KATIE LECLERC OF "SWITCHED AT BIRTH" AND MAIA MITCHELL OF "THE FOSTERS" TO CHAT LIVE VIA TWITTER DURING THEIR SERIES' WINTER PREMIERES, MONDAY, JANUARY 13, ON ABC FAMILY

Live Twitter Chats with Stars Will Take Place During East Coast Feeds Starting at 8:00PM ET / 5:00PM PT

Burbank, CA (January 10, 2014) - "Switched at Birth" star Katie Leclerc (Daphne Vasquez) and "The Fosters" star Maia Mitchell (Callie Jacob) will participate in live chats via Twitter during the East Coast feeds of their series' Winter premiere episodes, airing on Monday, January 13, only on ABC Family.

Actress Katie Leclerc will chat live during the East Coast feed of "Switched at Birth," airing on Monday, January 13, 8:00PM - 9:00PM ET/5:00PM - 6:00PM PT. Fans should tweet to Katie at @katieleclerc to ask their questions and should include the hashtag #SwitchedAtBirthChat in their tweets. In the third season of ABC Family's Peabody Award-winning drama series, "Switched at Birth," senior year means big changes for Bay and Daphne, as the Carlton School for the Deaf receives an influx of hearing students who are not happy to be there. Daphne begins working at a free clinic as part of her probation from the Senator Coto blackmail scandal, and bonds with a pre-med student (guest star RJ Mitte, "Breaking Bad") with a spinal injury. Bay is inspired by her art teacher (guest star Sandra Bernhard, "Roseanne") and surprised by her jock classmate (guest star Max Adler, "Glee"), when she takes an art class at a local college. Toby tries to unite a divided Carlton by coaching girls' field hockey, and Kathryn dips her toes into new territory when she makes friends with a gregarious tap dancer (guest star Alec Mapa, "Ugly Betty").

Maia Mitchell, star of ABC Family's new original drama "The Fosters," will chat live with fans via Twitter during the East Coast feed of the series, airing on Monday, January 13, 9:00PM - 10:00PM ET/6:00PM - 7:00PM PT. Fans are invited to ask Maia their questions by tweeting to her Twitter handle @MaiaMitchell. They should include the hashtag #TheFostersChat in their tweets. In the all-new episode of "The Fosters," the repercussions of Callie's decision to run away impact every member of the Foster family, including newlyweds Stef and Lena, who had offered to adopt the troubled teen. Both Jude and Brandon struggle with their own personal guilt about her running away. Mariana inadvertently discovers the whole story about Lexi's upcoming trip to Honduras.

Summary:

8:00PM ET/5:00PM PT - Katie Leclerc of "Switched at Birth" - @katieleclerc #SwitchedAtBirthChat

9:00PM ET/6:00PM PT - Maia Mitchell of "The Fosters" - @MaiaMitchell #TheFostersChat

"Switched at Birth" is executive-produced by Lizzy Weiss ("Blue Crush"), Paul Stupin ("Make It or Break It") and John Ziffren ("Melissa & Joey," "Make It or Break It"). The series stars Katie Leclerc as Daphne Vasquez; Vanessa Marano ("Gilmore Girls") as Bay Kennish; Constance Marie ("George Lopez") as Regina Vasquez; D.W. Moffett ("Friday Night Lights") as John Kennish; Lea Thompson ("Back to the Future," "Caroline in the City") as Kathryn Kennish; Lucas Grabeel ("High School Musical") as Toby Kennish; Sean Berdy as Emmett Bledsoe; with guest star Marlee Matlin ("The West Wing").

Winner of 2013's Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Breakout Show, "The Fosters" is executive-produced by Jennifer Lopez, ("American Idol," "What to Expect When You're Expecting," "The Back-Up Plan") and created by Bradley Bredeweg and Peter Paige ("Queer As Folk"), who also serve as executive producers and writers, along with Joanna Johnson ("Make it or Break it"). "The Fosters" stars Teri Polo ("Meet the Parents") as Stef Foster, Sherri Saum ("In Treatment") as Lena Adams Foster, Jake T. Austin ("Wizards of Waverly Place") as Jesus Foster, Hayden Byerly ("Parenthood") as Jude Jacob, David Lambert ("Aaron Stone") as Brandon Foster, Maia Mitchell ("Teen Beach Movie") as Callie Jacob, Danny Nucci ("Titanic") as Mike Foster and Cierra Ramirez ("The Secret Life of the American Teenager") as Mariana Foster. Greg Gugliotta, Elaine Goldsmith Thomas, Benny Medina, and John Ziffren also serve as executive producers. The series is produced by Nuyorican Productions, Inc., and Prodco, Inc.

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