‘Leave It to Geege’ Star on Wanting to Demystify Autism in Lifetime Reality Show
variety.comJazz Tangcay Artisans EditorLifetime’s newest reality show, “Leave It To Geege,” sees Geege Taylor, a single mom and breast cancer survivor, on a mission to help other people on their journey of raising an autistic child.The show debuted on Lifetime in January and from Feb.
10 will be transitioning from linear to digital, starting with a two-episode drop followed by weekly episodes rolling out on mylifetime.com, the Lifetime app and VOD.Taylor, whose 19-year-old son Pootie was diagnosed with autism as a young child, says she had first wanted to open her doors to TV cameras over seven years ago.
Speaking via Zoom, Taylor tells Variety, “When my son was first diagnosed, I started seeing so many depressing stories about autism in the media, and back then people were not talking about it.” She says she felt alone and didn’t know many people she could talk to, but she knew she wanted to show a different side of autism. “My son is the biggest and brightest spot in my life, and my life is so much better with autism in it.”So Taylor met with World of Wonder co-founders and “Leave It to Geege” producers Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, who say they were instantly drawn to Taylor and her family. “When you meet Geege and then her family, you want to move in.” Barbato says. “At World of Wonder, we have the saying, ‘No is the beginning of yes.’ Like so many of our show ideas or pitches, people say no, until we wear them down to say yes, and sometimes that [process] is 10 years.”In the interim, Taylor started documenting her family’s life on YouTube in her endeavors to put out a positive message.
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