Frontline: Season 2025, Episode 12

2025 - 12: Born Poor

More than a decade ago, the Emmy-nominated documentary Poor Kids (2012 & 2017) explored poverty in the United States as it's rarely seen: through the eyes of children.Born Poor tells the stories of the same children, now grown, chronicling their lives from childhood to the present day. The 90-minute documentary follows Kaylie, Johnny and Brittany across three chapters of their lives as they grow from kids to teenagers to adults, trying to pursue their dreams while dealing with an economy where they face more obstacles than opportunities — and trying to overcome the grinding poverty that shaped their childhoods.