CNN has officially ended Lisa Ling’s “This is Life with Lisa Ling” after nine seasons.
The show’s final two episodes aired on Sunday.
“This is Life” saw Ling exploring unconventional lifestyles and underreported communities in the United States, from the members of the Gay Rodeo Association to interracial marriages in the series’ final episode.
The award-winning journalist began hosting and executive producing the documentary-style series back in 2014, making it the longest-running CNN original series.
Ling confirmed the series’ cancellation with the Los Angeles Times in November, citing CNN’s recent budget cuts.
I was hoping to get to 10 seasons, but we fell short of that … I would like to do many, many more seasons, especially right now, when we are existing in these bubbles and we follow people who espouse what we believe. In some ways, we’ve cut ourselves off from really getting to know people who might be different or think differently than we do.
In an op-ed published on Nov. 26, Ling looked back on some of the unique encounters she experienced through the show and expressed the importance of “exiting our bubbles and engaging.”
It has been an honor and a privilege to share these human moments with so many over the years. I’ve become a better person as a result. And it’s these kinds of interactions that we need more of in America today. During these deeply divided times as we are being pushed further into extremes, we have to be proactive about exiting our bubbles and engaging. After all, THIS IS LIFE.
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