Ricki Lake’s Second Turn As A Talk Show Host Cancelled After Only One Season
For more than a decade between 1993 and 2004, former actress Ricki Lake enjoyed an immense amount of success as the host of The Ricki Lake Show.
Lake’s show was one of the first talk shows that incorporated wild and racy subjects with urban-minded guests. The show wrapped in 2004, after Lake said she wanted to spend more time with her family.
With her previous success, as well as her recent wave of fame on Dancing With The Stars, television producers assumed a revamp of The Ricki Lake Show would be a sure thing in the ratings.
However, after only five months, Lake’s new talk show, once again titled The Rick Lake Show, will not be renewed for the upcoming 2013-14 television season. Original episodes will only continue through September.
Stephen Brown, executive VP of programming & development for Twentieth Television, made this statement regarding The Ricki Lake Show: ”We would like to thank Ricki Lake as well as executive producer Gail Steinberg and the entire staff for their work this season.”
Brown further added: ”While we are proud of the topics the program tackled including childhood obesity, life-after the military, divorce and addiction we were simply not able to breakthrough the crowded talk show marketplace.”
Lake had this to say regarding her cancellation: ”I am so proud of the shows we completed this season, sparking important conversations about everything from raising children to mental illness to suicide prevention to coming out. I will continue to be an active and passionate voice for subjects that are close to my heart through a variety of platforms, and a return to my documentary filmmaking work with Abby Epstein. I am excited to create meaningful and provocative films similar to our 2007 project, The Business of Being Born.”
I hope Arsenio Hall is paying attention.