LEA THOMPSON OF "SWITCHED AT BIRTH" AND SHERRI SAUM OF "THE FOSTERS" TO CHAT LIVE VIA TWITTER DURING THE EAST COAST FEEDS OF THEIR SERIES, MONDAY JANUARY 20 ON ABC FAMILY

Live Twitter Chats Start at 8:00PM ET / 5:00PM PT

Burbank, CA (January 17, 2014) - "Switched at Birth" star Lea Thompson (Kathryn Kennish) and "The Fosters" star Sherri Saum (Lena Adams Foster) will participate in live chats via Twitter during the East Coast broadcasts of their ABC Family series on Monday, January 20.

Lea Thompson, who directed the night's episode, will chat live during the East Coast feed of "Switched at Birth," airing on Monday, January 20, 8:00PM - 9:00PM ET/5:00PM - 6:00PM PT. Fans should tweet to Thompson at @LeaKThompson to ask their questions and should include the hashtag #SwitchedAtBirthChat in their tweets. In the episode, Bay is challenged by the demands of her new art teacher and pushed around on the field hockey yard. When her art teacher (guest star Sandra Bernhard, "Roseanne") proves to not be easily impressed, Bay is pushed to re-examine her talents. And adding to her discomfort is her forced commitment to the new Carlton field hockey team. Daphne makes a mistake at the clinic, and Campbell (guest star RJ Mitte, "Breaking Bad") helps her correct it. Kathryn introduces her new friend Renzo (guest star Alec Mapa, "Ugly Betty") to John. Meanwhile, Emmett thinks he may have discovered who has been vandalizing cars at Carlton.

Sherri Saum of "The Fosters" will chat live with fans via Twitter during the East Coast feed of the series airing on Monday, January 20, 9:00PM - 10:00PM ET/6:00PM - 7:00PM PT. Fans are invited to ask Sherri their questions by tweeting to her Twitter handle @SherriSaum1. They should include the hashtag #TheFostersChat in their tweets. In the episode titled "House and Home," Callie meets Rita Henricks (guest star Rosie O'Donnell), a woman who works in the foster care system, and it's clear it will take Callie some time to adjust to Rita's no-nonsense guidance. Brandon comes clean about the reason Callie ran away and, unbeknownst to Stef and Lena, he sets out to track her down. Meanwhile, Mariana volunteers to help with the school play in order to impress a cute boy (guest star Garrett Clayton), but when she gets paired up with an old "friend," it could spell trouble. Jesus' meds are having concerning side effects, and he's desperate to find an alternative to taking the pills. Mike suggests he participate in contact sports to help relieve his aggression, and Jesus tries out for the wrestling team.

Summary:

8:00PM ET/5:00PM PT - Lea Thompson of "Switched at Birth" - @LeaKThompson #SwitchedAtBirthChat

9:00PM ET/6:00PM PT - Sherri Saum of "The Fosters" - @SherriSaum1 #TheFostersChat

"Switched at Birth" is executive-produced by Lizzy Weiss ("Blue Crush"), Paul Stupin ("Make It or Break It") and John Ziffren ("Melissa & Joey," "Make It or Break It"). The series stars Katie Leclerc as Daphne Vasquez; Vanessa Marano ("Gilmore Girls") as Bay Kennish; Constance Marie ("George Lopez") as Regina Vasquez; D.W. Moffett ("Friday Night Lights") as John Kennish; Lea Thompson ("Back to the Future," "Caroline in the City") as Kathryn Kennish; Lucas Grabeel ("High School Musical") as Toby Kennish; Sean Berdy as Emmett Bledsoe; with guest star Marlee Matlin ("The West Wing").

Winner of 2013's Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Breakout Show, "The Fosters" is executive-produced by Jennifer Lopez, ("American Idol," "What to Expect When You're Expecting," "The Back-Up Plan") and created by Bradley Bredeweg and Peter Paige ("Queer As Folk"), who also serve as executive producers and writers, along with Joanna Johnson ("Make it or Break it"). "The Fosters" stars Teri Polo ("Meet the Parents") as Stef Foster, Sherri Saum ("In Treatment") as Lena Adams Foster, Jake T. Austin ("Wizards of Waverly Place") as Jesus Foster, Hayden Byerly ("Parenthood") as Jude Jacob, David Lambert ("Aaron Stone") as Brandon Foster, Maia Mitchell ("Teen Beach Movie") as Callie Jacob, Danny Nucci ("Titanic") as Mike Foster and Cierra Ramirez ("The Secret Life of the American Teenager") as Mariana Foster. Greg Gugliotta, Elaine Goldsmith Thomas, Benny Medina, and John Ziffren also serve as executive producers. The series is produced by Nuyorican Productions, Inc., and Prodco, Inc.

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