This Is the Most Disturbing ‘My Strange Addiction’ Story Ever

The network channel TLC is home to some of the most nostalgic reality shows. It brought viewers memorable favorites such as Say Yes to the Dress, Cake Boss, and Toddlers and Tiaras, and continues to carry its reign with the ever-popular 90 Day Fiancé. But the channel has also had its fair share of bizarre and unusual shows, some that feel like a fever dream – including the likes of I Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant, Sex Sent Me to the ER, and perhaps most famously My Strange Addiction. My Strange Addiction showcased individuals who had, well, strange addictions. These stories would range from odd collections to disturbing food habits. Chances are if you’ve watched the show, there’s one particular story that sticks out to you more than others. In this case, the one that sticks out to me the most is the lady who was addicted to eating diapers. Yes, you read that right. Diapers.

Strange Is an Understatement on ‘My Strange Addiction’

Image via TLC

Some of the addictions featured on the show are genuinely just strange or a little off-putting, like the woman addicted to sucking her thumb, or the girl addicted to collecting rocks. But as the seasons went on, the addictions become much more uncomfortable, gross, and even dangerous at times. There’s a guy who’s dating his car, a girl who drinks nail polish, and a woman who ate her husband’s ashes after his sudden death – which was a strong contender for most disturbing story on the show. Whether these addictions are real or fabricated for the show’s sake is up for debate, but one thing is for sure, it’s hard to unsee some of these stories. That brings me back to the woman who was addicted to eating diapers, because I have never quite been able to get that one out of my mind. It may not be the most dangerous or life-threatening, like some of the other stories, but it’s shocking, gross, and unfathomable, and that’s enough to remain burned into my brain forever.

The Girl Who’s Addicted to Chewing on Dirty Diapers

In Season 5, viewers are introduced to Keyshia, a 22-year-old from Queens, who is addicted to sniffing and chewing on dirty diapers. “It has to have pee in it. The heavier ones that have more pee smell better,” she says of her addiction. In the episode, she is pregnant with her first child, so she gets her diapers from her friend, Kim, who has twins. Kim says that Keyshia will just show up at any time – uninvited – to take their dirty diapers. She’ll even wake up the babies and change their diapers to get a fresh one, which feels just a step too far, even for someone who admits to gnawing on diapers as an afternoon snack. Her fiancé reveals that she’ll dig through the garbage to collect dirty diapers. Keyshia explains that her addiction started three years prior when a friend asked her to throw away a diaper, and she ended up keeping it for over a week and repeatedly sniffed it throughout the day. Since that first diaper, the show revealed that she had collected over 25,000 dirty diapers, adding that such an amount is a lifetime supply for six babies.

We witness her chewing on these diapers multiple times throughout the episode. Keyshia has diapers all over her home, and always has one on her, even if she’s out in public.

“I love it, it just tastes amazing. I have one when I’m cooking in the kitchen, I have one in my drawers, I have one when I’m sleeping, I keep some in my trunk, I keep some in my pocket book.”

Keyshia’s friends attempt to stage an intervention at her baby shower by buying her cloth diapers to hopefully deter her from sniffing her own baby’s diapers when it’s born, but Keyshia doesn’t react kindly to their concerns. Even when she and her fiancé see a therapist about her addiction, she still doesn’t see any issue with it. She doesn’t so much as cringe when she says that the diapers eventually mold and attract flies. Keyshia’s addiction to chewing and sniffing dirty diapers may not be the most extreme or even the most disgusting (surprising, I know). However, it is still concerning – especially since she was pregnant at the time of the episode, a concern that was brought up by a friend of hers. They asked her how she felt about having her own baby’s supply soon, and she said she felt great about it. Unfortunately, the show explained that her addiction began three years prior, so it wasn’t just a weird pregnancy craving destined to go away upon birth. Here’s hoping Keyshia has sought out help for her addiction, and her own child isn’t scarred (like I am) from seeing their mother eat dirty diapers.

My Strange Addiction is available to stream on TLC in the U.S.