‘Jay & Pamela’ Stars Reveal Key Upgrades They Made to Atlanta Apartment Where They Finally Found Their Independence

The stars of TLC’s “Jay & Pamela,” who both have a rare brittle bone disorder that leaves them unable to walk or stand, are rolling out the welcome mat at their modified Atlanta apartment where they’re finally able to live independently.

Shortly after meeting online in 2019, Jay Manuel, 30, and Pamela Chavez-Manuel, 33, initially moved in with Jay's parents, Raphael and Rene, residing with them for nearly five years before they got married and moved out on their own in 2024.

Both Jay and Pamela have Osteogenesis Imperfecta Type 3, a genetic disorder that causes their bones to be extremely fragile, and they have suffered more than 400 fractures between the two of them. So it’s imperative that they reside in a place that meets their special needs and allows them to operate their wheelchairs with ease.

While the Manuels have been determined to find a safe place where they can be as self-sufficient as possible, they reveal to Realtor.com® in the latest installment of Celebrity Sanctuary that apartment-hunting presented yet another extreme challenge to overcome.

“Of course a lot of homes have stairs, so that eliminates a lot of places for us,” explains Manuel. “Structurally, I feel like things are pretty narrow, especially if you're trying to navigate in a chair. I mean, you're scraping up some walls pretty quickly.

“Also, what we noticed, too, is to get inside of a place, most of the time there is a lip if it's not a stair and you still can’t … get in, so that's what a lot of people wouldn’t necessarily think about."

Beyond just being able to access a place, the couple also has to consider whether certain interior features are set up to help them avoid potential day-to-day hurdles at home.

“In regards to maintenance, for us it's very important to have the laundry machines be a front-loader instead of a top one,” shares Chavez-Manuel.

Though accessibility is always top of mind for the TLC personalities, they believe everyone benefits when personal and public spaces are designed to accommodate all.

“We think it's important to make your home accessible just in general because, God willing, you're going to get older and some of these things that you feel like, ‘Oh, I don't need it right now,’ when you're pushing 85, you’re gonna be like, ‘Man, I really wish I would have had that in my home prior,’” says Manuel.

“Accessibility affects everybody," he continues. "We think it's best to think about it before you have to think about it. Structurally, it would be nice if homes already implemented that.

"Society-wise, I don't think a lot of people imagine people like us living on our own, so it may not be the first initial thought to make a home accessible, but we think it's important for everybody to be able to access their home, even if they [don’t] have a disability at first.”

On Season 2 of “Jay & Pamela,” which premiered June 30 and airs new episodes on Tuesdays at 10 p.m., the reality stars finally find an accommodating apartment for themselves and their beloved dog, Cheddar.

In this edition of Celebrity Sanctuary, Manuel and Chavez-Manuel detail all the necessary adjustments they’ve made to the three-bedroom, two-bathroom, 1,645-square-foot “modern luxury” unit where they’re embracing a fresh sense of autonomy together.

Jay Manuel: I think a majority of people around our age want their own independence and freedom. It was very important for us to be able to have that and also be able to access things that we needed to because [before moving], we kind of lived in the middle of nowhere. It wasn't close to anything, and that made transportation cost a lot more than it is now.

Pamela Chavez-Manuel: For us, location was important. Being close to our doctors, the pharmacies that we use, and then also, we utilize a certain bus program, so you have to be in a certain area to utilize it.

Also, it was really important for us to have our laundry area in our unit and [be in] a gated community because now that we are public figures, we have to be more cautious of where we live. And then also to make sure it is ADA as much as possible, which is making sure it was spacious enough for two [wheelchairs].

Manuel: Once we found this unit, what we needed to make the space work was fortunately pretty minimal because it was set up in honestly already great ways. Some of the things that we [adjusted] were a shower bench in our bathroom so each bathroom had a shower bench—we also have a shower head where you can bring it down and so they replaced that as well—lowering some of the bars [where] we hang up towels, adding extra shelving in the closets.

Overall, it was set up really well when we got here, and the changes that we've made thus far have been pretty minimal. We also have those base plates that are on the door so that [a wheelchair] doesn't scratch up the door because our wheels and stuff like that can get on there.

Chavez-Manuel: We utilize in some rooms, like, smart lights that are connected to our Alexa or phone. That helps because turning on and off the lights, we utilize our grabbers, but doing it on our phone is a lot easier.

Manuel: And we changed out the door lock for something that is more automated. It doesn't open the door automatically, it just reduces a lot of the friction.

Chavez-Manuel: The decor for our apartment, I wanted to make sure it is colorful, but not too [much] especially [because] Jay, who is autistic, I wanted to keep that in mind and not utilize certain colors that [are] overstimulating for him. Our living room is pretty neutral. We have yellows and blues, and it's pretty simple, but with a touch of designs here and there. 

When it comes to our individual offices, we got to really be extra. Jay has his own style, and I have my own style. He really loves modern, very clean, and simple. He has certain artwork that shows that he does music in his office. Jay's room is a royal blue type of color.

In my office, I guess it's more classy mixed with fairy-tale. My favorite color is purple, but I didn't want my walls to be just purple, so it’s a light gray undertone purple, like, not super shocking to the eye. 

And then in our bedroom, it's creamy, brown walls. We wanted to keep in mind since it's a place where we sleep, not [to] have super overstimulating colors to make sure we are relaxed. We have unique artwork here and there and [are] also adding pictures of Jay and I or our family throughout the apartment.

Manuel: Sanctuary, to me, is a space where I can unwind, relax, and be at peace. That space for me would be in my office. I love being able to close the door, just [be] doing my work or whatever the case may be. I even have, like, a doorbell on my door so that if you press it I’ll know that you're coming in.

This is definitely my space for sure and I love it. It’s definitely my sanctuary.

I have the essentials that I need. I also do voice acting for PBS Kids, so I have a mic to be able to do that. I have speakers in here. Production-wise, it's my laptop. The good thing is I can keep my space pretty simple.

I record my content near the window, and it just has really good natural light. If I'm doing casting calls, I have a space over in the corner that has a blank, gray color because typically if you're auditioning, you need a space that doesn't have a lot going on. I even have a TV in here that I don't necessarily watch yet. I still have it just in case. 

I've just made it work and it supports me and I love it. There’s some little things that I want to add storage-wise to make things work. Yet overall, I really love my space a lot. It's awesome.

Chavez-Manuel: Sanctuary space for me is also my own office. I am the middle child in my family and I have three siblings, and I grew up in a two-bed, one-bath house, so I've always had to share a room with my siblings, which is really great, but I never really got to have that feeling of individuality in my own space.

Now I am fortunate to have my own little woman cave and get to decorate how I want. I like to light candles, and I have crystals, and it's just very soothing and relaxing. I have little fairy lights that I turn on at night so I keep it very calm and relaxing in my space. 

I do have certain items in my office that mean a lot. I have a painting that is a butterfly that we got as a wedding gift, and we both agreed that it would work best in my office because I love butterflies. The painter is one of our good friends, so he made it. That was very special.

And then I also have—it's very small, but it's really important to me—it’s a little heart crystal and it is from our first producer, David, that originally started in Season 1 of our show. Unfortunately, he passed away before Season 1 was released, so I have that little stone on display to have him in my room and to watch over me.

Then I have some sage and candles and things that are important to me and little trinkets that are from Jay or friends throughout the years that have memories behind them. 

I think we feel pretty settled at this point. I would like to add some more printed photos of friends and family here and there, but I think we're pretty good right now.