Inside 1000-Lb. Sisters Star Tammy Slaton's Wild Journey to Fame

How Fame Changed Everything for 1000-Lb. Sisters Star Tammy Slaton

From a young age, Tammy Slaton had a unique slant on what she wanted to be when she grew up.

Because despite their humble beginnings, the 39-year-old knew that she and sister Amy Slaton had what it took to fulfill their dreams. 

"At 3 or 4 years old, [I] was telling Amy that me and her were going to be different," Tammy recounted on a June episode of Ezell Film Company’s Creative Chaos podcast. "We were going to be the ones to make it on TV, make a name for ourselves."

Raised in Kentucky by their mom Darlene alongside siblings Chris, Misty and Amanda, "We grew up very poor," Amy, 38, said on the premiere episode of their TLC show 1000-lb Sisters back in 2020. "We grew up with fast food mostly. But if we didn’t have fast food, the church would give us food. There was five kids, so our mom worked three jobs. We didn’t really get much love and affection growing up. It was actually quite the opposite. We got told we were stupid, we were lazy."

It was right after a health scare in 2014 that she decided to start vlogging with Amy.

"I had just got out of the hospital," Tammy recalled to People in 2023. "I found out I had a blood clot in my right lung, and I was bored. I was just sitting there watching YouTube videos. I was like, 'Why not? We’re funny, whatever. Why can’t we do it too?' So, I pitched the idea to her, and here we are."

Their journey to the small screen began when their videos caught the attention of execs at TLC.

"At first, they wanted a big YouTuber weight loss show," Amy told the magazine, "and then they’d seen us and they were like, 'No, these two need their own show.'"

1000-lb Sisters premiered on Jan. 1, 2020. And for the past seven seasons, Tammy, Amy and their siblings have all undergone dramatic weight loss transformations.

At her heaviest, Tammy told People, she was 725 pounds. But after attending a rehabilitation center, making changes to her lifestyle and undergoing bariatric surgery in 2022, she’s lost more than 500 pounds.

Of course, the siblings' shifting dynamic is just one change they've experienced in the past six years. 

While Tammy has felt compelled to answer fans' unending queries (after one TikTok follower asked about bruising on her chin last August, she revealed she'd had some teeth pulled) she remains unbothered by those that approach her in public. 

"I don’t mind," she detailed on Creative Chaos. "It’s the ones that are rude and just do it. Ask me, I don’t care. I’m human."

And while Tammy has had to deal with haters criticizing her appearance over the years, she’s thankful for her supporters. 

"I love it," she added. "I got amazing fans."

And, as for the other vocal keyboard warrors, she noted, "Haters make me famous."

As much as she’s opened up about her life onscreen, Tammy has still kept some aspects—including her love life—somewhat private. Until recently. Two years after the 2023 death of her husband Caleb Willingham, Tammy shared she was dating a woman named Andrea Dalton.   

"A few years ago, I came out as pansexual," the reality star said on an April 2025 episode of 1,000-lb Sisters. “But after Caleb’s passing, I don’t want to be with men anymore.”

In June, Tammy revealed she and Andrea were engaged. And as the TV personality steps into a new season, she doesn’t just have a new fiancée and ring, but also a new sense of gratitude for her journey.

“So much [has] changed about me over the years,” Tammy wrote in a July 1 TikTok post alongside a montage of photos. “I couldn’t be more thankful and blessed to have the support and love not only from my fans/besties but my girlfriend and ofc my family. This is my thank you for helping me keeping going.”

Relive her journey in the photos below.