'TIS THE SEASON FOR "A VERY BORN THIS WAY CHRISTMAS" ON A&E

SERIES FINALE SPECIAL OF EMMY(R)-WINNING DOCUSERIES "BORN THIS WAY" PREMIERES DECEMBER 18 AT 9PM ET/PT

AHEAD OF LINEAR SERIES FINALE, THE SIX-PART SHORT FORM DIGITAL SERIES "BORN THIS WAY: MOVING FORWARD" PREMIERES DECEMBER 13 ON AETV.COM

New York, NY - December 3, 2019 - A&E Network's critically-acclaimed, Emmy-winning docuseries "Born This Way" celebrates the Christmas season with a one-hour series finale special, "A Very Born This Way Christmas," premiering Wednesday, December 18 at 9pm ET/PT. The special will celebrate the spirit of the holidays as Elena, John, Megan, Rachel, Sean, Steven, Cristina and Angel and their families gather to spread cheer and reflect on their personal growth across the four seasons of the series. Viewers can watch a preview of the Christmas special at https://youtu.be/HQDG5uoZZFw and catch up on the entire series ahead of the finale at aetv.com.

Ahead of the linear series finale special, aetv.com will premiere six all-new digital shorts, "Born This Way: Moving Forward,"on Friday, December 13. Across the digital episodes, the cast will tackle important topics such as advice for families who have a loved one with Down syndrome, entrepreneurship within the disability community, a sibling's take on having a brother or sister with a disability, and the importance of people with disabilities participating in the democratic process. Episodes will also explore how the series came to be, and its impact on the Down syndrome community. The digital series will also air on A&E's YouTube Channel and on the "Born This Way" Facebook page.

"Born This Way" provides an intimate look at a diverse group of young men and women with Down syndrome as they pursue their passions and lifelong dreams, explore friendships, romantic relationships and work, all while defying society's expectations. The series also gives a voice to the parents, allowing them to talk about the joy their son or daughter brings to their family, and the challenges they face in helping them live as independently as possible.

"Born This Way" won the 2016 Emmy(R) Award for Outstanding Unstructured Reality Series and was recognized as one of six honorees at the 2016 Television Academy Honors. The series also won the 2018 Critics' Choice Award for Best Unstructured Reality Series and has been nominated for an Emmy for all four of its seasons.

A&E continues to partner with celebrated global non-profit organization Best Buddies International (www.bestbuddies.org) in support of promoting opportunities and increasing awareness for people living with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

"Born This Way" is produced by Bunim/Murray Productions ("The Real World"). Executive producers for Bunim/Murray are Jonathan Murray, Gil Goldschein and Laura Korkoian. Kasey Barrett and Millee Taggart-Ratcliffe serve as co-executive producers. Executive producers for A&E Network are Elaine Frontain Bryant and Shelly Tatro. "Born This Way" is distributed internationally by A+E Networks.

About A&E Network

A&E leads the cultural conversation through high-quality, thought provoking original programming with a unique point of view. Whether it's the network's distinctive brand of award-winning disruptive reality, or groundbreaking documentary, A&E always makes entertainment an art. The A&E website is located at aetv.com. Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/aetv and Facebook at facebook.com/AETV.

About Bunim/Murray Productions

Bunim/Murray Productions (BMP) is the leading producer of innovative entertainment content. The Emmy Award-winning company is widely credited with creating the reality television genre with its hit series The Real World, which recently moved to Facebook after 32 seasons on MTV. BMP continued to innovate with the first reality game show, Road Rules (MTV), in 1995; the first reality sitcom, The Simple Life (E!), in 2003; and the first reality soap opera, Starting Over, in 2003. BMP's current programming includes Keeping up with the Kardashians, Total Divas and Total Bellas (E!),The Challenge (MTV), Born This Way (A&E), Kim Kardashian West: The Justice Project (Oxygen), The Real World and Ball in the Family (Facebook Watch), Endless Summer, Stranded with Sam and Colby (Snapchat), Miz and Mrs. (USA Network), Family or Fiance (OWN), Crystal Maze (Nickelodeon) and Emily's Wonder Lab (Netflix). BMP has also produced They Call Us Monsters (PBS), Valentine Road (HBO), Pedro (MTV) and the Emmy Award-winning Autism: The Musical (HBO) for BMP Films. Based in Glendale, CA, the company was founded in 1987 by Jonathan Murray and the late Mary-Ellis Bunim, who were inducted into the Television Academy's Hall of Fame in 2012. The company joined Banijay Group in 2010.