Just a few minutes after Diane Sawyer revealed that Bruce Jenner would participate in a series on E!, the NBCU network blasted out a press release on the documentary. Jenner, who has been a part of E!’s Keeping up with the Kardashian’s for 8 seasons, revealed to Sawyer that he intends to live his life as a woman. “I’ve always been confused about my gender identity,” he said.
Later in the ABC special, at 10:39pm, Sawyer said Jenner, “knows how fortunate he is to have money from that reality show and his new documentary series on E! which airs this summer. It also means he has money for good medical care during his transition.” Three minutes later, at 10:42pm, we received this email from E!
E! ANNOUNCES NEW DOCUMENTARY SERIES FOLLOWING BRUCE JENNER’S LIFE AS A TRANSGENDER WOMAN
AdvertisementGround-Breaking, Authentic, Eight-Part One-Hour Documentary Series Premieres Sunday, July 26 at 9:00pmET/PT on E!
*** Please note, at this time, Bruce Jenner is choosing to not live publicly in the media as a woman and will be referred to as Bruce Jenner and with male pronouns in this announcement.
LOS ANGELES, CA – April 24, 2015 – E! announces a new documentary series with Bruce Jenner living his life as a transgender woman. The series will tell Bruce’s intimate story and will join him as he seeks out his “new normal.” Living for the first time as the person he feels he was born to be, the docuseries will also explore what Bruce’s transition means for the people in his life and how those relationships are affected, while offering a better understanding of many of life’s challenges. The eight-part, one-hour series will premiere Sunday, July 26 at 9:00pm on E! and will also air on the E! channels internationally. A series title will be announced at a later date.
“Bruce is incredibly courageous and an inspiration, and we are proud to be entrusted with this deeply personal and important story,” said Jeff Olde, Executive Vice President, Programming and Development, E! “This series will present an unfiltered look as Bruce boldly steps into uncharted territory and is true to himself for the first time.”
Best known for being an Olympic Gold Medal winner, a dynamic motivational speaker and a loving parent, Bruce Jenner has lived in the public eye for most of his life. Now viewers will continue to follow his journey as he enters this new chapter.
Consulting on the production of the series is Jennifer Finney Boylan, the Anna Quindlen Writer in Residence and Professor of English at Barnard College of Columbia University; National Co-chair, Board of Directors, GLAAD; contributing Opinion Writer for the New York Times and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Kinsey Institute for Research on Sex, Gender, & Reproduction. Dr. Marie Keller, Ph.D, Founder and Director of the Los Angeles Gender Center and a member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT), and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) also serves as a consultant on the series. Susan P. Landon, MA, LMFT, Director of Child and Adolescent Services at the Los Angeles Gender Center, serves as a consultant on the docuseries as well. Landon is also a member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT) and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH).
The documentary series is produced by Bunim/Murray Productions, a company that has documented LGBT stories for more than 20 years. Bruce Jenner serves as Executive Producer, and Gil Goldschein, Jeff Jenkins, Farnaz Farjam and Andrea Metz serve as Executive Producers for Bunim/Murray Productions.