90s talk shows were the best. In middle and high school during the summer I would watch them all morning. I remember one day when Sally Jessy Raphael had this mother and daughter on who claimed to live in a haunted house and claimed that they were raped and molested by a ghost.

Then Jenny Jones and Ricki Lake had those “my teen daughter is out of control” and “my mom dresses too sexy.” Rolanda was fun too. And Jerry Springer always had those “my girlfriend is a transsexual” and “my boyfriend doesn’t know I’m a stripper.”

It’s a bygone area. I guess everyone got too serious and worried about offending people.

by Anonymous

reply 36

September 5, 2022 3:47 PM

"Talk Soup" was my favorite show back then, especially when it had the cute host (the one that was later on the gay TV show, you know the one, the American version of the British one).

by Anonymous

reply 3

March 19, 2022 9:05 PM

As a 90's Gen X-er I have to say the 2000's beat the 90's as far as trash tv. All the Vh1 realities like The Surreal Life, Flavor of love, I love NY and Rock of love was the pinnacle of entertaining, trashy ass tv.

by Anonymous

reply 5

May 13, 2022 1:53 PM

We used to go into work every day and talk about Sally Jessy Raphael's show. Oprah too, but she decided to take the high road with her show and it got incredibly boring overnight.

by Anonymous

reply 6

May 13, 2022 1:56 PM

I miss The Richard Bey Show, the original Jerry Springer.

by Anonymous

reply 8

May 13, 2022 2:03 PM

OP R8 again, because there was a death related to The Jenny Jones show all of the talk shows got tamed down, except for Springer. People who went on that show were actively looking for a fight, even if totally ridiculous.

by Anonymous

reply 9

May 13, 2022 2:06 PM

People running through drab cement-floored backstage hallways chased by cameras always makes me laugh. So specific.

by Anonymous

reply 10

May 13, 2022 2:47 PM

Ha ha, so true. Who cares that it set race relations back eighty years!

by Anonymous

reply 11

May 13, 2022 4:28 PM

Op my mom and I watched the Sally Jessy Raphael episode where one of her guests revealed that a ghost had sex with her every night. We both laughed our asses off too!

by Anonymous

reply 13

September 3, 2022 10:39 PM

R6 Yeah, but Oprah had the #1 talk show in America for 25 years and became a Billionaire, while other talk shows came to an end.

She was called the Queen of daytime talk for a reason.

by Anonymous

reply 14

September 3, 2022 10:57 PM

[quote] "I miss The Richard Bey Show, the original Jerry Springer."

Bey's show premiered in 1992, the year after Springer's, R8. Perhaps you're confusing it with The Morton Downey Jr. Show? It came along in 1987, which was four years before The Jerry Springer Show.

Offsite Link

by Anonymous

reply 15

September 3, 2022 11:15 PM

R15 No, I've never actually heard of the Morton Downey Jr. show. Also I was born in 1980, and the only talk shows I remember were the bigger names; Donahue, Sally Jesse, never cared for Oprah, but those were the ones I remember. Also remember liking Rolanda too. Could've been a cable provider thing?

by Anonymous

reply 16

September 4, 2022 12:04 AM

I was addicted to all those talk shows too. I loved them all! Now I get my trash fix from 90 Day Fiance, Love After Lockup and My 600 Lb Life.

by Anonymous

reply 18

September 4, 2022 12:12 AM

Remember the chants?

"Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!"

and

"Go Ricki! Go Ricki! Go, go, go Ricki!"

by Anonymous

reply 19

September 4, 2022 12:51 AM

Tempest Bledsoe was the best talk show

by Anonymous

reply 20

September 4, 2022 1:44 AM

Ricki Lake theme was good. Produced by Jellybean Benitez (Madonna's boyfriend in early 80s & producer of 'Holiday')

Offsite Link

by Anonymous

reply 21

September 4, 2022 1:53 AM

Oh my god, R21 - if you'd asked me a minute ago to describe the Ricki Lake theme I wouldn't have been able to remember, but as soon as I saw that, it all came back, the song, every image of Ricki in the city, etc.

by Anonymous

reply 22

September 4, 2022 2:55 AM

The clip at R12 was really fake. I couldn’t get through it.

by Anonymous

reply 24

September 4, 2022 3:03 AM

Carnie Wilson had a disastrous talk show attempt too.

by Anonymous

reply 25

September 4, 2022 3:24 AM

I don't, personally. I think that all their collective audience members were the ones responsible for voting in Trump.

by Anonymous

reply 27

September 4, 2022 4:28 AM

Remember Morton Downey Jr. Show; original loudmouth. Just a few years ago, Steve Wilkos had a father and daughter who were in a relationship. She was born when he was like 19/20, he and the baby mama broke up and he checked out. She is now 19/20 and back in his life. They were fucking and the follow up show, she thought she was pregnant. Ultimate trash tv.

by Anonymous

reply 28

September 4, 2022 4:29 AM

I didn't enjoy all of those talk shows. Some of the hosts were so bland, like Ricki Lake and Jenny Jones. Never could understand the appeal.

by Anonymous

reply 29

September 4, 2022 4:46 AM

We had trash TV; now we have trash real life.

by Anonymous

reply 31

September 5, 2022 2:51 AM

Maybe not talk shows, but I do miss the over-the-top, campy, melodramatic primetime soaps of the 80s and 90s. The sex, the bodies, the fashion, the ridiculous storylines, the master class in shade throwing.... fun tv that was just glamorous escapism.

Still hope it makes its way back someday...

by Anonymous

reply 33

September 5, 2022 4:30 AM

^God, I remember our whole grade at school were obsessed with Marcia Cross blowing up Melrose Place, haha. That really takes me back. I didn't even watch the show, but I watched THAT episode.

by Anonymous

reply 34

September 5, 2022 1:12 PM

[quote]fun tv that was just glamorous escapism.

[quote]Still hope it makes its way back someday...

This is why I don't begrudge people enjoying Emily in Paris. God knows we need some mindless escapism sometimes.

by Anonymous

reply 35

September 5, 2022 1:13 PM

The genie is already out of that bottle and can’t go back in.

by Anonymous

reply 36

September 5, 2022 3:47 PM