A&E’s ‘Born This Way’ to End With 6-Part Digital Series and Cable Holiday Special
Finale special will air in December
Margeaux Sippell | August 22, 2019 @ 9:26 AM
Last Updated: August 22, 2019 @ 9:39 AM
A&E’s “Born This Way” is coming to an end this December.
The series has been renewed for a six-part short-form digital series, which will air later this year on AEtv.com, followed by a one-hour series finale holiday special to air on A&E in December.
According to A&E, the finale special will “celebrate the spirit of the holiday season as the cast gathers to reflect on their personal growth across the four seasons of the show and discuss ‘Born This Way’s’ impact on the way society views people with disabilities. From finding jobs to navigating relationships and break ups to exerting their own independence, the cast will rejoice in the journey they have been on together and thank fans for all of their support along the way.”
“It’s not often that you get to make television like ‘Born This Way’ which has had such a positive impact on the world. The show unquestionably changed how society views people with Down syndrome and how people with Down syndrome see themselves,” executive producer Jonathan Murray said. “It has shown that no one should have to live with artificial limits placed upon them and all of us, no matter what challenges we face, want the same things – independence, a chance for meaningful employment and a chance to contribute to our families and communities.”
“Being a part of the amazing and inspiring journey of our cast over the past four seasons has been an honor for myself and everyone at A&E,” said Elaine Frontain Bryant, EVP and Head of Programming at A&E Network. “We have all learned so much from their openness, resilience and spirit, and we will be forever grateful to them for welcoming us and viewers into their lives.”
“Born This Way” gives an intimate look at a diverse group of young men and women with Down syndrome. For the past four seasons, it has followed cast members Elena, John, Megan, Rachel, Sean, Steven, Cristina and Angel, as they pursue their dreams, explore friendships, romantic relationships and work. The series also hears from the cast members’ parents, who discuss the joy their children bring to their family and the challenges they face in helping them live independently.
15 Male Stars Who've Been Body Shamed, From Leonardo DiCaprio to Jason Momoa (Photos)
Hollywood is notorious for having unrealistic expectations when it stars' bodies. We're used to hearing stories about body shaming from women -- but here are some men who have also dealt with body-shaming trolls.
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Leonardo DiCaprio
When the teen heartthrob-turned- leading man went on vacation in 2014, he was made fun of online for his lack of a six-pack.
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Wentworth Miller
The "Prison Break" actor spoke out against body shaming in 2016, pointing out that his weight gain was a sign of his depression. "In 2010, at the lowest point in my adult life, I was looking everywhere for relief/comfort/distraction. And I turned to food. It could have been anything. Drugs. Alcohol. Sex. But eating became the one thing I could look forward to," he wrote on Facebook.
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Val Kilmer
In 2014, Kilmer virtually eye-rolled at the double standard in Hollywood. "Can't win in this crazy town. Too heavy for too many years and now gossip says, too thin!" he wrote on Facebook in 2014. The actor was losing weight to play his dream role, Mark Twain. He makes a good point; actors often change their body type for different roles.
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Vin Diesel
Known for his muscular physique, even Diesel has experienced body shaming. In 2015, photos surfaced showing his stomach, and people online went into a frenzy. "I don’t care, really. I’m not trying to be in super shape all of the time. I’m trying to master my craft of making films," the actor said on an episode of "Good Morning America."
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Sam Smith
Howard Stern mocked the Grammy and Oscar winner with one of those insults phrased as a compliment. "Do you know what I love about that guy? He’s an ugly motherf---er. He’s fat. And I love it," Stern said on his radio show in 2015.
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Rob Kardashian
The only man in the Kardashian clan has been dealing with body shaming for years. He was diagnosed with diabetes and is open in discussing his depression. In a recent season of "Keeping Up With the Kardashians," he talked about trying to eat healthier and hit the gym more.
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Jay Cutler
When his wife, Kristin Cavallari, posted a photo on Instagram of the two on vacation in Mexico in 2017, body shamers took to the comments to voice their opinions of the NFL star's body. When the photo was taken, the quarterback had been out for months with an injury.
Instagram/@kristincavallari
Aaron Carter
The singer told his social media followers in 2017 that he had been body-shamed by a female fan, who didn't realize he was within earshot. "She said I look like I have cancer," wrote Carter, who was playing a concert in Syracuse, New York at the time.
"I'm not ashamed of my body, maybe I'm too skinny, maybe I'm too short but the one thing I know is I love my fans my family my girlfriend and my friends," Carter wrote.
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David Harbour
In 2017, the "Stranger Things" star told TheWrap about an audition for the role of "The Blob" in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," in which the director said he was "worried about his health" after he jokingly lifted up his shirt. "I was like, ‘Wait a minute, dude, pause for one second,'” he added. “‘You are telling me I’m too fat to play The Blob? That’s awesome, I have to get the f--- back to New York.’ That’s my audition — so I didn’t get The Blob," he said.
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Sam Claflin
The "Hunger Games" star says that he feels pressure to be thin and fit, just like his female colleagues. "I get really worked up to the point where I spend hours and hours in the gym and not eating for weeks to achieve what I think they’re going for," he said in a 2017 interview with The Sunday Morning Herald.
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Grant Gustin
In an August 2018 Instagram post, "The Flash" star Grant Gustin clapped back at critics who said he looked “too thin.” "I’ve had 20+ years of kids and adults telling me or my parents I was too thin. I’ve had my own journey of accepting it. But there’s a double standard where it’s ok to talk s--- about a dudes body," he wrote. “I’m happy with my body and who I am and other kids who are built like me and thinner than me should be able to feel the same way.”
Ben Affleck
After a 2018 New Yorker piece called “The Great Sadness of Ben Affleck,” that compared him to donut-loving Homer Simpson and described paparazzi photos with his “gut pooching outward," the former big-screen Batman tweeted a witty response. "I'm doing just fine. Thick skin bolstered by garish tattoos," he wrote.
"I've done numerous jobs where you're told to lose weight and get to the gym," the exceedingly fit star of "Game of Thrones" and "Bodyguard" told British Vogue in 2019, recalling people pinching his "fat rolls" and putting him in corset-like costumes. "I find myself with actor friends -- after we've done a kind of barely eating, working-out-twice-a-day, no-carbing thing for these scenes -- looking at each other going: 'We're just feeding this same s--- that we're against.'"
Jason Momoa
In July 2019, a Twitter mob mocked the hunky "Aquaman" star for what they called a "dad bod" in a shirtless poolside photo while he was vacationing in Venice. "Oh, that's all right," he told TMZ of the comments later that month.
Women aren’t the only ones in Hollywood who deal with trolls
Hollywood is notorious for having unrealistic expectations when it stars' bodies. We're used to hearing stories about body shaming from women -- but here are some men who have also dealt with body-shaming trolls.
Various
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