OWN Orders Additional Episodes of ILYANLA, RAISING WHITLEY & LIFE WITH LA TOYA

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network announced today that it has ordered additional episodes of its popular Saturday night original series "Iyanla: Fix My Life," "Raising Whitley" and "Life with LaToya."

"Iyanla: Fix My Life," currently in its second season, will return to the network's Saturday night lineup with six all-new episodes beginning Saturday, July 20 at 9 p.m. The network has ordered 10 additional episodes of "Raising Whitley" (Saturdays at 9 p.m.) and 12 new episodes of "Life with La Toya" (Saturdays at 9:30 p.m.). The new episodes will air in early 2014.

"We have seen tremendous ratings growth this year and much of that success is attributed to the performance of our Saturday night series," said Erik Logan, president, OWN. "Our audience has truly embraced these shows and the stories told every week."

"These series have been instrumental in our efforts to build a lineup of programs that appeal to viewers across multiple genres," said Sheri Salata, president, OWN. "The new episodes will continue to deliver insight, laughter, inspiration and entertainment for our expanding audience."

For the month of May, "Iyanla: Fix My Life," "Raising Whitley" and "Life with La Toya" were Saturday night's top three original series (non-sports) in all of television among African American women, propelling OWN to rank as the #1 ad-supported cable network (non-sports) on Saturday night for African American women 25-54.

"Iyanla: Fix My Life" (New Episodes Begin Saturday, July 20 at 9 p.m. ET/PT)
"Iyanla: Fix My Life" returns to OWN this summer with six all-new episodes. In the popular self-help series, bestselling author, life coach, minister and television host Iyanla Vanzant goes behind closed doors and deep inside the most private parts of people's lives to uncover what is making them sad, angry, depressed or feeling unfulfilled. Through emotional heart-to-heart conversations and often a dose of tough-love, Iyanla helps individuals confront what is not working in their lives and take the necessary steps to fix what is broken. In the first new episode, Iyanla travels to Atlanta, Georgia to help mend the volatile relationship between R&B recording artist and reality TV star Syleena Johnson and her mother. In later episodes, Iyanla assists a family torn apart by infidelity; comes to the rescue of a couple on the verge of divorce after losing their home and business; and delves into the real story behind a mother behaving badly. The series is produced by Harpo Studios and executive produced by Jill Van Lokeren and Jon Sinclair.

"Raising Whitley" (Saturdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT; finale airs June 15)
"Raising Whitley" is a humorous and poignant docu-series following actress and comedienne Kym Whitley and her riotous collective of friends - whom she calls "The Village" - as they attempt to do something none of them has ever done before: raise a baby...together. When Kym signed up to mentor a troubled young girl, she never imagined she'd get a call from the hospital saying, "Your baby is ready." After learning that her mentee exited the maternity ward leaving only Kym's contact information, Kym experienced a cataclysmic moment. With less than an hour to make a life-changing decision - and to do a lifetime of soul-searching - Kym chose to become a mother. The Village banded together to help Kym bring up baby Joshua the best they know how, but sometimes it's hard to tell who is more mature - Joshua or the adults tasked with raising him. "Raising Whitley" is produced by Pilgrim Studios and executive produced by Craig Piligian, Melodie Calvert and Kym Whitley.

"Life With La Toya" (Saturdays at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT; finale airs June 22)
"Life With La Toya" takes viewers inside the outrageous world of La Toya Jackson-the wild card of one of showbiz's most famous families-as she tackles love, career and maybe even parenthood, all on her own unpredictable terms. The reality series gets up close and personal as La Toya hunts for a new house, builds new business ventures, contemplates starting a family and perhaps the biggest of all --- jumps into the dating pool for the first time, ever. On board for her new adventures are La Toya's devoted business partner Jeffré, her legendary mom and dad, a pair of meddlesome matchmakers, a magician, a lovelorn lifeguard and La Toya's lifelong best gal-pal Kathy Hilton (yes, Paris's mom). La Toya also opens up about her tumultuous past darkened by an abusive ex-husband, the death of her brother and family feuds. "Life With La Toya" is produced by World of Wonder Productions and executive produced by Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato, Tom Campbell and Jeremy Simmons with Ja-Tail Television and executive producers La Toya Jackson and Jeffré Phillips.

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