When the school year begins in September, West Liberty-Salem third grader Ava Chamberlain will be able to tell her fellow classmates how she made it in Hollywood this summer, even if it was for only 35 seconds.
While on a recent trip to California with her parents, Heather and Lee Chamberlain of Urbana, and her siblings, Jake and Kaitlyn, the family was strolling down the streets of Hollywood when a camera crew from “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” appeared. Before she knew it, Ava was part of segment in which children were asked to share their thoughts on same-sex marriage.
“Ava and I were holding hands and one of them asked me if he could ask my daughter a question,” Mrs. Chamberlain said. “They asked me to sign a release, and I asked to see their paperwork stating they were truly from ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ and I signed. I was not aware of what the question would be.”
During the segment, which aired on June 29, Ava was asked if same-sex marriage is hard for children to understand. She responded by saying, “for some kids,” adding it’s not that hard for her to understand.
Ava was then asked if she thought everyone should be able to get married.
“If you’re old enough,” she said.
Since the segment aired, it has been viewed over 4.5 million times on YouTube.
The clip is available online at youtu.be/jiFDY6N33aw. Sporting a white bow in her hair, Ava is the sixth child interviewed in the video.
“The experience was exciting, surprising and, as parents, we were very proud of her mature and honest answers,” Mrs. Chamberlain said. “People on social media around the world have been so kind about her answers, and we couldn’t be happier that the world is seeing that children from conservative Christian homes are loving, caring, kind and accepting little people.”
