Big Ed From ’90 Day Fiancé’ Opens Up About Being Bullied Because of His Neck Condition
Big Ed Brown from 90 Day Fiancé is used to hearing hurtful remarks about his appearance. But he doesn’t let the negativity get him down, he says.
Big Ed’s short neck is caused by Klippel-Feil syndrome
Ed, 59, has a rare congenital condition called Klippel-Feil syndrome that causes some of the vertebrae in the neck to fuse together. As a result, Ed has a short neck and a relatively large rib cage. He wasn’t diagnosed with the condition until his teens, but his appearance has been drawing attention since he was a child, he explained in a recent interview with Today.com.
“Since I was a young child, young adults and kids especially, they would always stare at me. They just have always found me kind of interesting. And I think it was due to my physical characteristics,” he said.
Klippel-Feil syndrome occurs in about 1 out of every 40,000-42,000 births, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Doctors don’t know what causes it. Treatments can include physical therapy and medications to address symptoms such as pain and limited mobility. Some people may require surgery.
The ‘90 Day Fiancé’ star was bullied as a child because of his appearance
Growing up, Ed endured bullying because of his appearance.
“They would call me ‘neckless’ and ‘no neck’ and ‘no neck Ed’ and everything under the sun, and it was very hurtful,” he said.
Some 90 Day viewers have hurled similar insults at him on social media since he joined the TLC franchise in 2020. But he’s decided to embrace the platform he’s been given. Today, he sees himself as an advocate for other people living with Klippel-Feil syndrome, who sometimes reach out to him directly after they see him on TV.
“I’ll always tell them, ‘I never allowed my condition to define who I was,’” he said.
Though living with KFF comes with certain challenges, Ed has embraced his difference, saying that it has helped him more than it has hurt him.
“God made us all the way we are. I believe that in my heart and there’s a reason why I look the way I do,” he said. “I think there’s a reason for everything.”
As for people who criticize his appearance, Ed has suggested that they think before they speak.
“I think if people really knew how it affects people when you make fun of somebody, they wouldn’t do that,” he told Entertainment Tonight in 2020. “To make fun of someone’s physical appearance is … it’s an unkind thing. But I’m not mad at them … they’re just looking at me and seeing how they see me, but if they knew, it’s not a good idea.”
90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After? Season 8 airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on TLC. Episodes also stream on Max.
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