Raised By Ricki with Ricki Lake and Kalen Allen

Grab a friend and some snacks – we’ll provide the tea. We’re traveling back to the 90s, when The Ricki Lake Show was the place for drama and fun unlike anywhere else on TV.  Ricki and Kalen are joined by Stuart Krasnow, former supervising producer of The Ricki Lake Show, to talk about the show’s beginnings and its lasting impact on a new generation.

If you were a past guest or audience member of The Ricki Lake Show, email us at hey...

You may remember her from “The Flintstones” or even the OG 1992 movie “A League of Their Own," but three years after The Ricki Lake Show first aired, Rosie O’Donnell also made her talk show debut. The Rosie O’Donnell Show featured huge guests like Tom Cruise and Madonna, and Rosie quickly became known for her authenticity and quirky sense of humor. It was also a time when she became friends with her fellow talk-show host, Ricki...

This infamous moment from The Ricki Lake Show still lives on over 20 years later in memes and gifs. Ricki and Kalen are revisiting the wig snatch seen and heard across the world. They break down the cheating and scheming that led up to the snatching. Plus, our hosts get real about relationships, fat shaming and the shift in tone about HIV/AIDS in the 90s.

Please note, Raised By Ricki contains mature themes and may not be appropriat...

Psychics: we couldn’t get enough of them in the 90s. They were in movies, TV ads – and The Ricki Lake Show! Renowned psychic Char Margolis joins Ricki and Kalen to talk about her life of seeing spirits, separating the good psychics from the bad ones, and much more. Stay tuned as Char gives not one, but two live readings!

Please note, Raised By Ricki contains mature themes and may not be appropriate for all listeners. 

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Before Ricki Lake, Oprah Winfrey and Rosie O’Donnell were talk show hosts, there was Sally Jessy Raphael. As the first woman in the U.S. to have her own major daytime talk show, she was one of Ricki’s role models. Ricki and Kalen catch up with Sally Jessy to talk about her trailblazing legacy. She shares the truth about how her talk show ended. Plus, at 87 years old, she’s still in the dating market. Hit her up if you know any elig...

He’s shocking, raunchy, and can’t ever be censored. Today, Ricki talks to her lifelong friend John Waters, whose iconic film “Hairspray” has become a theater favorite. It’s also where Ricki, playing Tracy Turnblad, made her movie debut. After working on several films together, the two have become lifelong friends. They dish on their crazy memories of working on set, John’s appearance on The Ricki Lake Show, and what it’s like to ha...

Cameras, real people, and no script. Anything could happen. Sounds like The Ricki Lake Show – and reality TV! This week, Ricki and Kalen are joined by Andy Cohen, executive producer of “The Real Housewives” and “Watch What Happens Live!” Andy talks about his lifelong love of reality TV and talk shows, the inspiration behind "The Real Housewives," and how he first became a host. Plus, Ricki dishes on her time as the headmist...

What made a good Ricki Lake Show guest? Personality and yes, a little bit of drama. But sometimes, they just warmed your heart right up – like Candice Cox. Twenty years ago, Candice met four of her siblings on The Ricki Lake Show. She’s back, and shares with Ricki and Kalen how the show changed her life forever.

Please note, Raised By Ricki contains mature themes and may not be appropriate for all listeners. 

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The best 90s self-care routine? For writer and podcast host Tracy Clayton, that was watching The Ricki Lake Show every day after school. The cultural critic talks about what makes the show so unforgettable, the importance of seeing Black representation on-screen, and how Ricki influenced her own career in media. Plus, Kalen tells us all about the best week of his life (two words: Queen Bey.)

Please note, Raised By Ricki contains ...

The 90s were no stranger to toxic ideas about what people’s bodies should look like. While we may still struggle with anti-fat bias today, fortunately we also have icons like Tess Holliday. She’s a businesswoman, activist, one of the world’s most famous plus-size models, and Ricki’s good friend! In a deeply open conversation, Tess, Kalen, and Ricki talk about the pressures that come when your weight is your brand. They talk about t...

The Ricki Lake Show was one of the few spaces LGBTQ+ people could see themselves on TV in the 90s, and could hear their stories told. Have things gotten better? Ricki and Kalen dig into representation in front of and behind the camera with Pose co-creator Steven Canals and past The Ricki Lake Show producer Dominick Pupa. They talk about what it means to see yourself on TV, creating safe spaces to work, and the responsibilities ...

You may remember her from “The Flintstones” or even the OG “A League of Their Own.” Three years after The Ricki Lake Show first aired, Rosie O’Donnell made her talk show debut. The Rosie O’Donnell Show featured the likes of Tom Cruise and Madonna, where she was known for her authenticity and quirky sense of humor. Listen back as Rosie joins Ricki and Kalen to talk about her old show, witnessing 9/11, motherhood, and coming out afte...

The Ricki Lake Show never shied away from controversial topics. The most spicy and taboo topic of all? Sex! This week, iconic comedian, actress, and musician Margaret Cho joins Ricki and Kalen to talk about sex work, sex positivity, and how society’s views on all things sex have evolved since the 90s. She talks about her time as a phone sex worker, how working at a leather dildo shop kickstarted her LGBTQIA+ advocacy, and her m...

Twenty years before Bob the Drag Queen won the eighth season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” he would run home after school to catch The Ricki Lake Show. And today, Bob joins Ricki and Kalen to talk about the show’s significance for queer people and people of color – especially drag queens. As a certified fan of The Ricki Lake Show, Bob introduces Kalen to the Ricktionary and talks about why the show was unlike any other on TV in the 90s....

The Weave Wars stretched the imagination of what hair could look like. From the hair-icopter to a hairdo with actual, live finches, The Ricki Lake Show spotlighted the artistry of fantasy hair. In this jam-packed episode, Ricki and Kalen are joined by the top two competitors of Weave Wars: Sharon Shearer and Weaven Steven. They talk about their most memorable creations and how The Ricki Lake show catapulted their careers. Plus, hai...

Raised by Ricki is off this week, but we’re sharing an episode of Pop Culture Happy Hour, another show we think you’ll love. For more than three decades, Maury has been a platform for flamboyant guests seeking paternity and lie detector tests for significant others. They’ve yelled, bawled and kicked over chairs. Now, the show’s host Maury Povich is retiring and it’s the end of an era for a particular brand of uber-trashy daytime TV...

Raised by Ricki is off this week on holiday break, so we’re excited to bring you an episode of V Interesting that Ricki was recently a guest on.

When V thinks back to their childhood, they remember rushing home from school to watch the Ricki Lake Show. That's where they learned about diverse relationships, how to stand up to bullies, and that wearing blazers is cool. Now, V’s talking to the show’s iconic star about how she went ...

Grab a friend and some snacks – we’ll provide the tea. We’re traveling back to the 90s, when The Ricki Lake Show was the place for drama and fun unlike anywhere else on TV. Ricki and Kalen are joined by Stuart Krasnow, former supervising producer of The Ricki Lake Show, to talk about the show’s beginnings and its lasting impact on a new generation.

If you were a past guest or audience member of The Ricki Lake Show, email us at he...

Britney Spears. NSYNC. Usher. Salt-N-Pepa. The Ricki Lake Show featured performances from some of the most iconic pop stars of the 90s and early 2000s. Ricki and Kalen talk with former MTV VJ Dave Holmes about the amazing artists who visited TRLS, looking back at the teen pop craze knowing what we know now, and the surprising places Ricki and Dave find new music nowadays. Plus, Kalen tells the story of when he hosted the announceme...