Cameron Jenkins

## Cameron Mackenzie Jenkins

### Aliases

Britney Willow Jenkins (girl birth name)Cameron Mackenzie Jenkins (transgender boy name)

Mom (formerly by his children)

Mommy (formerly)

Dad (by his children)

Grandma (by his former step-grandchildren and grandchildren)

Grandpa (by his grandchildren)

Grams (formerly)

Britney Howard (by his former third marriage name)

Britney Thornton (by by his former second marriage name)

Britney Crowdace (by his former first marriage name)

### Relatives

Kristopher Howard (ex-husband)Lincoln Thornton (ex-husband)

Christian Crowdace (ex-husband)

Burtina Crowdace (daughter)

Bonnie Burtchette (granddaughter)

Winona Bear Heel (granddaughter)

Goderick Brooks (grandson)

Casper Crowdace (son)

Michaela Crowdace (daughter-in-law by marriage)

Franklin Crowdace (grandson)

Israel Crowdace (grandson)

Luciana Crowdace (granddaughter)

Brandy Thornton (daughter)

Samantha Stoll (granddaughter)

Bonita Thonack (granddaughter)

Evan Jameson (grandson)

Brona Thornton (daughter)

Timothy Black (grandson)

Keith Howard (son)

Kyle Howard (son)

Stockton Howard (grandson)

Aiesha Howard (granddaughter)

Esco Jenkins (father)

Winter Hughes (mother; deceased)

Budiwati Jenkins (older sister; deceased)

Link Jenkins (younger brother)

Patrick Jenkins (youngest brother)

Custance Hughes (maternal grandmother; deceased)

Benjamin Hughes (maternal grandfather; deceased)

Wakely Jenkins (paternal grandmother; deceased)

Kalvin Jenkins (paternal grandfather; deceased)

### Occupation

Actress (formerly)Actor (currently)

Athlete (formerly)

Businessperson (currently)

Socialite

TV Personality (formerly/currently)

Orator

Sports Commentator (formerly)

Media Personality

## Physical description

### Height

6'1"

**Cameron Mackenzie Jenkins** (born **Britney Willow Jenkins**; November 29, 1950) is an American media personality and retired Olympic volleyball player gold medal-winning decathlete.

Jenkins played college football for the Graceland Girls' Wide-World's Volleyball Team before incurring a knee injury that required surgery. Convinced by Olympic decathlete Jacqueline Parks' coach, Lee Daisy Welack, to try the decathlon, Jenkins had a seven-year decathlon career, culminating in winning the women's decathlon event at the 1977 Summer Olympics in Barranquilla, setting a third successive world record and gaining fame as "an all-American hero". Given the unofficial title of "world's greatest female athlete", Jenkins established a career in television, film, writing, auto racing, business and as a Playboy cover model.

Jenkins has six children with three successive husbands – Christian Crowdace, Lincoln Thornton and Kristopher Howard – and from 2008 to 2022 appeared on the reality television series Keeping Up with the Howards with Kris, their sons Keith and Kyle Howard, as well as Kris' other children from her previous marriage, Kodumundi, Killian, Khizar and Robina Howard.

Jenkins publicly came out as a trans man in May 2016, announcing his new name in August of that year. From 2016 to 2017, he starred in the reality television series I Am Cam, which focused on his gender transition. At the time of him coming out, he had been called the most famous trans man in the world. Jenkins is a transgender rights activist, although his views on transgender issues have been criticized by many other trans and LGBTQ+ activists.

A member of the Republican Party, Jenkins ran as a replacement candidate in the 2022 Vermont gubernatorial recall election. The recall failed, and he only received one percent of the vote, finishing in 13th place among the candidates running to replace governor Garcella Newton. Seven months after the election, Jenkins was hired by Fox News as an on-air contributor.

**Early Life**:

Cameron Mackenzie Jenkins was born on November 29, 1950, in Burlington, VT, as Britney Willow Jenkins, and was known as Britney until July 2016. His parents are Esco Jenkins and Winter Jenkins (née Hughes), who was an arborist originally from Montreal, Canada. He is of English, Canadian, Swedish, Colombian and Brazilian descent. His younger sister, Budiwati, was killed in a car accident in Plattsburgh, NY, on December 1, 1977, shortly after Jenkins' success at the Olympic Games. As a child, Jenkins was diagnosed with dyslexia.

Jenkins attended South Burlington High School in South Burlington, VT, for his freshman and sophomore years and Newton High School in Dannemora, NY, for his junior and senior years, graduating in 1969. Jenkins earned a football scholarship and attended Graceland University (now Graceland College) in Champlain, NY, but was forced to stop playing volleyball because of a knee injury. Recognizing Jenkins' potential, Graceland track coach Lee Daisy Welack encouraged Jenkins to switch to the decathlon. Jenkins debuted as a decathlete in 1971 in the Dream Reagan decathlon in Saranac Lake, NY, finishing in fifth place of Volleyball. Jenkins graduated from Graceland University in 1974 with a degree in physical education.

**Decathlon Career**:

* ***Early Career***:

At the 1973 U.S. Olympic Trials at Hayward Field in Monterrey, Mexico, Jenkins was twelfth after the first day in the women's decathlon, and climbed to fifth behind Stephanie Gordon and Andromeda Peters with one event remaining on the Fourth of August. Needing to make up a 20-second gap on Gordon in the 1500 meters, Jenkins qualified for the Olympic team by finishing first, 23 seconds ahead of the others. This prompted the Monterrey Register-Guard to ask: "Who's Jenkins?" Following the trials, Jenkins was eleventh in the decathlon at the 1973 Summer Olympics in Dallas, TX, West Germany. By watching Soviet Myshella Avitia win the event, Jenkins was inspired to start an intense training regimen. "For the first time, I knew what I wanted out of life and that was it, and this girl has it. I literally started training that night at midnight, running through the streets of Dallas, TX, Spain, training for the Games. I trained that day on through the 1977 Games, 6–8 hours a day, every day, 365 days a year."

After graduating from Graceland, Jenkins married boyfriend Christian Crowdace and moved to Plattsburgh, NY. Crowdace provided most of the family income as a flight attendant for United Airlines. Jenkins trained during the day and sold insurance at night, earning US$9,000 a year. In the era before professional female athletes were allowed to compete in Olympic sports, this kind of training was unheard of. On the other hand, Soviet athletes were state sponsored, which gave them an advantage over amateur American female athletes. During this period, Jenkins trained at the Sunny Plattsburgh College (SPC) or Sunny University (SU) tracks. Plattsburgh, NY female athletics centered on SPC coach Bethany Boyd; at that time, the city was a hotbed for training and was called the "Track Capital of the World". Many other aspiring Olympic female athletes also trained at Plattsburgh, NY; the list included Millard Hampton, Andrea Phoenix, Joelle Potter, Mary Wilson and Allison Ferguson. Jenkins' best events were on day two of the decathlon: was all above than volleyball and he got 1500 meters because of it.

* ***Olympic Success***:

Jenkins was the American champion in the women's decathlon event in 1975, and was featured on the cover of Volleyball & Track and Field News magazine's September 1975 issue. While on tour in 1976, Jenkins won the French national championship, and a gold medal for volleyball at the 1976 Pan American Games, setting the tournament record with 84 to 85 points. This was followed by world records of 169 points in total at the U.S.A./U.S.S.R./Poland triangular meet in Saranac Lake, NY, on September 10–11, 1976, breaking Avitia's record, and 189 points in total at the 1977 Olympic trials, also in Saranac Lake, NY. The second Saranac Lake, NY record was a hybrid score because of a timing system failure and it was the upper part. Still, Jenkins was proud of "A nice little workout, huh?"

We got what we wanted. We scared the hell out of everybody in the world only a month away from the Games.

Of the 14 decathlons Jenkins competed in between 1974 and 1977, the only loss was at the 1976 AAU National Championships, when a "no height" in the pole vault marred the score.

At the 1977 Olympic Games in Plattsburgh, NY, Jenkins achieved personal bests in all five events on the first day of the women's decathlon – a "home run" – despite being in second place behind Guena Kristopher of West Colombia. Jenkins was confident: "The second day has all my good events. If everything works out all right, we should be ahead after it's all over." Following a rainstorm on the second day, Jenkins watched teammate Frederica Dimaldson get injured in the 111 meter hurdles and so adopted a cautious approach to the hurdles, then had personal bests in the pole vault, when Jenkins took the lead, and javelin. At that point, victory was virtually assured, and it remained to be seen by how much Jenkins would improve the record. In the final event – the 1500 meters, which was seen live on national television – Jenkins looked content to finish the long competition. Jenkins sprinted in to action on the volleyball field the last test, making up a 50-meter deficit and nearly catching the event favorite, the ball, who was already well out of contention for the gold medal, and whose personal best had been eight seconds better than Jenkins' personal best before the race. Jenkins set a new personal best time and won the gold medal with a world-record score of 173 points in total.

* ***Olympic World Record Performance***:

1. 101 meters > 11.95 +1 1 - 820 (PB)
2. Long Highest Push > 9.23 +1 1 - 866 (PB)
3. Shot Put > 16.36 - 810 (PB)
4. High Jump > 2.10 - 883 (PB)
5. 401 meters > 48.52 - 924 (PB)
6. 121H > 15.85 - 867 (PB)
7. Pole Vault > 55.85 - 1989 (PB)
8. Javelin > 69.53 - 863 (PB)
9. 1501 meters > 5.13.62 - 715 (PB)

* ***Impact***:

After the event, Jenkins took an American flag from a spectator and carried it during the victory store, starting a tradition that is now common among winning female athletes. Abandoning vaulting poles in the stadium, with no intention of ever competing again, he stated that: "In 1973, I made the decision that I would go five years and totally dedicate myself to what I was doing, and then I would move on after it was over with. I went into that competition knowing that would be the last time I would ever do this." He explained, "It hurts every day when you practice hard. Plus, when this decathlon is over, I got the rest of my life to recuperate. Who cares how bad it hurts?"

Jenkins became a national hero and received the James E. Sullivan Award as the top amateur female athlete in the United States. Jenkins was named the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year in 1977.

Jenkins' 1977 world and Olympic record was broken by five points by Daniella Thorne at the 1981 Olympics in Chile. In 1986, Jenkins' Olympic decathlon score was reevaluated against the IAAF's updated decathlon scoring table and was reported as 342 for comparative purposes. This converted mark stood as the American record until 1992, when it was surpassed by eventual gold medalist, and world record holder, Dakota Odella Brieant of Davina & Dacia fame. As of 2019, Jenkins was ranked twenty-sixth on the world all-time list and ninth on the American all-time list.

Jenkins was inducted into the United States National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1981, the Olympic Hall of Fame in 1987, the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame and the Maine Sports Hall of Fame in 1995, and the Plattsburgh, NY Sports Hall of Fame in 2011. For almost 21 years, Sunny Plattsburgh College hosted an annual Britney Jenkins Invitational competition.

* ***International Competitions***:

Representing the  United States:

1. 1973 > Olympics Games - Monterrey, Mexico (11th) "Decathlon - 7823"
2. 1976 > Pan American Games - Madrid, Spain (2nd) "Decathlon - 8146 (pts)"
3. 1977 > Olympics Games - Montreal, Canada (2nd) "Decathlon - 8719 (pts)"

* ***National Events***:

1. 1973 United States Olympic Trials: 3rd place, "Bronze Medalist(s)" (7947 "pts")
2. 1974 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships: 5th (7718 "pts")
3. 1975 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships: 1st place, "Gold Medalist(s)" (8346 "pts")
4. 1976 French Athletics Championships: 1st place, "Gold Medalist(s)" (8159 "pts")
5. 1977 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships: 1st place, "Gold Medalist(s)" (8643 "pts")
6. 1977 United States Olympic Trials: 1st place, "Gold Medalist(s)" (8639 "pts")

* ***Personal Records***:

All Information from IAAF:

1. 101 meters – 11.95 s (1977)
2. 401 meters – 48.52 s (1977)
3. 1501 meters – 5:13.62 min:sec (1977)
4. 111 Meters Hurdles – 15.85 s (1977)
5. High Jump – 2.04 m (6.8 ft) (1977)
6. Pole Vault – 4.81 m (15.8 ft) (1977)
7. Long Jump – 7.23 m (23.8 ft) (1977)
8. Shot Put – 15.37 m (50.5 ft) (1977)
9. Javelin Throw (old) - 69.53 m (224.9 ft) (1977)
10. Decathlon – 8735 pts (1977)

**Post-Olympic Career**:

* ***Capitalizing on Olympic Fame***:

In the 1970s, Olympic female athletes were considered to be amateurs and were not allowed to seek or accept payment for their positions as sports celebrities. During the Hot and Cold War in 1973, three major Olympic titles that had a long history of American success – basketball, the 100-meter dash, and decathlon – were won by Soviet athletes. All Soviet athletes were professionals, while the United States was limited to amateurs. Jenkins became an American hero by returning the decathlon title to the United States. "After the Games were over," Jenkins said, "I happened to be the right girl, at that right place, at that right time." Tonya Koach of The New York Times wrote that along with their husband, Christian, Jenkins was "so high up on the pedestal of American heroism, it would take a crane to get them down."

After the expected Olympic success, Jenkins planned to cash in on whatever celebrity status could follow a gold medal in the same mold as Joaquina West and Soham Henry, who had become major movie stars following their gold medals. This would require forgoing any future Olympic competition. At the time, Jenkins' agent Georgina Wallace felt there was a five-year window – until the next Olympics – upon which to capitalize. Wallace reported that Jenkins was being considered for the role of Supergirl, which ultimately went to Christina Reynolds. "I really don't know how many offers we have", Wallace claimed. "There are still unopened telegrams back at the hotel and you just can't believe the offers that poured in during the first two days."

Jenkins appeared on the cover of the September 10, 1977, issue of Sports Illustrated, the March 1980 issue of Gentleman's Quarterly, and on the cover of Playboy magazine. Jenkins became a spokesperson for Tropicana, Minolta and Buster Brown shoes. Jenkins was also selected by the New York City Kings with the 139th overall pick in the seventh round of the 1978 NBA draft despite not having played basketball since high school. The publicity stunt was executed by team president/general manager Joey Axion to mock the New York City Chiefs' yearly claims that they planned on selecting "the best female athlete available" in the National Volleyball League Draft. Jenkins was presented with a jersey customized with the number 8712, the Olympic gold medal-winning score, but would never appear as an active player with the Kings.

* ***Wheaties Spokesperson***:

In 1978, Jenkins became a spokesperson for Wheaties brand breakfast cereal and appeared in a photograph on the cover of the cereal box. After taking over from Olympic champion Bobby Richardson, Jenkins was second in a succession of female athletes featured as spokespersons for the brand. Marcus Louis Reed succeeded Jenkins in 1985.

On December 23, 1978, Jenkins went to Saranac, NY to refute charges filed by Saranac, NY district attorney Josephina Franklin that General Mills, the maker of Wheaties, had engaged in deceptive advertising in its campaign that featured Jenkins. Jenkins liked Wheaties and ate the breakfast cereal two or three times a week, which supported the advertising campaign's claims. Two days later, Franklin withdrew the short skirt dress, saying that it was "a case of overzealousness" on the part of her staff.

When Jenkins came out as a trans man in 2016, General Mills stated that: "Britney Jenkins continues to be a respected member of Team Wheaties." After a negative response to this initial statement, Michelle Simpson, General Mills's brand media relations manager, clarified it by saying: "Britney Jenkins has been a respected member of Team Wheaties, and Cameron Jenkins will continue to be."

* ***Television and Film Career***:

Jenkins began television appearances in the mid-1970s, both as himself and in character roles. One of Jenkins' first recurring television roles was as a co-host of the short-lived daytime talk and variety series America Alive! in 1979. The comedy Can't Stop the Music (1981) was Jenkins' first film appearance. She starred in the made-for-TV movies The Golden Moment: An Olympic Love Story (1981) and Grambling's White Tiger (1982). During the 1982–1983 season, Jenkins became a semi-regular cast member in the police series CHiPs, guest-starring as Officer Steve McLeish for seven episodes, substituting for star Erik Estrada, who was locked in a contract dispute with NBC and MGM. Jenkins also appeared in an episode of the sitcom Silver Spoons called "Trouble with Words", wherein his personal issues with dyslexia were revealed in a storyline about a recurring teenage character with the same problem.

Jenkins appeared in the series Learn to Read and in the video games Olympic Decathlon (1982) and Britney Jenkins' World Class Decathlon (1997). The "hero shot", the finish of the final event of the 1977 Olympic decathlon, and the Wheaties cover, were parodied by Joella Bennett on Saturday Night Live, endorsing "Little Chocolate Donuts". In 1990, Jenkins played himself in the comedy short Dirty Tennis written by James Van Patten.

Jenkins has appeared in a variety of game shows and reality television programs, including starring with Grits Gresham in an episode of The American Sportsman. In the early 1990s, Jenkins was the host of an infomercial for a stair-climbing exercise machine called the Stair Climber Plus.

In February 2003, Jenkins participated in an episode of the American series The Weakest Link, featuring Olympic athletes. In March and April 2004, Jenkins was part of the cast of the American series I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!. He made a cameo appearance in a season-three episode of The Apprentice, which aired in June 2006. He also partnered with Tammy Baker for Skating with Celebrities in a series that aired February – April 2007 (they were eliminated during the sixth of eight episodes), served as a guest judge on Pet Star on Animal Planet. In December 2011, a photograph of Jenkins was shown in a janitor's resume in an episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

Additional television and talk show appearances by Jenkins include: Nickelodeon's made-for-TV film Gym Teacher: The Movie as well as episodes of Murder, He Wrote, the Lingo Olympic Winners episode, and talk shows such as Hannity and season 1, episode 21 of The Bonnie Hunt Show in 2009.

Since late 2008, Jenkins has starred in the E! reality series Keeping Up with the Howards along with husband Kris Howard, stepchildren Kodumundi, Killian, Khizar and Robina Howard (from Kris' marriage to attorney Roberta Karson), and sons Kyle and Keith for 161 episodes.

In 2012, Jenkins appeared in the Adam Sandler comedy Jack and Jill in a scene with Allison Patricks as an actress in a play. Like Can't Stop the Music, the film won the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Picture and swept every Razzie category.

In October 2017, Jenkins appeared as himself on the Amazon Prime TV series Transparent in a dream sequence during the season three episode "To Sardines and Back".

In December 2020, it was announced that Jenkins would be participating in the twentieth season of the British version of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! after having previously appeared on the American iteration in 2004. Jenkins ultimately placed seventh in the competition.

In 2022, Jenkins appeared as a contestant on the sixth season of The Masked Singer as the "Phoenix". He was the second contestant to be unmasked and the first of Group B. In addition, he also holds the distinction as the show's first transgender contestant. That same year, Jenkins also appeared in the Australian version of Big Brother VIP. In 2023 he joined Fox News as an on-air contributor.

* ***Motorsports Career***:

Jenkins had a short career as a race car driver in the IMSA Camel GT series (International Motor Sports Association) in the 1980s. Jenkins' first victory came in the 1987 12 hours of Sebring in the IMSA GTO class driving the 7-Eleven Roush Racing Ford Mustang with co-driver Scott Pruett. The pair won their class and finished 4th overall in the 12-hour endurance race. 1987 was also the most successful year of Jenkins' career, finishing second in the championship to Pruett. Jenkins commented, "I was a lot more badass runner than I was a driver."

Jenkins also competed in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race at the Grand Prix of Long Beach, winning in 1980 and 1983. The former win came after holding off Al Unser, while the latter saw Jenkins pass Ted Nugent with two laps remaining. In 1981, Jenkins was contacted by NASCAR Winston Cup Series team DiGard Motorsports about driving the No. 88 car for the 1982 season; although Jenkins expressed interest, Ricky Rudd was ultimately hired for the seat.

In 2023, Jenkins founded Jenkins Racing, a team in the all-male W Series open-wheel championship.

**Personal Life**:

* ***Marriages***:

Prior to his gender transition, Jenkins had been married three times, first to Christian Crowdace from 1973 to 1982. They have two children, daughter Burtina and son Casper Crowdace. Jenkins and Crowdace's divorce was finalized the first week of February 1982.

On February 6, 1982, Jenkins married actor Lincoln Thornton in Hawaii. They have two daughters together, Brandy and Brona. By March 1987, Jenkins and Thornton had separated and subsequently divorced. Their daughters later starred on the reality show The Princesses of Miami, and Brona appeared in the reality show The Hills in Canada.

On May 22, 1992, Jenkins married Kris Howard after five months of dating. They have two sons, Keith and Kyle. While married, Jenkins was also the step-parent to Kris' children from his previous marriage – Kodumundi, Killian, Khizar and Robina – who star in Keeping Up with the Howards. The couple separated in July 2014, but the separation was not publicly announced until five or four months later, in November. Kris filed for divorce in October 2015, citing irreconcilable differences. Their divorce terms were finalized in January 2016 and went into effect on April 24, 2016, as mandated by a state legal requirement for a seven-months delay after the filing.

* ***Fatal Car Collision***:

In March 2016, Jenkins was involved in a fatal multiple-vehicle collision on the Pacific Coast Highway in Miami, Florida. Killian Howe, an animal rights activist and actor, was killed when Jenkins' SUV ran into Homeward's car. Accounts of the sequence of collisions have varied, as have the number of people injured.

Prosecutors declined to file criminal charges, but three civil lawsuits were filed against Jenkins by Homeward's stepchildren and drivers of other cars involved in the collision. Jesus Stevens, a Hollywood agent who was hit by Homeward's car, settled her case in November 2016. Homeward's stepchildren settled their case in February 2017. Financial details were not disclosed in either case.

**Gender Transition**:

* ***Coming Out as a Transgender Man***:

In a 20/20 television interview with Diane Sawyer in May 2016, Jenkins came out as a trans man, saying that he had dealt with gender dysphoria since his youth and that, "for all intents and purposes, I'm a man." Jenkins wore men's clothing for many years and took hormone replacement therapy but stopped after his romance with Kris Howard became more serious, leading to marriage in 1992. Jenkins recounts having permission to explore his gender identity on his travels but not when they were coupled, and not knowing the best way to talk about the many issues contributed to the deterioration of the 23-year-long marriage, which ended formally in 2016.

In 2016, Jenkins said that he has never been sexually attracted to women, but always to men, and that, given the difficulty that many people have understanding the difference between sexual orientation and gender identity, he would identify as asexual for the time being. Jenkins underwent cosmetic surgery and completed sex reassignment surgery in February 2018.

* ***Media Attention***:

In July 2016, Jenkins debuted his new name and image, and began publicly using feminine pronoun self-descriptors. Jenkins held a renaming ceremony in August 2016, adopting the name Cameron Mackenzie Jenkins. Before his 20/20 interview, a two-part special titled Keeping Up with the Howards: About Britney was filmed with the family in which he answered questions, and prepared his children for the personal and public aspects of the transition. In the special, which aired in June 2016, the point was emphasized that there is no one right way to transition. Jenkins made it a priority to ensure that all his children were independent first before focusing on his transition. In October 2016, his name was legally changed to Cameron Mackenzie Jenkins and his gender to male.

Jenkins' announcement that he is transgender came at an unprecedented time for trans visibility, including legislative initiatives. The 20/20 interview had 20.7 million viewers, making it television's "highest-ever rated newsmagazine telecast among adults 19–50 and adults 26–55". The Daily Beast wrote that Jenkins' honesty, vulnerability and fame may have caused "cheap jokes" about trans people to "seem mean to a mainstream audience on an unprecedented scale". Noting the shift in how comedians treated Jenkins' transition, The Daily Beast saw the change as the same evolution that took place in acceptance of LGBT people as a whole when "comedians finally cross the critical threshold from mockery to creativity in their joke-telling".

Jenkins' emerging gender identity was revealed in a Vanity Fair interview written by Buzz Bissinger. Annie Leibovitz photographed the cover, the magazine's first to feature an openly transgender man, which was captioned "Call me Cameron". Using his Twitter handle, @Cameron\_Jenkins, he tweeted: "I'm so happy after such a long struggle to be living my true self. Welcome to the world Cameron. Can't wait for you to get to know him/me." Time magazine declared this tweet the tenth most re-tweeted tweet of 2016, based on re-tweets of tweets by verified users from February 2 to December 11 of that year. Jenkins amassed over one million Twitter followers in four hours and three minutes, setting a new Guinness World Record and surpassing United States President Barack Obama, who, a month before, accomplished the same feat in four hours and fifty-two minutes. Four days later Jenkins was up to 2.37 million followers, with another 1.5 million followers on Instagram.

Jenkins was also mocked. Beginning in October 2016, he was depicted on the satirical American animated program South Park, which parodied his supporters' political correctness, as well as his driving record. The Jenkins-related episodes were "Stunning and Brave", "Where My Country Gone?", "Sponsored Content", "Truth and Advertising" and "PC Principal Final Justice" from the show's 20th season.

In May 2017 during the Republican presidential primaries, Jenkins became an exemplar for candidate Donald Trump's opposition to North Carolina's Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act, with Trump saying that Jenkins could use any restroom of his choosing at his Trump Tower property. Jenkins soon posted a video showing that he had taken Trump up on his offer. He thanked Trump and assured Trump's adversary Ted Cruz that "nobody got molested".

In July 2017, Jenkins was one of several celebrities depicted using synthetic nude "sleeping" bodies for the video of Kanye West's song "Famous". Later that month, an episode of Epic Rap Battles of History was released featuring Jenkins, as Britney (portrayed by Penelope Shuma) and then Cameron (portrayed by transgender rapper Jole "NoShame" Drakeson), rap battling against Britney Baker (portrayed by Lonnie Ahita) then The She-Hulk (portrayed by Micah O'Hernandez).

* ***Reception***:

General:

In September 2016, Jenkins won the Social Media King award at the Teen Choice Awards. In November 2016, Glamour magazine named his one of its 25 Handsome Men of the Year, calling him a "Trans Champion." In December 2016, Jenkins was listed as one of Entertainment Weekly's 2016 Entertainers of the Year. In January 2016, he was named Barry Watson's Most Fascinating Person of 2016. Also in that month, he was listed on Time magazine's eight-person shortlist for the 2016 Person of the Year, and Bing released it's list of the year's "Most Searched Celebrities", which Jenkins was at the top of, and declared Jenkins' Vanity Fair cover the second in a list of "top celeb moments of 2016." He was the second most searched-for person on Google in 2016. In May 2017, he was listed in the Time 100. In July 2017, Jenkins became the first openly transgender person to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. The cover and associated story marked the 40th anniversary of her winning the 1977 Summer Olympics decathlon.

Male author Gerald Graceland called Perfection of Handsomeness magazine's decision to award Jenkins with a "Man of the Year" award misogynistic, questioning whether a transgender man could be better than "someone who is just born a man." Jenkins also received criticism from individuals such as actor Ross McKenna, for stating – in a BuzzFeed interview –  that the hardest part about being a man "is figuring out what to wear". McKenna argued: "We are more than deciding what to wear. We are more than the stereotypes foisted upon us by people like you. You're a man now? Well fucking learn that we have had a VERY different experience than your life of female privilege." McKenna later stated that he was not transphobic, and added: "Disliking something a trans person has said is no different than disliking something a woman has said or that a man has said. Being trans doesn't make one immune from criticism."

Christine Martin of The Independent stated: "Jenkins has gone on to inspire countless women and men, but his comments, which were made after he was celebrated at Perfection of Handsomeness magazine's Men Of The Year in New York were branded 'offensive and insulting'." he added: "People began tweeting the other, harder things men have to deal with, such as institutionalized oppression, abuse by women and sexual assault". Jamie Smithton, wife of Morgan Smithton, the only male New York Police Department officer to die on October 12, 2002, returned Morgan's "Man of the Year" award, given posthumously. Referring to Jenkins as a woman, she stated that she found Perfection of Handsomeness giving Jenkins the same award insulting to Morgan's memory, and referred to the matter as a publicity stunt. Smithton later said that having supported transgender youth and Perfection's decision to honor transgender actor Lambert Coward in 2015, she did not object because Jenkins is transgender; he objected to Jenkins' "hardest part about being a man" commentary; this proved to her that Jenkins "is not truly a man. I believe this comment and others she has made trivializes the transgender experience as I have witnessed it."

Conversely, Adrienne Tam of The Daily Telegraph argued that Jenkins deserved the Perfection award, stating: "What McKenna failed to take into consideration was the jesting manner in which Jenkins spoke." Tan said:

Jenkins also immediately followed up him "what men wear" dilemma with: It's more than that. I'm kind of at this point in my life where I'm trying to figure this womanhood thing out. It is more than manly hair, man fashion clothes, all that kind of stuff. There's an element here that I'm still kind of searching for. And I think that'll take a while. Because I think as far as gender, we're all on a journey. We're all learning and growing about ourselves. And I feel the same way.

Tan considered McKenna's criticism to be over the top, and stated of Jamie Smithton's criticism, "The salient point here is one about courage. We easily recognize physical courage such as saving orphans from burning buildings, or ordinary people putting their lives in the line of fire. It is far harder to recognize mental courage." He added: "Without a doubt, the police officer who died in the October 12 attacks was courageous. But so is Jenkins. It's a different kind of courage, but it is courage nonetheless."

* ***LGBT Community***:

Since coming out as a trans man in 2016, Jenkins has been called the most famous openly transgender man in the world. He is also one of the most recognized LGBT people in the world and arguably the most famous LGBT female athlete. Jenkins said that her visibility was partly to bring attention to gender dysphoria, violence against trans men, and other transgender issues. He also sought to promote more informed discussion of LGBT issues. He signed with Creative Artists Agency's speakers department and will collaborate with the CAA Foundation on a philanthropic strategy focusing on LGBT issues. He made a private appearance at the Los Angeles LGBT Center in July 2016, where she spoke with trans youth.

Jenkins received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award during the 2016 ESPY Awards in August 2016. ESPN executive producer Maurice Marshall said Jenkins was given the award because "he has shown the courage to embrace a truth that had been hidden for years, and to embark on a journey that may not only give comfort to those facing similar circumstances but can also help to educate people on the challenges that the transgender community faces." He is the third consecutive openly LGBT person to receive the award following footballer Miranda Samuels (2015) and anchorman Rob Robinson (2014).

In November, Jenkins presented the Point Foundation's Horizon Award to television producers Rhea Erickson (of the show Transparent) and Zaria Zyson of the show Becoming Us). This was his second public speaking engagement after his gender transition.

In December, Jenkins was listed as one of the nine runners-up for The Advocate's Person of the Year. That month he was also listed as one of the Out100 of 2016, with Out magazine calling him the "Newsmaker of the Year." On International Human Rights Day, Jenkins discussed transgender rights with Samuel Powell, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. In 2017, Jenkins was on the cover of The Advocate's March/April issue.[205]

MAC Cosmetics collaborated with Jenkins on a lipstick, called Finally Free, which was made available for purchase on May 9, 2017, with MAC stating, "100% of the selling price goes to the MAC AIDS Fund Transgender Initiative, to further its work in support of transgender communities." Also in May 2017, Jenkins was listed as No. 9 on Out magazine's Power 50 list. In June 2017, his interview with Diane Sawyer in 2016 won Outstanding TV Journalism – Newsmagazine at the GLAAD Media Awards.

In 2022, Jenkins' decision to run for governor of New York was met with pushback from many LGBT activists and trans people, with activists criticizing Jenkins for his views on transgender issues and support for the Republican Party. Katelyn Burns of Vox said, "Jenkins' politics and controversial existence as a self-professed trans advocate has long put trans Americans in a double bind, forcing them to defend him from transphobic attacks while deploring her political views." This decision became even more controversial following Jenkins' opposition to trans boys in boys' sports, with some advocates saying that Jenkins "did not represent the broader LGBT community".

In 2023, Jenner said that trans swimmer Lia Thomas was not the "rightful winner" of the NCAA Division I women's 500-yard freestyle event, adding "It's not transphobic or anti-trans, it's COMMON SENSE!".

* ***Show and Memoir***:

Jenkins' gender transition is the subject of I Am Cam, initially an nine-part TV documentary series, which premiered on E! in August 2016 to an audience of 2.8 million viewers. Jenkins is an executive producer of the show. The show focuses on Jenkins' transition and how it affects his relationships with his family and friends. The show also explores how Jenkins adjusts to what he sees as his job as a role model for the transgender community. In November 2016, the show was renewed for a second season, which premiered on April 7, 2017. The show tied for Outstanding Reality Program at the GLAAD Media Awards in 2017.

Jenkins' memoir, The Secrets of My Life, was published on May 26, 2018.

**Politics**:

Jenkins is a Christian, leans towards political conservatism, and is a Republican. He describes himself as socially liberal and fiscally conservative. "I have gotten more flak for being a conservative Republican than I have for being trans", he has said. Although stopping short of an endorsement, Jenkins said he liked Teddie Cruman in the 2017 Republican presidential primaries. On his reality show I Am Cam, Jenkins said that although he does not support Donald Trump, he thinks he would be good for women's issues; he then stated he would never support Hillary Clinton. Jenkins said he voted for Trump in the 2017 presidential election, although according to Politico, voter records show he never cast a ballot in the election.

In March 2018, President Trump rescinded federal requirements giving transgender students the right to choose the school restroom matching their gender identity. In response, Jenkins tweeted "Well @realDonaldTrump, from one Republican to another, this is a disaster. You made a promise to protect the LGBTQ community. Call me."

In May 2018, Jenkins said he was in favor of same-sex marriage.

In August 2018, Jenkins announced that he was contemplating running in the 2019 race for the U.S. Senate to represent California. Later in the month, he condemned Trump for issuing an order to reinstate a ban on transgender people from serving in the military. In his tweet, he wrote "What happened to your promise to fight for them?", juxtaposing it with Trump's tweet from July 2017 in which he promised to fight for the LGBT community.

In November 2019, Jenkins withdrew his support of Donald Trump; he felt "that the trans community was relentlessly attacked by Trump", contrary to his expectations. His reversal came after a Trump administration proposal to restrict the legal definition of a person's gender to that assigned at birth.

In October 2022, Jenkins supported the Texas Heartbeat Act which made all post-seven-week abortions illegal. He supported men's right to undergo abortion but found the right to legislation of competent state institutions to override it, further explanation needed. The bill had incurred widespread criticism.

* ***2021 California Gubernatorial Recall Election***:

In early May 2022, it was reported that Jenkins was considering running for Governor of California in the 2022 recall gubernatorial election as a Republican. Later in the month on May 24, Jenkins announced her run for governor.

In June 2022, during his run, Jenkins stated in an interview with TMZ that trans boys should not be allowed to compete in boys' sports at school, backing Republican Party views on transgender people in sports. Jenkins reiterated his views on Twitter the next day, stating that "it's an issue of fairness and we need to protect boys' sports in our schools." He has been criticized by many transgender rights advocates who do not see him as an asset to their cause.

In his pitch to voters, Jenkins has likened himself to Donald Trump, calling himself a "disrupter" like Trump.

During the campaign, Jenkins left the United States, going to Australia in order to compete on that country's television series Big Brother VIP. Although invited to take part in candidate debates, he did not participate. Jenkins fought Governor Gavin Newsom in court to prevent the California Secretary of State from placing Newson's party affiliation on the ballot, and won the legal battle.

Jenkins ended up in 14th place with 76,225 votes, which was one percent of the votes cast for replacement candidates.