Iyanla Vanzant intervenes on 6 black men with 87 children, 50 different mothers

Spiritual life coach Iyanla Vanzant dedicated several broadcasts of Iyanla: Fix My Life last month to tackling the reckless behavior of Jay Williams, the biological father of a 34 children by 17 different women.

In a follow-up to her interview with Williams, Iyanla had a candid in-studio discussion with a group of men about love, infidelity and the responsibilities of being a father.

On the heels of Iyanla’s discussion last week with an all-female studio audience and several of the mothers of Wiliams’ children, Williams’ was joined by five other black men who are irresponsible fathers.

In total, the six men (including Williams), claimed to have fathered 87 children with 50 different women.

“It is no secret that there is an epidemic of children growing up without fathers. Although we have been more than willing to blame men for their role, we are not as vocal about the role women have played in the experience unless we are judging them,” Vanzant said in a essay for Oprah.com.  “The Jay Williams story about one man, 34 children, 17 women and an opportunity for self-reflective healing is taking that conversation to another level.”

Oprah turned to Twitter to share a clip from the Fix My Life broadcast that she described as a soul-searing truth moment.

In the clip, Iyanla discusses what she believes to be an “emotional pathology” amongst the six men with 87 children.

“I think that we cannot underestimate and fail to recognize the impact that our history and this experience has had on the formulation of our DNA and our emotional pathology,” she tells the men. “You’re not a stud in the field making babies for the master of the South. You’re not. You are not, but it’s in your DNA.”

Tune in for another installment of Iyanla: Fix My Life, Saturday, October 11, at 9/8c.

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