I used to have some affection for Chaz Bono for being so bold as to come out as a transgender person. That pretty much disappated after I watched several of his cheesetastic and terrible performances on Dancing with The Stars. He stumbled around in ridiculous performances as Rocky, and Phantom of the Opera without seeming to realize how campy he was, and he took himself way too seriously. Well that sense of self importance may have extended to his personal life. Chaz is said to have dumped his fiance, Jennifer Elia, and to have told her that he could do better. To be fair to Chaz, we have no idea what went down and are just relying on the Enquirer (which has has several insider stories on him to date, including the scoop about his engagement.) Also, Elia is said to be drinking heavily, and that can put a strain on any relationship. Chaz has confirmed the news, though. Here’s more:
Although he popped the question to girlfriend Jennifer Elia two years ago, and presented her with a ring on his reality TV show “Being Chaz,” the couple’s romance is kaput, sources say.
“Chaz is totally over the relationship,” divulged an insider. “His parting shot to Jen made her realize there was no turning back. He told her, ‘I can do better than you.’ He wanted someone who could ride the wave of success with him but found Jen too much of a downer.
“Chaz is already on the lookout for someone new and made it clear to Jen. He told her, ‘I’ve tried, but you just aren’t right for me. I’ve got to move on.'”
Chaz — born Chastity Bono, the daughter of Cher and the late Sonny Bono — was with Jennifer, 36, for six years. But sources say their relationship began to suffer after Chaz underwent gender reassignment surgery in 2009.
To make matters worse, Jennifer is unemployed while Chaz, 42, has become a media darling thanks to his recent stint on “Dancing with the Stars.”
“Jen constantly gripes about not being able to find a job and her lack of money,” the insider confided.
“She nags at Chaz about his weight and for the last few months her insomnia has been so bad that they don’t even sleep together.”
But the couple’s biggest problem was Jen’s booze relapse, said the source.
“When she drinks, Jen becomes a completely different person,” explained the source. “Chaz just can’t handle her then.” – National Enquirer
Chaz Bono and his fiancée Jennifer Elia have ended their engagement after just seven months, RadarOnline.com has learned.
The Dancing with the Stars alum took to Twitter to confirm the news of their shocking split, “Thanks for your concern about our separation,” Bono wrote. “I’m doing fine, and we remain on good terms with nothing but respect and affection 4 each other.” – Radar
[From The National Enquirer and Radar Online]
I hope it didn’t go down like this, I hope Chaz didn’t diss his fiance after fame went to his head. I can believe it, though. We kind of got to know him on DWTS and he wasn’t this great dude who happened to be transgendered, he showed that he could be an ass. I guess that just goes to show that he’s just like everyone else after all.
Transgendered aside, I’d have to crawl inside a bottle of vodka to be able to get with Chaz Bono too! He was completely insufferable on DWTS.
Crawl inside a bottle of Vodka? Dead!
Poor Jennifer. She had said in “Becoming Chaz” that she didn’t want to be with a man, and was dismayed with how much Chaz’ personality changed as he was transitioning. But, she said she had loved the “essence” of Chastity so much, and figured that essence was still in Chaz. He was often often a tool to her in the documentary.
Her love came back to bite her. I feel bad for her. This makes me lose quite a bit of respect for Chaz, because of the way in which he did it.
And, as regular posters know, I have been a big booster of Chaz. I remember him from when I was a little girl and little Chastity was on her parents’ TV show.
Really? I never saw that documentary but would love to view it one day.
That makes sense though. If she’s a lesbian then MAJOR kudos for her to be able to see past gender and living with essentially a man (even though he doesn’t have a penis, everything else is man about Chaz, body and mind). That’s really strong and admirable. She might have issues but who hasn’t? In general she stood by her partner who made a big chance in life and she put her own feelings aside to support him. I think Chaz is being really selfish, if she can be there for him why can’t he do the same for her?
Maybe he does want to be famous but he’ll never be famous like his mom. That’s one big legacy to hold yourself up against. Besides, he just capitalizes on his sex change and bad dance moves. What else does he have in store that would make him a legit celeb, what talent does he have? He better prove his worth pretty soon or he ends up in the crappy reality stars category.
Some people say that with the transistioning the male hormones caused him to act like a douche. I don’t know if that’s true and it seems very anti-male or anti-transgender but it would make a good scientific research.
“Becoming Chaz” was on the OWN network. Maybe you can find it online.
Jennifer is technically bisexual, but has said she had no desire to ever be in a relationship with a man again, because of the dynamic, which does show how much she loves Chaz.
The male hormones kicking in is when he became more aggressive, etc., and she said that was why she didn’t like being in a relationship with a man.
She does have a drinking problem, which I’m sure was triggered by depression. During the documentary filming, Jennifer received her Master’s degree in, I think, social work or psych.
Thank you!
Found it already :D:
I hope she recovers from her drinking problem and finds a nice partner. Seems to me, she’s better off without such an inconsiderate person like Chaz.
I know of couples that stay together once the man decides to become a woman, but perhaps the other way around is more difficult. Personally, I’d love to design a ‘Douche Study’. 😆
Like James Boylan transitioning to Jenny Boylan (great book — “She’s Not Here”). She and her wife have stayed married. Of course, they had been married for a while and had two sons, but your study would be interesting!
No need for more research – it’s well known that taking testosterone causes revved up, well, everything. I have a friend doing FTM transitioning. The way he explains it is even if you’re in your 30s, 40s or 50s, you suddenly feel like a charged-up 17-year-old boy. Aggression is probably the first thing that comes to the surface while on the T-shots, etc. I saw a clip of Chaz and Jennifer and Chaz was snappish and yelling at her and bossing her around and slamming kitchen cabinets and being an all around jerk. it was unpleasant. They talked about that too but there’s nothing they could do about it.
You could see this one coming from a mile away after hearing everything she said on the documentary. It’s obvious she gave it time because she loved who she thought Chaz was. She is the one who can do better.
No kidding Kel. What a sad irony for Jennifer to stay with Chaz thru thick and thin, only for her to end up with the very thing she didn’t ever want to be with. A grumpy old ball-scratching (so to speak) dude! I woulda relapsed too, and I’m straight!
In the documentary they were open about her alcohol problems, which seemed pretty serious. Their relationship was pretty rocky at that time too, so I’m not surprised they didnt last.
Bono= Shiloh in a decade
Wow. Just wow.
Oh Good grief.
Plenty of girls are tomboys. It doesn’t have any bearing on how you will be as a grown up.
And have you seen pictures of Chaz as a kid? She was dressed as a girly girl (lots of pink, glitter, etc). So, you argument completely falls apart..
Exactly. I wore a lot of boyish clothes growing up, and did a lot of boyish things. I’m definitely straight, and dress a lot girlier than I used to. I believe there’s some serious trolling going on however lol.
And he states he did not want to be dressed that way – that he felt completely wrong in the stuff Cher made him wear. Also, he had to match her Bob Mackie clothes on the SHOW, which is where people saw her. So of course she was dressed frilly. And she says she hated it.
You. Are. Crazy.
Grow-up. Who is this, Suri? Go find your legs and put some stockings on. Bully.
Hairstyle, clothing, and preferred activities don’t make you male or female, or homosexual vs heterosexual vs bisexual. They’re driven by culture, not biology. Children get brainwashed early into “girls don’t do that” because youngsters tend to be gullible (one remark by an adult or another kid can undo years of parental attempts at gender neutraluty) but some kids just don’t brainwash easily. So they do what they want.
I think you are wrong.Your brain/hormones is what tells your body what you are and that exhibits itself in your mannerisms.It is just the way nature set up species to be. The stone age folks needn’t any society to teach them that.
boob tape.
Hehe, I noticed that too. Oh well, we all have those, “Oh crap, my [fill in the blank] is showing” days. Luckily we don’t get photographed for the public at large. 😀
Yeah that would pretty much suck if she was orginally with a woman and then she had to be with a man. Plus he wasnt like a woman emotionally anymore either. He started being all rude and mean like a man. So of course they didnt last. She didnt want to be with a man in the first place. Being a lesbian with a woman and being a lesbian with a transgendered person are like night and day, two totally different groups!! So she couldn’t be her normal self and be with a woman… all the best to both of them.
Exactly.
Women can be just as mean and rude as men if not worse when they get into groups, men don’t have a monopoly on this behaviour.
No, it’s not about “acting mean like a MAN”, it’s because the person in question is on hormones, which when taken, are well known to cause aggression and douchey behavior. Just like women’s hormones. Ever hear of ‘roid rage? Just like that.
I don’t watch DWTS but don’t people often slim down when they’re on? Guess that didn’t happen for Chaz, too bad because he looks unhealthy.
Maybe all of the new hormones are confusing his body? Or he’s just eating too much.
Whatever, I’m so over it. He/she can have a seat. I think what she did was terrible to that girl and she’s even less of a man for being a dick about it.
I guess you can change your appearance but a jerk is a jerk is a jerk.
I feel like she’s riding her transformation to the fullest and trying cash in on it as a way t become a celebrity. Not that I’m saying she made this decision for shits and giggles, but she knows how Hollyhell works.
It isn’t “she,” it’s “he.” Just because you have some kind of problem with the trans community doesn’t mean you’re allowed to make transphobic comments. Check the Celebitchy Terms of Service: it expressly forbids such comments. I am not, however, alerting on your post, because I think people should see it.
I have much sympathy for Jennifer, as evidenced up thread, but this is no one’s fault, it just is, and it doesn’t give free rein to posters to make insensitive comments.
I don’t actually think the poster meant to seem Prejudice, just a lot of people don’t know how to address a transgendered person and may not knee if he/she is the appropriate wording.
The problem is the poster then insisted upon addressing Chaz as “she”. Chaz has been very clear about his gender preference. Just because he may be a jerk doesn’t mean we should throw his gender transition in his face.
I like to give people the benefit of a doubt and hope people don’t jus tgo out of their way to insult people
Chaz needs to do something about his weight. On DWTS he could hardly move. He was winded within minutes. He didn’t loose any weight because he was lazy and wouldn’t practice. Many more talented people were kicked off while he stayed on. You can see how unhealthy he is. Instead of supporting him on a dance show, Cher needs to support him in a healthy life and living stlye so that he will live for the next 40 or more years.
Looks like all Chaz was after was more attention. Do not like.
Ok, the gender is one thing…….i don’t care…but what’s with the ungodly weight?? There is something mayorly wrong to look like that. And then show it off on DWTS…i couldn’t quite understand it.
meh, she never seemed attracted to him..
if I were a lesbian, I would leave if my partner became a man..we’d have to separate.
not what I signed on for.
I think the change(s) – emotional, physical, fame-wise – were just too much for Jennifer. I don’t blame her for that – it was a Grand Canyon of change to go through. She just wanted a nice lesbian relationship and she got something completely different. Too bad for both.
Yeah, Chaz seems to be hiding an extremely fragile person underneath all that weight, chin hair, suit, deep voice, and pronounced confidence. The surgery for vaginal transformation is not sophisticated enough so Chaz still has a vagina. Biology can explain the rest unless you argue with scientific fact.
I guess my confusion with Chaz is the fact that growing a beard, getting a new penis, removing one’s breast and dressing like a guy does not make a person a “man”. Chaz still has two X chromosomes and is genetically a woman. A person can’t change his or her DNA. To me, it’s like Chaz is playing dress up and enjoying the attention.
I don’t even know where to begin with this. Your post is incredibly transphobic and reflective of the fact that you have clearly never had to struggle with your gender identity or a disconnect between your mind and body. It is immensely difficult to live as a woman if you feel you are a man (and vice versa) and many transgender individuals have discussed the disgust their “wrong” bodies produced in them. There is nothing wrong with wanting to bring your mind and body together. Instead of focusing on the DNA, you should focus on Chaz’s mental well-being and not disrespect his incredibly difficult choice to begin reassignment. To be transgender is not simply dress up. Try educating yourself.
Also, fyi, Chaz has not had surgery on his genitals yet. The surgery is not sophisticated yet so many individuals transitioning into men choose not to get it right now.
@ Bess…I agree with you. Chaz is & always will be genetically, a woman. Telling us over & over again she is a man just doesn’t cut it. It really is a shame that Chaz was delivered into this world as a woman but is unable to deal with it. I can wish or relate all I want to be something I am not but that doesn’t make it so. I feel badly for Chaz. He definitely has many issues.
I see this argument all the time and I’d like to shed some light why it doesn’t hold water.
Gender is how we identify, either male or female, and it’s determined by the brain we were born with. There are physical differences between male and female minds. Physical sex is determined by genetics – XX or XY chromosones – and that determines how your body will develop (Although that’s not always true, as seen in the case of intersex people).
Even though they are often used interchangably, sex and gender are two separate things.
In the case of transgender people, many say they feel like they’ve been born in the wrong body. That is because their gender identity does not match their physical body — i.e., a FTM like Chaz was born with a female body and a male mind.
In fact, there have been studies done after death where the brains of transgender women were examined. Although the subjects were born male, their brains were indeed female.
For most of us, it’s not something we think about because our bodies match the gender we identify as. The reason why most transgender people eventually choose to physically transition their bodies (through hormones and surgery) is because the disconnect between the two is difficult deal with on a number of levels.
I have read that many women who transition to men actually shorten their lives because of the excessive amounts of hormones. I’d question whether it was really worth it or not in the long run.
Also, how can someone who was born a female and had a female identity really fit in as a male? I can’t imagine many men would welcome someone like Chaz or another transgendered person in a locker room or another all male environment. Also, someone like Chaz would be at a real physical disadvantage.
Interesting. But how is a brain “male” or “female?” I didn’t realized you could identify gender based on brain characteristics.
@ Bess:
No offense, but as a non transgendered person, whether it’s worth it or not isn’t really your call.
I’m not trans either but I fully acknowledge I don’t know what it’s like to walk in their shoes. When I imagine it, it seems like it would be uncomfortable to say the least.
I do know that there are plenty of FTMs who successfully live as male, and vice versa. The ones who have, you would never know from looking at them. Ones who are in the process of physically transitioning or who haven’t yet, are more obvious to spot. But then there are some transgender folks who will never quite fit it in terms of looks (for example, think about a 6″3 born male who wants to live as female).
In terms of socialization, if they transition as an adult they have a difference experience than someone who grew up as a girl or boy, but that can’t be helped. It’s worth it to them to learn social cues of their gender they identify as, than to continue living as their birth gender.
With regards to Chaz, I think he should get healthy. All that extra weight on him will shorten his life a lot quicker than hormone theoretically would.
@Esmom:
I’ll try to dig up some link when I get into tonight that shed more light on it.
Hi Iggles…I am curious as to your credentials concerning transgenders. You seem quite knowledgeable on the subject.
Are you a biologist or a doctor/surgeon or involved in a specialized field?
@ spinner:
Haha. I’m not a doctor 🙂
I write and post fiction stories online. In my most popular series of stories, the lead character is a FTM. I did a bunch of research while writing, and learned much along the way. Plus some of my trans and LGB readers have brought things to my attention as well. (For example, I was told that using the term cis is preferred over the terms bioguy or biowomen. It just means you’re not transgender. The prefix cis means “same”, so in other words it means your gender identity and sex match. Trans, means “different”, aka your gender identity and sex don’t match.)
Some writers tend to “write what they know”, but I like writing about characters whose lives and experiences are different from my own. It’s been quite an experience and hearing feedback from readers is super awesome.
@ iggles…very good…carry on, eternal student.
I’ve always wondered if the transgender phenomenon is more about the rest of society that the individual person. Boys and girls are pushed into little boxes culturally that don’t fit most people all that well. If we could get rid of the boxes, would transgender changes be unnecessary for a person to be fully themselves? It’s not really about female or male brains- we’re all very different, the mind-body disconnect experienced by transgender people may really just be coming from the outside. Maybe some people also find it easier to go against cultural expectations without changing their appearance to fit the social expectations. So basically, the surgery and hormonal manipulations may just be a temporary fix for our time, some day it will be unnecessary. Hopefully.
@ Spinner:
Thanks 😉 Here’s a link that shows a study about brain differences –
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2011/01/26/scans-show-difference-in-transgender-brains/
Thanks for the link, Iggles. It was a very good read.
Iggles, thanks for all that – you are a very fascinating person! Thanks for sharing your views.
I. Can. Not. Stand. Chaz. Plays victim a bit too much for my liking. Can’t stand Chaz!
I don’t like him either. He whines too much. Like the weight, the whining came along during the transition and he lacks the clarity to do anything about it.
No one has to give me the benefit of the doubt about anything. She is a she and that’s what I meant. Until she starts acting like a real man and not being a bitch about how she treats her partners, especially one that stuck with her though she was basically a lesbian and supported her, she’s merely pretending to be a man as many of those who were born with a penis are.
My personal views will stay personal.
So.. men who bitch out their partners aren’t really men – they’re women?
I don’t get that logic. Sounds like an insult to all women. I would just call those men a**holes!
No, they are not “real men.” It doesn’t make them like women, it’s make them not real men. That is all. But Chaz’s case is special and I’ve made adjustments.
I think Chaz has done a great job making the transgender journey closer to mainstream. His willingness to be open and show what the process was like for him was brave and useful and not too famewhorey. But OMG now he needs to be the poster boy for FAT GUYs, because lordy, it ain’t good, the weight he’s at. It’s not healthy, it’s a heart attack waiting to happen.
I think Chaz has done a service by explaining the process openly, since by and large the general public knows nada about this subject and they need to educate; however, he’s sort of destroying it after the fact by being a jerk (the comments he made about Jennifer), by looking kind of gross (not being able to dance on a cheap dance show -cringe) and by not getting healthy now that he’s got the transition going. He could have used the show to lose weight, but didn’t take the opportunity. He could make a big statement by losing the weight (again) and doing something positive. But at the moment, it’s pretty negative. I do hope things turn around for him.
CARTMAN!
Why would a full-fledged lesbian want to be with Chaz Bono?
I feel sorry for Jennifer, she’s been through A LOT in that relationship! No wonder she drinks and can’t sleep!!! It seems to be all about Chaz. They had something as two women, now it’s gone. She must be so lost……
Why would she want to stay with him? I presume she’s a lesbian. What lesbian wants to date a morbidly obese man without a penis?
Doesn’t the fact that he has a V count for her?. That is pretty much the most treasured part of being a chick.
Bono is a total ass. The DWTS experience made him believe he is a Star well he had his 15 minutes of fame and now he has turned into a complete insensible, fat idiot. This girl put up with you Jabba the hut for six years and now you dump her because you can do better you pig!