What Happened To My 600-Lb Life's Stephanie Smith?
Childhood trauma is often cited as a root cause of overeating for many of the participants of TLC's "My 600-lb Life." It factored into the tragic real-life story of James King, and it's there for Stephanie Smith, whose Season 11 episode aired on March 8, 2023. As a child, her father passed away, and she was taken away from her mother and placed in foster care. It's a lot for anyone to go through, and at the start of her episode, she weighs 611 pounds.
Her journey doesn't last long, though. She attempts to lose weight but only comes in at 602 pounds, so she gives up on the program, much to the frustration of Dr. Younan Nowzaradan. Many "My 600-lb Life" fans disagree with Dr. Now's bedside manner, but he perhaps had reason to be upset in this instance, seeing as how little progress Smith makes on the show. She claims she'll try to lose weight on her own outside of Dr. Now's program, which would've led to weight loss surgery. So, where is she today?
Smith keeps a low profile on social media. She rarely posts to Facebook, but based on recent pictures, it doesn't appear that she's lost a lot of weight. Hopefully, she's doing something and feels happier with her family's support, even if it's out of the public's eye.
Fans were tough on My 600-lb Life's Stephanie Smith on Reddit
Outside of a few cryptic Facebook reels, Stephanie Smith hasn't revealed much since her "My 600-lb Life" episode aired. Her Facebook relationship status is set to "Separated," but she has her two kids. Plus, even though she was placed in foster care earlier in life, her mother is a part of her life now. Other than that, there's not much information to go on to determine what Smith is up to these days or how much weight she's lost since her episode came out. But she certainly didn't endear herself to a lot of fans, who didn't hold back their thoughts on her.
A Reddit thread pretty much has the unanimous consensus that Smith quit way too easily. Redditor u/Tsole96 didn't hold back, writing, "Stephanie was insufferable in the way she lies. She really believes her own lies. Her line 'I'm not going to give up like doctor now gave up on me' as if he's the one who blocked her and not vice versa."
Quitting Dr. Now's program doesn't inherently mean someone has given up on their weight loss progress. Season 8's Bethany Stout quit the regimen but managed to lose a good amount of weight all on her own. Maybe Stephanie Smith has lost more weight than people realize, but she didn't do herself many favors in viewers' eyes from her actions. Hopefully, she gets a "My 600-lb Life: Where Are They Now?" installment at some point so that the world can check in with her properly again.