In an “Iyanla: Fix My Life†special television event on OWN, spiritual life coach Iyanla Vanzant once again came face-to-face with Jay, who says he fathered 34 children with 17 different women and whose story was featured over the past several weeks in a much-discussed “Fix My Life†“mega-fix.â€
Following Iyanla’s discussion last week with an all-female studio audience and several of the mothers of Jay’s children,
Jay returned this past Saturday to update Vanzant. Viewers soon learn that his situation is not completely uncommon, as he was joined by five other men who in total (including Jay) claim to have 87 children with 50 different women.In an emotional, tear-filled discussion and impromptu healing session, Vanzant, with guest expert Jeff Johnson, guide the six men and a predominantly male studio audience in a
“deep-dive†discussion about the responsibilities of fatherhood. For many of the men, it was the first time they have been able to share their own feelings and pain in a supportive environment, noted Vanzant. Her intention was not to place blame for failures, but rather to begin a framework for support and healing with the intended goal of making men better fathers and to break an all-to-common cycle of fathers not stepping up to the plate, the network released in a statement.The episode focusing on Jay is among OWN’s most highly watched programs. Neilsen reports that 1.15 million total viewers tuned into the show that aired September 20th, delivering a .99 rating for OWN, making it the highest rated episode since November 2013 and the third most watched episode in the history of the Iyanla Fix My Life
series on OWN. The episode was also most-watched telecast on all of TV for African-American viewers and the #1 ad-supported cable telecast for all African-American women.OWN’s current season average is up double-digits in women 25-54 (+67%) and total viewers (+63%) over last season. An additional installment of the TV special, continuing the men’s discussion, will air next Saturday, October 11 at 9:00 PM ET/PT.