‘Suddenly Amish’ star Billie Jo talks about hip hop, heat and dressing with intention

Billie Jo Heffron wants you to know two things. First, she loves hip hop. Second, she would drop everything to be Amish.

Heffron’s love of hip hop goes back to when she was a teenager. Her first concert was Biggie Smalls at Cornell University in 1994. Her desire to convert to the Amish religion stretches back almost almost as far. By the time Heffron turned 30, her interest in the pastoral lifestyle was already so deep that she received a horse-and-buggy ride for her birthday.

Now 46 years old, Heffron recently starred in the TLC reality show “Suddenly Amish.” The series follows six “English” — what non-Amish are called by the Amish — cast members as they trade the grind of modern life for preindustrial living. “Suddenly Amish” began streaming in January. In the series finale, participants decide whether to return to the modern world or pursue further exploration of the Amish lifestyle.

Heffron saw a casting call for the show on social media. The producers were looking for people between the ages 20 and 35. Although she was over the age limit, Heffron sent a message anyway.

“I don’t think you’re going to find anyone that wants to be more Amish than me,” she wrote.

She included photos of herself wearing her Amish-style clothing, which were made for her by Amish friends. She sent photos of the room she decorated with a quilt, a wagon wheel, and her own folksy paintings depicting rural Amish life.

After over a year of video interviews — as well as a psychological evaluation — Heffron spent last summer in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, shooting the first season of “Suddenly Amish.”

When she arrived in Lancaster, Heffron was the only cast member wearing Amish-style clothes.

A growing population

Adhering to many of the basic tenets of Christianity, the Amish religion emerged from the European Anabaptist movement during the Protestant Reformation in the 1690s. Over the next two centuries, the Amish relocated to North America to escape religious persecution.

Despite their rejection of industrialization, the Amish have thrived in the United States and Canada. According to 2025 estimates, the Amish population has more than doubled over the past 20 years. In North America, there are approximately 410,955 Amish adults and children within all “horse-and-buggy” communities. The largest Amish communities are in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana.

Within their communities, the Amish speak the Pennsylvania Dutch dialect of German. Formal education for children ends after eighth grade.

While the use of technology varies among Amish communities, most eschew electricity, automobiles, and computers. Many Amish won’t allow themselves to be photographed or filmed, however preferences can differ among sects.

Since the Amish do not evangelize, it is rare that outsiders join the religion.

“Wanting to convert is not very common, but it’s certainly a thing,” Heffron said.

‘It’s a lifetstyle’

A native of Newfield, Heffron moved to Tioga County when her parents divorced. She grew up with “all the toys I needed” but often felt like she didn’t fit in.

After graduating from Owego Free Academy, Heffron worked as a dental assistant and in restaurants in Ithaca and the Southern Tier. Currently, Heffron works in food service at Cornell. She’s also a union representative for United Auto Workers Local 2300., a union of about 1,200 workers at Cornell.

Heffron said she first became curious about the Amish after she and her mom began visiting The Windmill Market in Penn Yan. They often bought produce and flowers and became friendly with an Amish mother and daughter. Soon, Heffron began reading books about the Amish.

“I thought it was interesting that they spoke Pennsylvania Dutch and German and English, all before eighth grade,” Heffron said.

Heffron’s interest in Amish culture continued to grow over the past 15 years. After moving to Berkshire, she forged friendships with many of her Amish neighbors, sometimes driving them to grocery stores and doctor appointments. When one of the young men she knew was starting his own business, Heffron offered to post his handwritten business card in local gas stations.

Heffron even signed up for an online Amish dating site, though she said she became “too nervous to ever do anything with it.”

She began emulating their dress: first, she wore a bonnet, followed by a long dress. The dress was handmade by her Amish friends, who asked why she wanted it.

“I realized it’s more than just the dress, it’s a lifestyle,” she said. “Now I only wear it with intention.”

While some friends questioned her clothing, Heffron questioned what she would have to give up if she converted. She’s on her phone and computer “all the time.”

Yet when she visited with her Amish friends, she asked if they ever longed for a more modern life. Every one of them answered “no.”

“They had no interest in living the life that I had been raised to live.”

‘None of that matters’

Almost a year later, Heffron recalls her first moments in Lancaster County. Despite her exposure to her Amish neighbors, she said she had a feeling of: “This is really happening, we’re not in Kansas anymore.”

She was happy to get rid of her phone and social media.

“When you’re on a farm, none of that matters,” she said. “And that is, I think, a huge part of the peace.”

After meeting her castmates, the group sat around the kitchen table talking for most of the night. Sarah and Allen, their Amish mentors, began to reveal more about their beliefs and lifestyle. During the long conversation, Heffron said she realized that “there’s so much love here.”

They worked in intense heat at times. Even on days when the temperatures soared to over 100 degrees , the cast continued with their farm chores. There was a bathroom with running water, but there was no air conditioning or even a fan. A few weeks into filming, after a particularly brutal stretch of hot weather, Heffron began throwing up. She was taken to the hospital, where she was treated for severe dehydration.

Despite the hardship, Heffron said she flourished during her time in Lancaster. She formed deep friendships and stated that she remains close with all the cast members. She calls Sarah and Allen “my besties and my saviours.”

A community to call home

Since returning to Ithaca, Heffron’s desire to become Amish has grown. She now has conviction in who she is and said she is more sure of herself.

“I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my life. I’m the healthiest I’ve been in years. Mentally, spiritually,” said Heffron.

While Heffron continues to work at Cornell, she and castmate Judah are searching for an Amish community to call home. She’s also in talks with TLC to possibly appear in another season of “Suddenly Amish.” She said she would drop everything to live in an Amish community.

“There’s nobody else that I have met that loves hip hop music, but also kind of wants to live Amish, you know?”