OWN'S LONG-RUNNING HIT SERIES "WELCOME TO SWEETIE PIE'S" PREMIERES ITS FINAL SEASON WITH SPECIAL SNEAK PREVIEW TUESDAY, MAY 1

Series Celebrates its 100th Episode Finale with an After-Show Special on Saturday, June 9 at 10 p.m. ET/PT

LOS ANGELES - OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network announced today its popular long-running docuseries "Welcome to Sweetie Pie's" will premiere its fifth and final season with a special sneak preview on Tuesday, May 1 at 10 p.m. ET/PT (after Tyler Perry's "The Haves and The Have Nots"). The series about the drama that comes with running a family-operated soul food empire, will continue in its regular time slot on Saturdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT beginning Saturday, May 5.

The series, which originally debuted on OWN in October 2011, will celebrate its 100th episode finale on Saturday, June 9 at 9 p.m. ET/PT with a special 60-minute after-show immediately following the finale at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Hosted by comedian/actress Kym Whitley, the special will feature Miss Robbie, Tim, Charles, Monique, Jan, Linda and Cousin Michelle, as they share juicy stories and fun behind-the-scenes moments from the run of the entire series. Nothing in this family is off limits as they dish on the drama between Miss Robbie and Tim, family tensions, what the future holds for the family and more.

"For nearly seven years, our viewers have fallen in love and followed an incredible journey with Miss Robbie, Tim and the whole family," said Erik Logan, president, OWN. "It comes with immense gratitude and appreciation as we send off the series for its final season and make OWN history celebrating 100 memorable episodes."

"Welcome to Sweetie Pie's" ranks as the #2 original Saturday-night series in OWN history among the network's core demo of women 25-54 and in total viewers and was 2017's #2 original cable series on Saturday nights for African American women.

About 'WELCOME TO SWEETIE PIE'S'

When Robbie Montgomery's lung collapsed, the 1960's backup singer and former Ikette had to hustle to keep her family afloat, so she whipped out her mother's recipes and turned her second love of cooking into a soul food empire. In the final season, Miss Robbie inches closer to her lifelong dream, while her son Tim Norman finds himself at a crossroad after Hurricane Harvey forces him to close his latest restaurant venture, and he considers exiting the family business... for good. As we say farewell to OWN's favorite family, Miss Robbie is forced to consider what kind of legacy she will leave behind, and who will be chosen to take over the Montgomery soul food empire. "Welcome to Sweetie Pie's" is produced by Pilgrim Media Group. Executive producers are Craig Piligian, Melodie Calvert, Robbie Montgomery, Tim Norman, Jeff Keane, Tim Breitbach and Steve Luebbert. "Welcome to Sweetie Pie's" is produced by Pilgrim Media Group. Executive producers are Craig Piligian, Melodie Calvert, Robbie Montgomery, Tim Norman, Jeff Keane, Tim Breitbach and Steve Luebbert.

About OWN: OPRAH WINFREY NETWORK

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network is the first and only network named for, and inspired by, a single iconic leader. Oprah Winfrey's heart and creative instincts inform the brand - and the magnetism of the channel. Winfrey provides leadership in original scripted and unscripted programming and attracts superstar talent to join her in primetime, building a global community of like-minded viewers and leading that community to connect on social media and beyond. OWN is a singular destination on cable. Depth with edge. Heart. Star power. Connection. And endless possibilities. OWN is a joint venture between Harpo, Inc. and Discovery Communications. The network debuted on January 1, 2011. The venture also includes the award-winning digital platform Oprah.com. Access OWN anytime, anywhere on WatchOWN.tv or across mobile devices and connected TVs. For more information, please visit www.oprah.com/own.

About PILGRIM MEDIA GROUP

Pilgrim Media Group, a Lionsgate company, produces a wide variety of unscripted and scripted content for television and digital platforms, as well as feature films. The company's series include two-time NAACP Image Award-winner Welcome to Sweetie Pie's for OWN; Discovery's Fast N' Loud, Street Outlaws (and spinoffs Street Outlaws: No Prep Kings and Street Outlaws: Memphis), Misfit Garage, Garage Rehab and Shifting Gears with Aaron Kaufman; My Big Fat Fabulous Life for TLC; The Ultimate Fighter for FS1, in its 27th season; Wicked Tuna and Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks for National Geographic; Bring It! and Love at First Flight for Lifetime, among many other series and projects. Pilgrim also produced the scripted series Recovery Road for Freeform, multiple original movies for Lifetime, and is in development on numerous other scripted projects for TV, film and streaming outlets. Pilgrim's feature documentary, Soufra (which won two awards at Egypt's El Gouna Film Festival), premiered in North America at DOC NYC, with theatrical runs in New York and Los Angeles, and invitations to screen at international film festivals, including Cannes. The company also continues to produce award-winning content via its digital studio, 1620 Media.