In 1996, audiences of The Jerry Springer Show met 17-month-old Zach Strenkert — a 3-foot-tall toddler who weighed an astonishing 70 pounds. His parents, Laurie and Chris, appeared on the show desperate for answers about their son’s rapid and unexplained growth.
Zach’s condition was baffling. He was growing an inch and gaining about two and a half pounds every two weeks. “He’s not a big eater,” Laurie told host Jerry Springer during the interview. “That’s one of the most frequently asked questions. And that’s why we’re so concerned. Where is the growing coming from?”
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| The Jerry Springer Show |
Thanks to Springer’s help in connecting the family with a geneticist, doctors finally discovered that Zach had Simpson-Golabi-Behmel syndrome (SGBS) — a rare overgrowth disorder. According to Rare Diseases, people with SGBS are typically “larger than average at birth (macrosomia) and continue to grow and gain weight at an unusual rate.” The condition primarily affects males.
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| The Jerry Springer Show |
Growing up in Port Jervis, New York, Zach became known for his television appearances on shows like Oprah, Maury, and Inside Edition. While his mother’s goal had always been to seek medical help and raise awareness, Zach later reflected that the media exposure made him feel isolated.
“They presented me as different, which only separated me further from everyone else,” Zach, now 29, told The Mirror. “People think my mom was chasing fame or money, but that wasn’t the case. We just wanted access to genetic specialists, which our insurance couldn’t easily cover.”
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| Zach Strenkert today/ @GiantOpana/X |
Zach emphasized that their media appearances were never about profit. “We didn’t really get any take-home pay. It was strictly to make sure her kid was okay,” he said.
After the release of Netflix’s documentary Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action — which revealed the show’s exploitative tactics — Zach shared his thoughts. “It’s just a spin on what’s already out there,” he admitted. “It didn’t show anything new — just the same story dressed up with bells and whistles.”
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| zlsguy / Instagram |
Today, Zach is focused on improving his health and well-being. Once weighing 485 pounds, he has brought his weight down to around 280 pounds and says he feels better than ever.
He hopes that sharing his journey will inspire others to take charge of their own health.
“If I can do it, anybody can do it,” he told Today. “You just have to go at your own pace. You’ll get there as long as you stay on the road and keep taking those steps.”
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