As details continue to emerge about the tragic collision in Washington, D.C., between a U.S. Army helicopter and an American Airlines passenger jet on January 29, 2025, HGTV star Jenny Marrs is offering prayers for those who lost loved ones while choosing to avoid watching the news coverage.
Marrs is among the estimated 25 million Americans who suffer from aerophobia, a severe fear of flying, as defined by the Cleveland Clinic. Given her long-standing struggles with flight anxiety, the Fixer to Fabulous star took to her Instagram Stories on January 30 to share how she was coping with the devastating news—reported as the deadliest crash on U.S. soil in two decades, according to CNBC.
Jenny Marrs Thanks Fear of Flying Coach for His ‘Wisdom’ After DC Crash
In her Instagram Stories on the morning of January 30, Jenny Marrs shared a heartfelt message in white text on a black background:
“I have been and will continue to pray for the families of those who lost their lives on the flight and in the helicopter last night.”
She went on to explain why she was avoiding the news coverage, writing, “I am trying to avoid the news right now because my personal fear is spiraling, and there are so many crazy theories swirling. I am simply praying. As the families are notified, I am praying the God of Comfort holds them near.”
In her next Story, Marrs posted a video from Paul Tizzard, a “fear of flying coach” and co-founder of Lovefly, an organization dedicated to helping people overcome flight anxiety.
In the video, Tizzard urged Lovefly’s online community to avoid consuming media coverage about the incident, saying, “Please stop watching anything to do with this incident because anything that’s reported right now is speculation.”
He continued, “We know what’s happened, and in time, this will be properly investigated. Which brings me to the second tip—there is already a process in place. Once the findings are known, they will be published, and we will all learn from the incident, as we always do in commercial aviation.”
Jenny Marrs responded to Tizzard’s post with gratitude, writing, “Thank you, Paul. This tragic accident is beyond comprehension. Thank you for your calm and steady encouragement and wisdom as we navigate our fears of flying and reconcile them with watching this horrific accident take place.”
Jenny Marrs Says Her Flight Anxiety Developed After Multiple ‘Scary’ Incidents
Jenny Marrs has been open about her fear of flying, a challenge she frequently faces due to her work with HGTV, which requires extensive travel. In a June 2023 Instagram post, she shared that while she once flew regularly in her 20s without fear, her anxiety gradually worsened after experiencing a few frightening incidents and recurring nightmares about flying.
She recalled an “emergency landing in 2006” and a particularly harrowing trip to the Congo with her husband, Dave Marrs, to visit their daughter Sylvie—now 12—before they adopted her.
“I had my first full-blown panic attack over the sea as we flew to Congo for the first time to visit Sylvie,” she wrote in 2023. “When we landed, it was nighttime. We were greeted by machine guns, and our luggage was ransacked by armed guards. They took the supplies we had brought for the orphanage. From that point on, I was afraid of landing at night in a new place.”
Her fear of flying was further tested in April 2024 when she had to make repeated trips to Italy with her family while filming Fixer to Fabulous: Italiano. She shared how she relied on her faith to cope with the anxiety of air travel.
“I learned that when I’m flying through the air, trapped in a metal tube, with zero control over my circumstances, I depend wholly and completely on Jesus,” she wrote on Instagram. “I cling to Him in those moments. I cry out to Him in desperation, and He meets me with peace and assurance and reminders of His past faithfulness.”
To help manage her anxiety, Marrs keeps a set of handwritten index cards filled with encouraging Bible verses—gifts from friends—inside her travel bag. She shared in a January 25 Instagram post, “Y’all know I am not a fan of flying, and I keep these in my travel bag so that when my breathing is shallow and fear threatens to overwhelm, these words of Truth usher in peace.”