‘I Am Jazz’: What Happened When Jazz’s Ex-Boyfriend Ahmir Visited Her in New York?
Fans of TLC’s I Am Jazz watched 19-year-old Jazz Jennings date her first serious boyfriend, Ahmir Steward, on Season 5.
While the young couple shared both friendship and passion, they faced some struggles along the way. Ahmir dealt with depression, while Jazz had her own identity and self-esteem issues to work through. Meanwhile, Ahmir’s mother didn’t support his relationship with the trans rights advocate.
Ultimately, Ahmir and Jazz broke up and tried to stay friends. But when Jazz invited her ex-boyfriend to visit her in New York after her third gender confirmation surgery on the I Am Jazz Season 6 Feb. 5 episode, “The Ex-Factor,” things were a lot more awkward between the former boyfriend and girlfriend than she’d hoped.
Jazz’s meeting with her ex-boyfriend after surgery was awkward
Jazz asked Ahmir to promise to visit her in the hospital on platonic terms only. But she began to regret her decision as she recovered from her painful surgery. “I don’t want to do this,” she admitted as she waited for her ex to show up.
The I Am Jazz star said she was in so much pain that she didn’t know if she wanted to see anyone at all. “I feel terrible right now,” Jazz confessed. “I don’t know if I’m in the mood to have any visitors right now, especially Ahmir.”
Jazz explained that she didn’t know if Ahmir was ready to spend time with her on friends-only terms.
“We’re not really in a good place, so I just don’t know if it was the right choice for him to come,” she told TLC producers. “But I do appreciate his support, and even though it didn’t work out in the relationship sense, I really built a special bond and a connection with him, and I hope we can maintain that even if it’s not in a romantic way.”
As Jazz’s mom, Jeanette Jennings, and brother, Sander Jennings, looked on awkwardly, Ahmir and Jazz had an uncomfortable reunion that didn’t end well.
Ahmir admitted he still harbored feelings for Jazz and that he hoped she would reconsider their relationship.
“I don’t really know what’s been going on between me and Jazz these past few months,” he told I Am Jazz producers. “She thinks things should be a certain way, and I feel like she needs to give me more of a chance because I feel like she was closed off. But regardless of what’s going on between us, I can be here. I can be there for her.”
But Jazz made sure to friend-zone her ex right away, saying, “I’m glad you could come as a friend. I didn’t know if you were going to or not.”
The teen admitted it was a ‘mistake’ to invite her ex to the hospital
Jazz invited Ahmir to spend some time in the hospital room with her, watching movies, but it didn’t look like either ex really wanted to spend so much time in close quarters after realizing they weren’t on the same page. “Are you happy you came?” Jazz finally ventured.
“At the moment, yeah,” Ahmir said, looking anything but. “Let’s just get through the day and see what happens.”
“That was a weird response,” the 19-year-old replied. “What does that mean?”
“Anything can happen,” her ex said noncommittally. “I don’t know.”
Jazz’s former boyfriend admitted he really didn’t know what to do. “I just feel uncomfortable because me and Jazz are having a rough time, and that is the elephant in the room,” he explained.
The tension in the room finally got to Jazz, and she began to have an anxiety attack. Breaking down in tears, she said she felt like she couldn’t breathe. “I think there’s just so much tension with Ahmir here, and I’m feeling all of it,” the LGBT activist explained.
After checking to make sure she was okay and leaving her in her family’s care, Jazz’s ex reluctantly headed back to his hotel. “When Jazz started crying, I didn’t know what to do,” he confessed. “With everything that’s gone on between us, I didn’t know what to do in the situation.”
Jazz realized she’d made a mistake by inviting her ex into such an intimate situation. “I think I made the wrong call, because I don’t think he has fully moved on,” she said. “And I feel really, really bad.”
Meanwhile, Jazz’s mom just wished she’d headed out so the exes could have had a moment alone. “It’s really awkward,” she confessed. “I hate moments of silence. I wish I had gone out to get a slice of pizza, anything.”
Jazz said she was ready to move on from Ahmir and find love
While Jazz tried to reconnect with Ahmir on a platonic level, the awkward meeting in her post-op room seemed to give her the closure she needed. The I Am Jazz star was ready to move on and cut ties with Ahmir for good.
Jazz’s family and friends backed her up in her decision to close that chapter in her life. “I think Jazz needs to find someone who’s a little more mature,” her older brother, Griffen Jennings, said, adding that she was “opening up” more to her own identity after her gender confirmation surgery.
While Jazz’s love story with Ahmir didn’t pan out, she said she was ready to “move on” with her life and find her soulmate, possibly at college. “Now I feel like I’m ready to share myself with someone else,” the I Am Jazz star revealed.
