Atlanta's Jay Williams (34 children with 17 women) gets own OWN reality show
By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Thursday, March 26, 2015
When life coach extraordinaire Iyanla VanZant last year profiled an Atlanta music producer named Jay Williams, she kept harping on one fact that nobody this side of a Guinness Book of World Records record keeper could believe: the man has had 34 children from 17 different women.
Not surprisingly, on "Iyanla: Fix My Life," Williams came across as simultaneously proud and dismayed by his situation. Clearly, he is incredibly manipulative and irresponsible when it comes to dealing with women. And of course, he must have oodles of charm - and a serious shortage of (or deep aversion towards) condoms.
Can you imagine the child support obligations? Can he even keep track of the names of all those children?
We saw a small sampling of the women and kids on "Iyanla: Fix My Life," with a range of personalities and emotions.
Like the Duggars and Kate Gosselin, people with lots of kids need a way to make money. A reality show can certainly help pay the bills.
And given the buzz Williams received, OWN has decided to give him his spin-off reality show with VanZant continuing to try to work with him.
The official OWN description:
On the heels of the highly-rated and controversial "Iyanla: Fix My Life" multi-part "mega fix" featuring Atlanta resident Jay Williams who says he fathered 34 children with 17 different women, OWN follows Jay as he works to put his life and relationships in order. With spiritual life coach Iyanla Vanzant holding him accountable every step of the way, OWN's cameras follow Jay as he works to heal and establish new connections with his family, his children and the mothers of his children. He says that he wants to change and to be the best father he can be, but his extreme situation will challenge his best intentions and whether or not he can live up to all the responsibility. The series is co-produced by OWN and Evolution Media.
About the Author
Rodney Ho writes about entertainment for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution including TV, radio, film, comedy and all things in between. A native New Yorker, he has covered education at The Virginian-Pilot, small business for The Wall Street Journal and a host of beats at the AJC over 20-plus years. He loves tennis, pop culture & seeing live events.
