ABC NEWS STUDIOS AND ROCK'N ROBIN PRODUCTIONS ANNOUNCE 'HURRICANE KATRINA: 20 YEARS AFTER THE STORM WITH ROBIN ROBERTS,' AIRING FRIDAY, AUG. 29, ON ABC AND STREAMING NEXT DAY ON DISNEY+ AND HULU
Today on "Good Morning America," co-anchor Robin Roberts announced "Hurricane Katrina: 20 Years After the Storm with Robin Roberts." The special from ABC News Studios and Rock'n Robin Productions airs Friday, Aug. 29 (8:00-9:00 p.m. EDT), on ABC and streams next day on Disney+ and Hulu. Roberts returns home to the Gulf Coast for a deeply personal look at the region 20 years after Hurricane Katrina. Drawing on two decades of her own reporting, Roberts revisits the storm's enduring impact, sharing hard truths, inspiring stories of resilience, and powerful updates on a community still rebuilding after one of the most catastrophic natural disasters in American history.
Roberts visits New Orleans, where the city's recovery has been shaped not just by rebuilding efforts, but also by a revival of its vibrant music scene and traditions. She speaks with GRAMMY(R) Award-winner Harry Connick Jr. at the New Orleans Jazz Museum, discussing the origins of jazz music and the return of Jazz Fest following Hurricane Katrina. She then travels to her hometown of Pass Christian, Mississippi, where she visits her former high school and beloved local spots and speaks with Chipper McDermott, the town's former mayor, about their rebuilding efforts. Additional interviews featured in the special include artists Trombone Shorty, Tank from Tank & The Bangas, and Branford Marsalis.
"It's hard to believe it's been 20 years. I went to my hometown of Pass Christian, reporting on all that damage and heartache throughout the Gulf Coast region," said Roberts. "What we also touch upon [in the special] is that we can be a road map for those who are going through the flooding, the fires, everybody's got something ... and to try and pass that along." (Watch the full announcement here: GMA Digital.)
"Hurricane Katrina: 20 Years After the Storm with Robin Roberts" is produced by ABC News Studios and Rock'n Robin Productions. Rudy Valdez is director. David Sloan is senior executive producer, and Katie Conway and Claire Weinraub are executive producers for ABC News Studios. Reni Calister is executive producer, Beth A. Mullen is co-executive producer, and Gabriel A. Kerr is senior producer for Rock'n Robin Productions.
About ABC News Studios
ABC News Studios is inspired by ABC News' trusted reporting and is an award-winning, premium news and documentary original production house and commissioning partner of series and specials. ABC News Studios champions untold and authentic stories driving the cultural zeitgeist spanning true-crime, investigations, pop culture and news-adjacent stories. ABC News Studios' original titles include critically acclaimed documentaries "Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields," "BRATS," "Sound of the Police," "The Lady Bird Diaries," "Aftershock," Emmy-nominated "Patrice: The Movie" and most recently, "Barbara Walters Tell Me Everything." Other popular docuseries and documentaries include "Scamanda," "The Fox Hollow Murders: Playground of a Serial Killer," "Betrayal: A Father's Secret," "Sins of the Parents: The Crumbley Trials," "Wild Crime," "Mormon No More," "The Randall Scandal: Love, Loathing, and Vanderpump" and "Jelly Roll: Save Me." ABC News Studios content streams on Hulu and Disney+.
About Rock'n Robin Productions
Rock'n Robin Productions, led by ABC News' Robin Roberts, is an award-winning production company creating a wide range of content - including documentaries, scripted and unscripted series, and digital programming - on Disney+, Hulu, ESPN, A+E, Lifetime, and more. The company's accolades include a 2022 Daytime Emmy(R) for Turning the Tables with Robin Roberts (Disney+), a 2021 Primetime Emmy(R) nomination for Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia (Lifetime), and recognition from the GLAAD Media Awards, NAACP Image Awards, and others. Recent projects include co-executive producing A King Like Me with Kevin Hart (Netflix), Lifetime's Robin Roberts Presents movie series, A+E's The Great War and The Harlem Hellfighters, ESPN's 30 for 30 films Breakaway and Make Him Known, and ABC's 20/20: In Search of Wakanda and Hurricane Katrina: 20 Years After the Storm.
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