tourette syndrome who tells him to “f*** off.”
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 13, 2023
“Go f*** yourself, Chris a** bunny, old biscuit fat a**,” she said during the interview which caused Cuomo to laugh.
“I obviously go to the gym and I wear… pic.twitter.com/2kSnj8Xm8u
In May, People did a profile on her. She was also featured on Dr. Phil:
Baylen Dupree is opening up about the embarrassment she sometimes feels going out in public with Tourette syndrome.
…the 20-year-old content creator — who uses her platform to raise awareness about Tourette's — posted a video answering a follower who asked if she ever gets embarrassed due to her vocal tics. She admitted that although she tries to not let it impact her, they make doing certain things in public "horrible."
"There have been multiple times when I have been embarrassed when I'm in public, especially when I first was diagnosed with Tourette's. Not so much anymore," she explained in the clip.
"There have been bad days where I get a little embarrassed or insecure but I kinda try to look past them in a way because I have to live like this," Dupree continued. "It's just easier to push past the hard days and go on to the next. I take it day by day. Definitely going out in public is a really big challenge."
Tourette syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by rapid, repetitive and involuntary muscle movements or sounds (tics), according to the Mayo Clinic. The tics typically begin to manifest between the ages of 2 and 15, and males are three to four times more likely to develop the disorder than females.
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Back in February, Dupree — who was diagnosed with Tourette's just before her 18th birthday — spoke to PEOPLE about her journey learning to live with the disorder.
"It went from like 10 tics a day to 40 tics a day. And then COVID happened and it went from 40 tics a day to 500 tics a day. It was isolating, it was depressing," the New York native explained, sharing that everyday tasks became a struggle.
"Getting dressed, brushing my teeth, eating food, sitting down at the dinner table, I couldn't do it," Dupree said. "From accidentally slapping my ex-boyfriend in the face to accidentally hitting my mom with a frying pan. It had been a whirlwind of emotions trying to accept it."
She was inspired to go public with her struggle when she was once bullied about her tics while out shopping.
Dupree has used social media to raise awareness about her disorder. And not that it needs to be said, but people with Tourette’s have similar life expectancies as everyone else and are not mentally handicapped. They have certain urges they cannot control—it is what it is.
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