Her demands for free extra plane seats for plus-size fliers made Jaelynn Chaney a controversial internet superstar, earning her gushing plaudits and furious criticism.
Then earlier this year, the 29 year-old fat rights activist disappeared from her popular TikTok and Instagram channels without a trace.
Chaney, who promoted her cause on CNN and The Washington Post, had hinted at troubles in her personal life in her final posts.
That sparked concern among followers of the star’s message that ‘fat’ fliers should get as many free additional seats as they need on planes so they can spread out.
But no further information about Chaney’s disappearance was forthcoming – until now.
The Daily Mail has discovered that Chaney was accused of attacking police officers at a hospital in Kennewick, Washington, in February.
The influencer’s father Jerome Chaney told the Daily Mail he believed the incident had happened after his daughter – who publicly identifies as polyamorous – caught her ex-fiancé, Jacob Ard, resulting in an alleged domestic assault.
When officers arrived to arrest Chaney, they discovered the 6XL influencer was too big to fit into a police car sent to take her into custody.
An evidence van then had to be dispatched so Chaney could be transported in the back of it.
The 29 year-old fat rights activist disappeared from her popular TikTok and Instagram channels without a trace
Chaney, who promoted her cause on CNN and The Washington Post, had hinted at troubles in her personal life in her final posts
Chaney then claimed she was unable to manage the steps up to the van, police allege.
That saw a foldable lift deployed so she could safely be placed in the rear of the van, according to court papers unearthed by the Daily Mail.
Chaney was taken to Benton County Jail in Kennewick, where she was charged with third-degree assault and resisting arrest.
The ordeal was a sad change in circumstances for Chaney, whose 140,000 TikTok followers and 93,000 Instagram fans propelled her to a life of glamorous free vacations and hotel stays.
She shared tips for plus-size travelers and was a particular fan of Southwest’s ‘passenger of size’ policy which offered free extra seats to larger passengers.
Particularly controversial was Chaney’s suggestion that regular ticket prices would have to rise to cover the cost of the free seats.
But that pales in comparison to the scandal that has since engulfed her.
Chaney’s brush with the law began when officers with the Kennewick Police Department said they were called to Trios Medical Hospital for a disturbance involving Chaney.
Staff there informed police that she was not present for any medical reason, and was actively ‘causing disturbance’, the papers said.
Jaelynn Chaney’s father Jerome, pictured outside his home in Pasco, Washington, on Thursday, told the Daily Mail his influencer daughter had caught her husband with another man
Chaney was taken to the Benton County Jail earlier this year following the alleged altercation with officers
Chaney and her ex Jacob Ard are seen here in a picture shared to his Instagram, her father claimed Ard had cheated on her with another man
Police said they issued Chaney with a warning for trespassing which she ripped up in front of them, telling officers she was going to leave.
The arresting officer described her as being ‘very unpleasant to deal with’, saying Chaney ‘threatened to kill our families’ and was ‘telling us to burn in hell’. Officers said they had to escort her off the property in a wheelchair ‘due to her physical ailments’.
While she was being wheeled out, the officer said Chaney told him she couldn’t walk at all. The same cop said he had seen her walk ‘just fine on prior contacts with her’.
Six days prior to her arrest, she had set up her own GoFundMe asking for her followers to donate so she could ‘reclaim her life’.
Chaney posted that she had nearly died from sepsis, while battling ‘relentless trauma, isolation, and abuse’ stemming from her relationship with Ard, she claimed.
She raised $1,200 with a target set for $1,600, adding that the money would help her secure short-term housing, living essentials, and legal guidance. Alongside the fundraiser she shared images of herself in a hospital bed with a breathing tube in her nose, while others show her in the back of a car packed with luggage.
Last year, Chaney blasted a staff member at Seattle-Tacoma Airport who refused to push her in a wheelchair because of her weight.
Chaney claims the snub forced her to walk up a jet bridge and left her out of breath.
During February’s altercation with police, Chaney also allegedly struck one of the arresting officers in the shoulder and arm.
She is then said to have tried to hit him in the face, but missed.
While being placed under arrest, Chaney is said to have thrown herself to the ground and ‘began yelling police were killing and sexually assaulting her’.
According to court papers, she said: ‘Ramos knows what he did. KPD hands up. Don’t f****** shoot. I’m naked and they f****** raped me. Trios Southridge was trying to save me. FBI is watching.’
The identity of the ‘Ramos’ who Chaney referred to is unclear.
Six days prior to her arrest, she had set up her own GoFundMe asking for her followers to donate so she could ‘reclaim her life’, saying she had survived having sepsis
Chaney is seen here in the rear of a vehicle in a picture that she shared to her own GoFundMe page
Her former partner Jacob Ard is seen here, the two had been in a relationship for six years according to Chaney
The arresting officer noted in his report that 911 operators then informed him that Chaney had dialed 911 41 times from February 2024 until the day of the incident, February 28, 2025.
Officers also noted that they had tried to have her placed under an involuntary hold but struggled to find a facility that could accommodate her.
As a last resort, officers called her father who told police that while he loved his daughter he was unable to help due to her ‘unruly behavior’.
The court paper adds: ‘Overall, we afforded Jaelynn several opportunities to comply with our lawful request to reach a peaceful resolution, but she elected to take a different path.’
In March, while still in custody, Chaney’s public defender filed an order for a competency evaluation, saying she was suffering from a ‘mental disease or defect’ and ‘may lack the capacity to understand the proceedings against him or her to assist in his or her own defense’.
Following that she was ordered to undergo inpatient treatment by order of the state inside Eastern State Hospital after being found to be ‘incompetent’.
That was on March 11, with the court later having to sign an order on March 14 allowing Benton County Jail officers to use ‘force’ to move her to the hospital after she refused.
In May, health officials handed over an inpatient evaluation saying in their opinion she was suffering from delirium due to sepsis, an unspecified personality disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder.
When approached for comment, Chaney declined to speak with the Daily Mail about her legal issues
As part of the evaluation, Chaney told officials that she was recently single, having called off her engagement of six years with her fiancé Jacob Ard.
She claims that Ard, who is also a plus size influencer, ‘tried to kill us both on a business trip’, saying ‘found out who he was’.
Chaney added that the relationship was ‘abusive’, telling professionals she ‘settled, like when you settle for crumbs, a guy who was way beneath you’.
Ard was not at home when the Daily Mail called at his address in Vancouver, Washington, on Thursday.
As part of the evaluation, Chaney said her upbringing had involved ‘human trafficking, domestic violence, sexual assault, witnessing crime, guns, drugs and violence’. She also said she was homeless at numerous times in her life.
Throughout her time in state hospital, healthcare professionals noted she was not compliant with treatment and would frequently use her call light to request water, to have her alarm turned off, to ask for a chaplain, and to have her bed made.
One doctor noted that she would frequently make conflicting requests, requesting for four sets of clean linens over five hours, before she is said to have thrown them on the floor and asked for more.
The same doctor said she also asked to dial 911 from her hospital bed to have a catheter line inserted.
The report said she would consistently use foul language while declining to shower and reported to them daily that she was either pregnant, in labor or having a miscarriage, despite negative pregnancy tests. At one point she refused an increase in her medication also due to her ‘being pregnant’ and also declined to shower.
Staff resorted to interacting with her from the hallway in the hospital or in pairs after finding her ‘condescending and derogatory’ the report added.
She told staff she wanted them to use their bare hands on her while treating pressure sores on her body caused by her weight.
In May, after the report was submitted to the court, the Deputy Prosecuting Attorney filed a motion to dismiss the case.
Chaney’s father Jerome told the Daily Mail that his daughter was ‘doing well’ following her release from hospital.
When contacted by phone, Chaney said she would ‘have to check her schedule’ before deciding whether she could chat to us.
She subsequently said: ‘I do not wish to comment.’
