ALS doesn’t wait for anyone to be ready. That’s the brutal truth sitting underneath the latest update from Sumit Singh about his wife Jenny Slatten, and honestly, watching this couple’s Instagram videos lately feels less like following reality TV drama and more like watching two people white-knuckle their way through something no one should have to go through in public.
What Sumit Actually Said
In a video posted Sunday, August 30, Sumit – yes, the same guy who became a 90 Day Fiancé fixture for the age gap headlines and the visa drama – laid it out plainly. “Unfortunately, the ALS is progressing and now it’s starting showing more in her talking, like, it’s hard for her to talk now,” he said. No spin, no soft-pedaling. Jenny herself chimed in beforehand, saying flat out that she “can’t talk” much these days.
That’s a gut punch if you’ve followed these two since 2018. Jenny was always the talker in the relationship, if I’m being honest, the one doing interviews, cracking jokes, holding court in Tell All episodes. Losing that piece of who she is isn’t just a symptom on a chart. It’s losing Jenny, bit by bit, while she’s still very much here.
The Diagnosis Timeline
Quick recap for anyone just catching up: Jenny, 68, announced her ALS diagnosis back in May. Sumit, 37, has been posting updates since, and to date there’s no cure for the disease. None. That’s the part that never gets easier to type out. ALS is degenerative, it attacks the nervous system, and it typically leads to worsening muscle weakness over time. Speech, movement, eventually breathing – it can take all of it, at different speeds for different people.
It’s Not Just Her Voice
Here’s the thing that struck me most about this weekend’s update – it’s not only about talking. Sumit also mentioned Jenny’s balance and her ability to walk have been affected too. So we’re not talking about one isolated symptom creeping in. We’re talking about multiple systems declining around the same time, which, from what I can tell reading about ALS progression, isn’t unusual but is still terrifying to watch happen to someone in real time.
“Unfortunately, the ALS is progressing and now it’s starting showing more in her talking, like, it’s hard for her to talk now.”
I keep coming back to that quote because of how matter-of-fact it sounds. No dramatics, no reaching for sympathy. Just a husband describing what he’s watching happen to his wife. That restraint says more than a paragraph of hand-wringing ever could.
Why This Couple Keeps Sharing
Look, plenty of people would criticize this couple for airing something this personal on Instagram of all places. And sure, there’s a fair conversation to have about where the line is between transparency and content. But I’ve seen this pattern before with public figures facing terminal or degenerative illness – sharing it becomes a way to process it, and honestly, it also does something bigger. It puts a real face on a disease most people only vaguely understand from ice bucket challenges a decade ago.
Jenny’s daughter has also stepped in to give updates on Sumit’s wellbeing too, which tells you this isn’t just about Jenny’s health anymore. Caregiving takes a toll that doesn’t show up in medical reports. Sumit’s basically watching the woman he built a life with lose pieces of herself daily, and doing it while cameras (or at least phone cameras) are pointed at him. That’s a weight most of us can’t fully picture.
The 90 Day Fiancé Connection
For those who need the reminder – Jenny and Sumit met on 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way and got married in the season 3 finale back in 2021. Their relationship was messy, complicated, and honestly kind of controversial given the age difference and the drawn-out drama with Sumit’s family in India. But whatever you thought of them as a TV couple, this current chapter has nothing to do with entertainment. It’s just two people facing something awful, together, in front of an audience that grew to care about them whether they meant to or not.
What This Actually Means
ALS doesn’t move on anyone’s schedule, and based on what Sumit’s describing, Jenny’s decline is happening faster than a lot of fans probably hoped for. Losing speech and mobility within a few months of a diagnosis is fast, even for a disease known for moving quickly in some patients. There’s no neat way to end this kind of story, and I’m not going to pretend there is. What we can say is that Jenny still has her voice right now, even if it’s harder to use, and Sumit’s choosing to let people hear it while she does. Make of that what you will – but I’d call it brave, not performative.
