Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta personality D. Smith says he is detransitioning after 12 years of living publicly as a woman.
The Grammy-nominated producer, 51, announced the news in an Instagram post Thursday, insisting that he has no regrets.
“For most of my life, I’ve followed my heart, even when the path wasn’t easy to understand,” Smith wrote. “For the past twelve years, I lived publicly as a transgender woman. Those years were not a mistake. They were real.”
He added that the experience brought “extraordinary people, profound experiences, and lessons” he will carry with him for the rest of his life.
Alongside the announcement, Smith posted a new image of himself wearing shorts, a loose-fitting tank top and a durag.
The multi-platinum producer also explained that his decision to live as a man began to take shape in recent months.
Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta star D. Smith says he is detransitioning after 12 years of living as a woman
The 51-year-old singer-songwriter and producer shared the announcement in an Instagram post on Thursday
“Over the past several months, I’ve started a new chapter in my life,” Smith said. “Moving forward, I’ll be living and presenting as a man and using he/him pronouns.”
He emphasized that the change is not an attempt to erase his history. “Living my life as a woman for 12 years showed me the man I wanted to become,” Smith wrote.
Smith said his love and respect for the transgender community remain intact, adding that everyone should have the right to live with dignity, safety and compassion while having the freedom to become who they are.
The reality star also offered fans a glimpse of his current perspective and expressed gratitude to the people who supported him throughout his journey.
He suggested that he will share more details about his decision in the future.
“Life is constantly pushing me to grow,” Smith wrote. “Even when I feel tired, discouraged or alone, life has given me strength because I chose purpose over fear.” He also thanked everyone who stood by him through every stage of his life.
“There is much more to this journey that cannot fit into this statement,” he continued. “When the time is right, I’ll share that story in full. Until then, thank you for allowing me the space to continue growing.”
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“Those years weren’t a mistake. They were real,” Smith said of the 12 years he spent presenting as a woman
“Over the past several months, I’ve started a new chapter in my life. Moving forward, I’ll be living and presenting as a man and using he/him pronouns,” Smith said
In 2023, Smith’s film Kokomo City won the NEXT Innovator and Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival. The documentary is described as “a raw depiction of the lives of four black trans sex workers as they confront the dichotomy between the black community and themselves”
The two-time Grammy-nominated writer, singer and producer has collaborated with artists including Katy Perry, Lil Wayne and CeeLo Green.
Smith came out as transgender in 2014 and later faced professional backlash. In a 2023 interview with the Guardian, he said records nearing release were withdrawn and friends stopped returning his calls.
“I absolutely felt betrayed, but I was in denial for two years,” Smith said. “I had always done everything by the book and made a lot of money for labels, so I thought there was no reason for people to distance themselves from me.”
‘It took me years to think about the fact that people around me loved D. Smith the guy, they trusted that person – literally one day I was wearing jeans and Timberlands and a trucker hat, and the next day I was wearing blue eyeshadow and heels.
‘I didn’t give people a heads up, and you don’t owe anybody an explanation of who you are, but at the same time, how do you realistically expect people to completely accept you [straight away]? That’s actually not fair.’
Smith went on to be a supporting cast member on VH1’s Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta season 5 in 2016 while Joseline Hernandez and K. Michelle were among the main cast.
Presenting as a woman, Smith was the first openly transgender cast member of an unscripted series.
In 2023, Smith’s film Kokomo City won the NEXT Innovator and Audience Award at Sundance Film Festival.
The documentary is ‘a raw depiction of the lives of four black trans sex workers as they confront the dichotomy between the black community and themselves,’ according to IMDb.