The stars of TLC’s Toddlers & Tiaras are sharing their struggles following the airing of the show. Many of the former cast members opened up about the disturbing threats they received and the food issues they faced in a recent episode of Vice’s Dark Side of Reality TV.
Toddlers & Tiaras’ Stars Speak Out
One of the featured moms, Kelly Lyerly, who appeared on the show with her twin daughters in 2012 and 2013, talked about receiving death threats. She shared that people accused her of being a bad mother for allowing her daughters to be part of pageants and even threatened her life. Kelly revealed that she still receives threatening messages, including a recent call where someone told her they would “kill” her.
Another former cast member, Darci McHenry, shared how social media became a source of harassment. Her daughter, Devin, had a viral moment when she wore a cheetah body-paint look for the show. Darci revealed that they received creepy private messages on Devin’s fan pages. Some of the messages came from grown men who made inappropriate comments about Devin. Darci explained that she had to block many of them to protect her daughter.
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EverRose Sims, a regular on the show, discussed how the focus on her weight affected her relationship with food. EverRose’s mother, Kayla Sims, explained that during filming, the producers paid a lot of attention to EverRose’s eating habits, making her feel self-conscious. This led to EverRose developing a negative relationship with food, and she still struggles with eating in front of others today.
Wendy Dickey, another pageant mom from the show, expressed how she felt used by TLC. She believes the show promoted a negative image of their families for the sake of entertainment. Many other former cast members shared similar feelings of being exploited for the show’s ratings.
Toddlers & Tiaras, which aired from 2009 to 2013 and was revived for a season in 2016, sparked a lot of attention for its portrayal of young children in beauty pageants. While the show brought fame to many, it also caused emotional and psychological challenges for those involved.
