Jerry Sykes made his debut on the second season of 1000-lb Sisters after the show’s star Tammy Slaton
introduced him to her family. The duo reportedly got to know each other on a site for bigger women.
While the odd couple seemed to have genuine feelings for each other,
their relationship wasn’t exactly the kind that made us believe in true love and fairytales.
When they first met, Jerry was already a married man, and had seven children
and five grandchildren. At the time, his “now estranged” wife was also struggling with some
serious unknown illness which complicated things further. When a Twitter user revealed that Jerry
was a married man, it didn’t seem to faze Tammy at all as she hit back saying, “Are you aware that I
do know he is married, and his wife is very sick, so you ain’t telling me nothing I don’t know.”
Jerry’s wife Kia reportedly discovered her husband’s illicit affair with the reality star
during the show’s first season. In a recent interview with The Sun, she confirmed that
she and Jerry were on talking terms, but had parted ways because of his alleged cheating.
“We are married, but we are not together cause he went on that show.
He told me if I file for divorce he will not sign the papers,” she told the outlet. “I
don’t think I can forgive him anymore. We have seven kids together. They are upset with him.”
Tammy’s half-brother Chris, who is one of her biggest supporters,
also attacked Jerry for being an enabler for her. He feared Jerry would be a hindrance to
Tammy’s weight loss goals since he had a fetish for plus-size women. He advised her
sister to get rid of her boyfriend because he fed her junk and unhealthy food. However,
she defended Jerry and said he only brought her junk food because she asked him to.
The altercation created a divide between the siblings, but they sorted it out later.
Younger Slaton sister Amy was very skeptical about Jerry’s actions and lifestyle as well.
She accused him of being an alcoholic after she discovered his picture
which showcased many bottles of liquor and the like. Jerry vehemently denied being one
and explained that the alcohol was not for his consumption, but for a party.
Fans were also quick to point out that Tammy wasn’t Jerry’s first reality star girlfriend
and that he had previously dated three other showgirls Kelly, Nicola, and Roshanda.
Tammy shut down the rumors that he was with her for fame, saying “Just stay out of my
business dang I was with him before I got on TV. I’ve been talking for going on 4 years now.”
When Tammy came out as pansexual and revealed her sexual orientation to Jerry during an episode
of the 1000-lb Sisters, Jerry seemed confused about what it meant and was unsure how to react.
“It means love is love. I would date anybody, whether they’re transgender,
straight, gay,” she explained. “It’s about how they make me feel, not how they look.”
He assured her that he loved her regardless of her sexual identification.
During the season 2 finale of 1000-lb Sisters, Tammy revealed that she and Jerry had mutually
decided to call it quits without divulging any details about the cause of their breakup.
Some fans wondered if Tammy’s pansexuality was the reason behind Jerry abruptly leaving her.
However, it was later revealed that Jerry’s unresolved issues with his estranged wife made
it impossible for him to be available for Tammy the way she needed. He felt he had to make amends
and find closure with this estranged wife before heading in a positive direction with the star.
Unsurprisingly, fans didn’t seem to be upset about the breakup, because they felt Jerry was
a bad influence when it came to Tammy’s weight and health. While he did say he wanted Tammy to lose
at least 200-lbs after receiving gastric bypass surgery, his actions were quite conflicting as
he kept buying her junk food and often told her he didn’t want her to be “too skinny”.
Viewers were shocked and confused when Jerry returned after breaking up with her.
He revealed he came to be by Tammy’s side for a week since he knew she would be alone at home
while Amy remained in hospital for her baby’s delivery. He was more excited than Tammy to see
her newborn nephew Gage and congratulated Amy and her husband Michael on their baby via Facetime.
As of March 2021, the former couple has shown no signs of reconciliation
and seems to be done for good.