Meet Brittany, Johnny and Kaylie, whose journeys — filmed across 14 years — are at the heart of the new documentary “Born Poor.” Watch the prologue now.
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The 90-minute documentary “Born Poor” premieres Tues., Oct. 7, 2025 on @frontline’s YouTube channel, in the PBS App, at pbs.org/frontline and on PBS stations. The film follows these three kids from three families across three chapters of their lives — from childhood through the teen years to young adulthood — and offers a powerful, personal and longitudinal look at the realities of growing up in poverty in the U.S.
“Born Poor” is a FRONTLINE production with True Vision Productions. The director is Jezza Neumann. The producers are Jezza Neumann and Lauren Mucciolo. The senior producer is Frank Koughan. The editor-in-chief and executive producer of FRONTLINE is Raney Aronson-Rath.
Explore additional reporting on “Born Poor” on our website:
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/documentary/born-poor/
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FRONTLINE is produced at GBH in Boston and is broadcast nationwide on PBS. Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Additional support for FRONTLINE is provided by the Abrams Foundation, Park Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Heising-Simons Foundation, and the FRONTLINE Journalism Fund, with major support from Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation, and additional support from Koo and Patricia Yuen, and Laura DeBonis and Scott Nathan.




















Really great documentary, the best kind!
Where is this episode???
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Frontline out here being amazing 🔥 I just watched it today! It was so good 🎉
This episode hit home for real. As a lifelong Iowan it was hard to see a couple of those people from my home state struggle so much. I know that if my circumstances were different it could easily have been me. I still worry about money to this day, even if things are seemingly going well. That was a very small fraction of what millions of people in this country go through. Definitely puts things into perspective.
White people can’t be poor they have privilege.
I'm confused, where is the full documentary?
Well Charlie was throw again under the bus….more soonner than later he will talk implying all of them…father and sister
STOP SENDING OUR MONEY TO ISRAEL. AMERICAN'S MONEY STAY IN AMERICA.
Frontline did an amaaaazing job with this piece. And the kids (now adults) were just amazing bright lights. I hope their light never dims. ❤
You have to to talk about economic and class issue if you wanna solve this, just individualism aint solving this. This is a class war!. I dont think PBS frontine would talk about this, because their own higher ups may not like it. People should read what truth of banking,its history,hiw it was founded on a fraud and the whole system is based on taking value from 99% and give it to the top. Read about MMT, read some Marx criticism, read Noam Chomsky, Chris hedges etc. Realize that the incentive of any state is to keep its people economic insecure and isolated.
this is why the GOP hates public television
A lot of people in the USA are debt poor. It’s just a matter of time before the economy collapses, and the banks take it all in a destabilized “democratic” country. Always stay humble, trials and tribulations do not discriminate.
Grow up poor…effects your whole life
Thanks Frontline!
Where can we see the full show? I missed it on my PBS station this week.
Thank you Frontline PBS 💪🏼💪🏾💪💪🏿💪🏽💪🏻 Bringing awareness about struggle the working class faces in today’s America.
I was wondering what happen to the father of her 2 children. Brittany needs to get her GED and maybe take a pastry classes
Soo sad the brother passed, hard to process.
loving it
Wait, but Charlie Kirk said, "Show me a single child in America going hungry — they don't exist"! Could he possibly be wrong? OMG?
this one is way too relatable.
Omg yay! I hope life has been good to them ❤
Can't wait for this! Great to see these kids growing up and working to break the cycle <3