Get to Know Baylen Dupree

Baylen is 22 years old and lives in West Virginia with her parents, Allen and Julie Dupree. She has five siblings — a sister, Sammi (19) and four brothers: Burke (23), Sven (16), Vick (13), and Bechnir (10) that Baylen describes as "loud and crazy." According to Sammi, "Having a sister with Tourette's is very crazy. You don't know if you're going to get slapped in the face or get a hug."

Even though her parents noticed her tics when she was seven, she wasn’t officially diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome until just before her 18th birthday. "Getting dressed, brushing my teeth, eating food, sitting down at the dinner table, I couldn't do it," she tells People. "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."

According to the Tourette Association of America, one out of every 160 children between the ages of 5 and 17 in the United States is diagnosed with Tourette syndrome. Baylen says working with her therapist and medication has helped her alot. Also, learning what triggers her tics — not getting enough sleep or the smell of lavender — and focusing on what minimizes the tics — working out and listening to music with headphones on — has helped her.

Before audiences met her on Baylen Out Loud, Baylen was already a social media sensation. She has over 10 million TikTok followers and 1.4 million on Instagram. From "get ready with me" videos to sharing stories about her day-to-day life, it’s easy to see why fans adore Baylen.

One person you’ll see in her videos and on Baylen Out Loud is her boyfriend, Colin. The two began dating in November 2022. The couple originally met on a dating app."Love at first swipe," Baylen said of their first meeting.

One of the challenges that has nothing to do with Baylen’s Tourette syndrome: Colin’s upcoming move for training. The thought of being apart for months weighs heavily on both of them, especially since Colin has such a calming influence on Baylen. She often refers to him as her "medicine."

Baylen and Colin have been planning for their future together and while both hope to have children someday, right now, they are dog parents to her two dogs, Fluffy and Tootsie.

Just like anyone her age, Baylen is working towards being more independent, but Tourette syndrome can make being independent a challenge. She wants to travel more and in the second episode of Baylen Out Loud, she goes to Dallas, Texas to speak at a convention held by the Tourette Association of America. "It’s such a fresh breath of air to be surrounded by such a beautiful community and feel so understood," she says in her instagram caption.

While Baylen says some days are better than others, some situations, like traveling, causes her tics to increase. Viewers saw this as Baylen and her mom, Julie, were waiting in the TSA line for her flight to Texas."When Baylen starts ticcing like this, the best thing to do is essentially active ignorance," her mom Julie says in episode two. "Just let her do her thing."

Baylen says she wants to help others understand Tourette syndrome and let them know they aren’t alone. "When you've met one person with Tourette, you've only met one person with Tourette," she tells People. "I feel like people need to know that it's on a spectrum from mild to severe, and that's how it should be looked at."

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Baylen Out Loud: Meet the Dupree Family, Baylen & Colin's Sweetest Couple Pics, Everything You Should Know About Tourette Syndrome and Tic Disorders

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