Plus-size activist and influencer Jaelynn Chaney has reportedly been keeping a low profile on social media after a run-in with the law earlier this year.
The 29-year-old, known for her outspoken body positivity advocacy, was last active on TikTok with over 149k followers and on Instagram with 93k followers back in February 2025.
Now, after months of speculation, new details have surfaced revealing that Chaney was allegedly arrested following an altercation with police officers at a hospital.
Highlights
- Plus-size activist Jaelynn Chaney, 29, landed in legal trouble after an alleged domestic violence incident at a Washington hospital.
- Court documents revealed that Chaney was arrested following the altercation and was deemed mentally “incompetent.”
- Since her release in May, she has maintained radio silence online, while netizens continue to speculate about the circumstances surrounding her arrest.
Jaelynn Chaney last posted on her socials on February 23, hinting at troubles in her personal and health life
Image credits: jaebaeproductions
The activist from Tri-Cities, Washington, first rose to fame for her advocacy to make air travel more inclusive for plus-size people.
Now, according to the Daily Mail, she was allegedly booked by police authorities on February 28 for “causing a disturbance” and attacking her fiancé of six years, Jacob Ard, at the Trios Medical Hospital in Kennewick, Washington.
Jaelynn’s father, Jerome Chaney, told the outlet that the incident occurred after his daughter discovered Jacob’s infidelity at the medical institution.
The influencer allegedly caught her now-ex-fiancé with another man, which led to a domestic violence incident.
Hospital staff reportedly called the police to intervene, who arrived at the scene and arrested Chaney.
The 911 call was reportedly made by hospital staff after the plus-size influencer attacked her ex-fiancé over his alleged infidelity
Image credits: jaebaeproductions
According to the arresting officer, “[Jaelynn] was very unpleasant to deal with [and] threatened to ki** our families and was telling us to burn in hell.”
Authorities allegedly first issued a trespassing warning after the hospital informed them that she was not on the property for any health-related reason.
However, Jaelynn allegedly tore up the warning note in front of officers and said she was going to leave.
Image credits: jaebaeproductions
Her demeanor and behavior led officers to arrest her, but due to her size, she was allegedly unable to fit into the police car designated for transport.
An evidence van was then dispatched to take her into custody, but she was allegedly still unable to climb the steps into the vehicle.
According to court papers discovered by Daily Mail, the 29-year-old was taken to Benton County Jail in Kennewick using a foldable lift attached to the rear of the van.
Jaelynn advocated for more inclusivity in air travel for plus-size fliers, calling on airlines to provide free extra seats to accommodate them
Image credits: GoFundMe
She was reportedly charged with third-degree a**ault and resisting arrest after allegedly attacking her ex-fiancé and striking one of the arresting officers on the shoulder and arm.
At one point, she allegedly attempted to hit the officer in the face but missed.
While under arrest, according to court documents, the activist reportedly threw herself to the ground and began screaming that the “police were ki**ing and s**ually a**aulting her.”
Image credits: Jerome Chaney
“Ramos knows what he did. KPD hands up. Don’t f***ing shoot. I’m n**ed and they f***ing r**ed me. Trios Southridge was trying to save me. FBI is watching.”
The identity of the individual she referred to as Ramos remains unclear, as does whether she was referring to a police officer or someone else.
Officers also noted that they attempted to have Jaelynn placed under an involuntary hold but were unable to find a facility equipped to accommodate her.
The 29-year-old was also charged for striking an arresting police officer, whom she even tried to slap in the face
Image credits: Either-Drawer-2243/Reddit
In March, Chaney’s public defender filed an order for a competency evaluation, claiming that she suffered from a “mental disease or defect” and “lacked the capacity to understand the proceedings against her or to assist in her own defense.”
She was then ordered to undergo inpatient treatment at Eastern State Hospital after being found “incompetent.”
After two months in the facility, hospital officials deemed her to be suffering from delirium due to sepsis, a personality disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Image credits: jaebaeproductions
Further in her defense, Jaelynn claimed that she had been under stress following her breakup with Jacob, calling him “ab**ive” and alleging that he “tried to ki** us both on a business trip.”
Chaney also claimed during her evaluation that she had witnessed “human trafficking, domestic violence, s**ual a**ault, witnessing crime, g**s, d**gs and violence.”
According to the evaluation report, doctors also noted that she was noncompliant with treatment, made unreasonable demands, and frequently used foul language while refusing to shower.
Jaelynn was placed at Eastern State Hospital for treatment after being found mentally “incompetent” by medical experts
On May 14, she was released after the case against her was dismissed by the Deputy Prosecuting Attorney.
She moved back home, and her father told Daily Mail that she was “doing well” following her release from the hospital.
The outlet also reportedly spoke with Jaelynn herself, who declined to comment at the time, saying she would “have to check her schedule” before agreeing to an interview.
Image credits: ardthepanda
Shortly before her arrest in February, the influencer had set up a GoFundMe, asking her followers to donate money to help her secure short-term housing, living essentials, and legal guidance while battling “trauma, isolation, and a**se” in her relationship with Ard.
The campaign, titled Trapped in a Nightmare: Disabled Woman’s Fight for Life, had a goal of $1,600, of which $1,200 had already been raised.
The fundraiser remains active; however, Chaney has maintained radio silence across all her platforms despite being released months ago.
Image credits: ardthepanda
In April 2023, Jaelynn went viral after posting a TikTok arguing that plus-size travelers should be “provided with an extra free seat, or even multiple seats, to accommodate their needs” by airlines.
That same year, she also launched a petition to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), calling for airlines to adopt a comprehensive customer-of-size policy.
“People with smaller bodies get to pay one fare to get to their destination. And we have to pay for two fares, even though we’re getting the same experience. If anything, our experiences are a little more challenging.”
Netizens accused the plus-size woman of exhibiting “narcissistic, borderline, or histrionic tendencies”
