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Ricki Lake (talk show)
Encyclopedia
Ricki Lake was the first daytime tabloid talk show
hosted by American
actress Ricki Lake
.
The show specialized in sensationalist topics involving invited guests and incorporated questions and comments from a studio audience. It was taped at the Chelsea Studios
in New York City
.
The show debuted in syndication on September 13, 1993 and ended first-run episodes on May 25, 2004, though the series continued in reruns through the summer until August 27, 2004. The show was renewed for the 2004–2005 TV season, but Lake decided not to continue with the show, opting to spend more time with her family. Sony did not issue any comments when the show was cancelled.
In October 2005, Broadcasting & Cable
magazine reported that Lake might return to do a "new" version of her show. A source said it would be a surprise if there was no deal struck by October 2005. If it were to have happened, it would have likely debuted in September 2006. Lake did not appear at the 2006 NATPE convention to pitch the proposed program to television stations in the United States
in January, 2006, only furthering speculation that there would be no show. In a 2009 interview on CNN
, she was asked about what was next for her. Lake noted that a follow-up documentary was coming out, and that she was in talks to do another talk show, however this has yet to come to pass. In follow-up interviews since then such as Oprah in 2010, Lake has consistently said "never say never" about hosting a new show, but that she is happy working on other projects. However, in a February 2011 appearance on The View, when asked about doing another show, Ricki said that she "misses the platform" and that when it comes to hosting another show, "that's certainly a possibility."
In 1994, the show was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award
for Outstanding Talk Show Host, but The Oprah Winfrey Show
won the award. Other awards the show has garnered includes the Gracie Allen Award, PRISM Certificates & Commendations, and many more.
In March 2011 it was reported that three television studios, Twentieth Television, Universal Media Studios and CBS Television Distribution
, were interested in bringing Lake back to talk television in 2012. This after Lake began appearing on various programs in which she expressed a desire to return to the genre. On April 20, 2011, Lake signed with Twentieth, which will develop her new talk show
, for a September 2012 launch. It will have more of an Oprah-like format than her previous series.
The methodology for securing guests on the show, common to many shows similar to it, was as such: Producers would brainstorm and come up with a show title or theme. During an aired episode of the program spots would run for shows in pre-production. The goal was to recruit persons who may have a situation in their life that fits with the proposed topic. Hotline messages would be screened and the most promising prospects would be contacted by a production assistant. The potential guest would be interviewed about their situation. Guests chosen to appear on the show were booked airfare to New York City
. The guests were brought to the television studio and sent to specific "green room
s", inside which they were briefed in more detail on how the show would be taped. One of the producers then sat down with each guest to reiterate the story the guest would tell, including emphasis on various phrases or statements the guest might have made during pre-interviews. Guests were given an appearance and confidentiality contract to sign. Installments were recorded in real-time and took approximately 80 minutes to complete. Lake came into the audience for taped segments, and during the paused portion (where commercial breaks were inserted) she left the audience to consult with producers. The final show was aired approximately one month later.
home would be revoked and they would have to get home on their own. Most of these incidents would result in the guest being escorted off stage, out of the studio, and their trip home cancelled by the production company
.
One example of this incident happened in 2000, during the show's seventh season, when three guests were exposed on-air as phonies after the producers discovered that they fabricated their story and were escorted out by security
. Director Bob McKinnon interrupted Lake during the moment that she was questioning the guests, informing her that there was something she needed to know. So one of the show's producers, Andrew Scher, walked out and showed Lake a note that the ticket agent had faxed to the show. The fax read, "When these people came to pick up their tickets, and I asked them what the show was going to be about, they said the story was about Aaron's boyfriend not having a job and being a bum, just so they can get a free trip to New York." Afterwards, Lake told them that they were busted and the show's security team, Sterling Protective Services, escorted them off the stage, as the audience hollered and chanted Lake's personal name. That installment aired in syndication as Lake warned viewers what would happen if they (the guests) lied to the producers just to get 15 minutes of fame. Ironically, the topic of the installment featuring the aforementioned incident was "Freeloader
s".
Another example of guests being exposed as phonies happened in the 11th season during the show "Ricki's FPI: Disappearing Husbands", where a woman claimed she had substantial evidence that her "husband" was cheating
and wanted the show's Foxy Private Investigators (FPI) to track him down and determine if this was true. It was during this segment that the show's producers found out they were making up the story for a free trip to New York, and got them to take lie detector
tests, which they failed (though the staff already had a pretty good idea that the guests were trying to scam the show). They still insisted they were not lying and were escorted off the stage by Ricki's security team, Knight Security. Footage of them leaving the studio and walking with suitcase
s to go and get the bus, instead of being taken to the airport
for the flight, was shown during the closing credits.
where it aired on Channel 4
, and was aired daily on ITV2
, until 2009. as well as in Australia
, where the show was screened on three channels: the Seven
, Ten
and pay TV-exclusive W Channel. The show was also successful in the Netherlands
, where it aired on SBS6
. Even though it has been out of production since 2004, the show is still screened in various places around the world such as Sweden
(on TV3
), South Africa
and in the Middle East
.
and Gail Steinberg were the original executive producer
s. Michael Rourke moved into the executive producer role in 2002, during the 9th season, with Michelle Mazur, a former producer in the '90s of the show, moved into the role of co-executive producer at the start of the 10th season.
The theme was written by Jellybean Benítez.
The show was produced by The Garth Ancier Company and was distributed by Columbia Pictures Television Distribution
(1993–1996), then by Columbia TriStar Television Distribution
(1996–2001), Columbia TriStar Domestic Television (2001–2002), and Sony Pictures Television
(2002–2004).
, and during a show involving marijuana, she learned that three guests were using the substance just moments after they walked on to the set as she was about to interview them. One of Lake's most memorable and controversial confrontations would happen during the first season in 1993, when she found herself dealing with Reverend Fred Phelps
in a show that involved targeting anyone who carries the AIDS
virus and why they deserve to die. (Phelps and his followers from Westboro Baptist Church
in Topeka, Kansas
had been picketing at funerals for AIDS victims across the United States, leading to several states to enact laws prohibiting or restricting groups from coming within a certain distance of the funerals.) When Phelps and his son tried to take over the set, a furious and insulted Lake ordered the Phelps family to leave the studio. During the commercial break, the two were forced off the set by the producers and escorted out of the building by security midway during the show.
. It was repeatedly parodied during the 1990s on Saturday Night Live
, with male cast member Jay Mohr
impersonating Lake in drag
. In addition, it was mentioned in the chorus of the hit 1998 song "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)
" by The Offspring
: "So if you don't rate, just overcompensate, at least you'll know you can always go on Ricki Lake." It is also mentioned in the 2004 hit by Australian band Butterfingers, "I Love Work", as well as "Strong" by Robbie Williams
, "Hole in the Head
" by Sugababes
and "Little White Lie" by Tanya Stephens
. The female group Shooter also mentioned the show in their song, "Life's a Bitch" ("Everybody's tellin' all, baring their souls, just to go on The Ricki Lake Show"). It was also mentioned in an episode of the TV show Family Guy
entitled "Peter, Peter, Caviar Eater
", in which Brian, attempting to rehabilitate Peter in the ways of a gentleman, electrically shocks Peter every time he looks at a television showing an episode of Ricki Lake. In the WB series Gilmore Girls
, Rory mentions feeling like she is on The Ricki Lake Show, with Lorelai then replying, "Go, Rory! Go, Rory!" The music video
for the song "Perfect Match" by the hip hop
group Cella Dwellas
is largely a satire
of Lake's shows about cheating spouses.
Tabloid talk show
Tabloid talk shows are a genre of American television programming talk shows that achieved peak viewership during the late 20th century. Airing mostly during the day and distributed mostly through broadcast syndication, this genre originated with The Phil Donahue Show and was popularized by the...
hosted by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress Ricki Lake
Ricki Lake
Ricki Pamela Lake is an American actress, producer, and television host. She is best known for her starring role as Tracy Turnblad in the original Hairspray, her ground-breaking documentary film The Business of Being Born, and her talk show which was broadcasted internationally from...
.
The show specialized in sensationalist topics involving invited guests and incorporated questions and comments from a studio audience. It was taped at the Chelsea Studios
Chelsea Studios
Chelsea Studios is a television studio and sound stage at 221 West 26th Street in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City.-History:The building was originally an armory that was home to Ninth Mounted Calvary which moved to 14th Street in 1914....
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
The show debuted in syndication on September 13, 1993 and ended first-run episodes on May 25, 2004, though the series continued in reruns through the summer until August 27, 2004. The show was renewed for the 2004–2005 TV season, but Lake decided not to continue with the show, opting to spend more time with her family. Sony did not issue any comments when the show was cancelled.
In October 2005, Broadcasting & Cable
Broadcasting & Cable
Broadcasting & Cable magazine is a television industry trade magazine published by NewBay Media. Previous names included Broadcasting/Telecasting, Broadcasting and Broadcast Advertising, and Broadcasting...
magazine reported that Lake might return to do a "new" version of her show. A source said it would be a surprise if there was no deal struck by October 2005. If it were to have happened, it would have likely debuted in September 2006. Lake did not appear at the 2006 NATPE convention to pitch the proposed program to television stations in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in January, 2006, only furthering speculation that there would be no show. In a 2009 interview on CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, she was asked about what was next for her. Lake noted that a follow-up documentary was coming out, and that she was in talks to do another talk show, however this has yet to come to pass. In follow-up interviews since then such as Oprah in 2010, Lake has consistently said "never say never" about hosting a new show, but that she is happy working on other projects. However, in a February 2011 appearance on The View, when asked about doing another show, Ricki said that she "misses the platform" and that when it comes to hosting another show, "that's certainly a possibility."
In 1994, the show was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award
Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming...
for Outstanding Talk Show Host, but The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
won the award. Other awards the show has garnered includes the Gracie Allen Award, PRISM Certificates & Commendations, and many more.
In March 2011 it was reported that three television studios, Twentieth Television, Universal Media Studios and CBS Television Distribution
CBS Television Distribution
CBS Television Distribution is a global television distribution company, formed from the merger of CBS Corporation's two domestic television distribution arms CBS Paramount Domestic Television and King World Productions, including its home entertainment arm CBS Home Entertainment...
, were interested in bringing Lake back to talk television in 2012. This after Lake began appearing on various programs in which she expressed a desire to return to the genre. On April 20, 2011, Lake signed with Twentieth, which will develop her new talk show
The Ricki Lake Show (2012 TV series)
The Ricki Lake Show is an upcoming American first-run syndicated talk show that will be hosted by Ricki Lake, and will mark her much-anticipated return to talk television after leaving the genre in 2004...
, for a September 2012 launch. It will have more of an Oprah-like format than her previous series.
Methodology
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The guests were brought to the television studio and sent to specific "green room
Green room
In British English and American English show business lexicon, the green room is that space in a theatre, a studio, or a similar venue, which accommodates performers or speakers not yet required on stage...
s", inside which they were briefed in more detail on how the show would be taped. One of the producers then sat down with each guest to reiterate the story the guest would tell, including emphasis on various phrases or statements the guest might have made during pre-interviews. Guests were given an appearance and confidentiality contract to sign. Installments were recorded in real-time and took approximately 80 minutes to complete. Lake came into the audience for taped segments, and during the paused portion (where commercial breaks were inserted) she left the audience to consult with producers. The final show was aired approximately one month later.
Phony guests
All guests were warned that if they were discovered to be lying or to be impostors, then they would be sued for the full amount of the production of any one episode of the show. (Each cost about $80,000 to produce.) They were further warned that if they attempted to back out at any time, their plane ticketAirline ticket
An airline ticket is a document, issued by an airline or a travel agency, to confirm that an individual has purchased a seat on a flight on an aircraft. This document is then used to obtain a boarding pass, at the airport...
home would be revoked and they would have to get home on their own. Most of these incidents would result in the guest being escorted off stage, out of the studio, and their trip home cancelled by the production company
Production company
A production company provides the physical basis for works in the realms of the performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, and video.- Tasks and functions :...
.
One example of this incident happened in 2000, during the show's seventh season, when three guests were exposed on-air as phonies after the producers discovered that they fabricated their story and were escorted out by security
Security
Security is the degree of protection against danger, damage, loss, and crime. Security as a form of protection are structures and processes that provide or improve security as a condition. The Institute for Security and Open Methodologies in the OSSTMM 3 defines security as "a form of protection...
. Director Bob McKinnon interrupted Lake during the moment that she was questioning the guests, informing her that there was something she needed to know. So one of the show's producers, Andrew Scher, walked out and showed Lake a note that the ticket agent had faxed to the show. The fax read, "When these people came to pick up their tickets, and I asked them what the show was going to be about, they said the story was about Aaron's boyfriend not having a job and being a bum, just so they can get a free trip to New York." Afterwards, Lake told them that they were busted and the show's security team, Sterling Protective Services, escorted them off the stage, as the audience hollered and chanted Lake's personal name. That installment aired in syndication as Lake warned viewers what would happen if they (the guests) lied to the producers just to get 15 minutes of fame. Ironically, the topic of the installment featuring the aforementioned incident was "Freeloader
Freeloader
The term "Freeloader" in everyday speech refers to a "mooch" or a schnorrer. The technical term for such a person is a free rider.Freeloader may also refer to:* Freeloaders , an electronic music act...
s".
Another example of guests being exposed as phonies happened in the 11th season during the show "Ricki's FPI: Disappearing Husbands", where a woman claimed she had substantial evidence that her "husband" was cheating
Infidelity
In many intimate relationships in many cultures there is usually an express or implied expectation of exclusivity, especially in sexual matters. Infidelity most commonly refers to a breach of the expectation of sexual exclusivity.Infidelity can occur in relation to physical intimacy and/or...
and wanted the show's Foxy Private Investigators (FPI) to track him down and determine if this was true. It was during this segment that the show's producers found out they were making up the story for a free trip to New York, and got them to take lie detector
Lie detection
Lie detection is the practice of attempting to determine whether someone is lying. Activities of the body not easily controlled by the conscious mind are compared under different circumstances. Usually this involves asking the subject control questions where the answers are known to the examiner...
tests, which they failed (though the staff already had a pretty good idea that the guests were trying to scam the show). They still insisted they were not lying and were escorted off the stage by Ricki's security team, Knight Security. Footage of them leaving the studio and walking with suitcase
Suitcase
A suitcase is a general term for a distinguishable form of luggage. It is often a somewhat flat, rectangular-shaped bag with rounded/square corners, either metal, hard plastic or made of cloth, vinyl or leather that more or less keeps its shape. It has a carrying handle on one side and is used...
s to go and get the bus, instead of being taken to the airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
for the flight, was shown during the closing credits.
Popularity around the world
The show was also popular in other countries, especially in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
where it aired on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
, and was aired daily on ITV2
ITV2
ITV2 is a 24 hour, free-to-air entertainment television channel in the United Kingdom owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998, and is available on digital television via satellite, cable, IPTV and terrestrial platforms. The channel has the...
, until 2009. as well as in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, where the show was screened on three channels: the Seven
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
, Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
and pay TV-exclusive W Channel. The show was also successful in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, where it aired on SBS6
SBS6
SBS 6 is a commercial TV channel in the Netherlands owned by Sanoma and Talpa Holding . Other channels of the group in the Netherlands are NET 5 and Veronica.- History :SBS stands for Scandinavian Broadcasting System...
. Even though it has been out of production since 2004, the show is still screened in various places around the world such as Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
(on TV3
TV3 (Sweden)
TV3 is a television channel targeted at a Swedish language audience owned by Viasat . It was founded on 31 December 1987 by entrepreneur Jan Stenbeck as joint Scandinavian channel, but Denmark and Norway soon got their own versions of TV3...
), South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
.
Production/distribution
Garth AncierGarth Ancier
Garth Ancier is a media executive best known for being one of only two people to have programmed three of the five US broadcast television networks .He is the former President of BBC Worldwide America and...
and Gail Steinberg were the original executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
s. Michael Rourke moved into the executive producer role in 2002, during the 9th season, with Michelle Mazur, a former producer in the '90s of the show, moved into the role of co-executive producer at the start of the 10th season.
The theme was written by Jellybean Benítez.
The show was produced by The Garth Ancier Company and was distributed by Columbia Pictures Television Distribution
Columbia Pictures Television
Columbia Pictures Television was the second name of the Columbia Pictures television division Screen Gems . The studio changed its name on September 4, 1974.-1974-1982:...
(1993–1996), then by Columbia TriStar Television Distribution
Columbia TriStar Television
Columbia TriStar Television was the third name of the television studio Screen Gems, named after its then-current 1991 home video division....
(1996–2001), Columbia TriStar Domestic Television (2001–2002), and Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television, Inc. is an American and global television production/distribution subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment. In turn, the latter is part of the Japanese conglomerate Sony.-Background:...
(2002–2004).
Topicality
Lake's talk show sometimes covered serious topics, including domestic violence ("Bad Men, Desperate Woman"), homeless people who live in the NYC subway system ("The Catacomb People") and "Teens on Death Row". Lake also took on shows that dealt with women who were members of the Ku Klux KlanKu Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
, and during a show involving marijuana, she learned that three guests were using the substance just moments after they walked on to the set as she was about to interview them. One of Lake's most memorable and controversial confrontations would happen during the first season in 1993, when she found herself dealing with Reverend Fred Phelps
Fred Phelps
Fred Waldron Phelps, Sr. is an American pastor heading the Westboro Baptist Church , an independent Baptist church based in Topeka, Kansas...
in a show that involved targeting anyone who carries the AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
virus and why they deserve to die. (Phelps and his followers from Westboro Baptist Church
Westboro Baptist Church
The Westboro Baptist Church is an independent Baptist church known for its extreme stance against homosexuality and its protest activities, which include picketing funerals and desecrating the American flag. The church is widely described as a hate group and is monitored as such by the...
in Topeka, Kansas
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
had been picketing at funerals for AIDS victims across the United States, leading to several states to enact laws prohibiting or restricting groups from coming within a certain distance of the funerals.) When Phelps and his son tried to take over the set, a furious and insulted Lake ordered the Phelps family to leave the studio. During the commercial break, the two were forced off the set by the producers and escorted out of the building by security midway during the show.
Satire
Lake's talk show has often been the butt of satireSatire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
. It was repeatedly parodied during the 1990s on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
, with male cast member Jay Mohr
Jay Mohr
Jay Mohr is an American actor and stand up comedian. He is known for his role as Professor Rick Payne in the TV series Ghost Whisperer, the title role in the CBS sitcom Gary Unmarried, which ran from 2008 to 2010, and the back-stabbing sports agent Bob Sugar in Jerry Maguire.-Early life:Mohr was...
impersonating Lake in drag
Drag (clothing)
Drag is used for any clothing carrying symbolic significance but usually referring to the clothing associated with one gender role when worn by a person of another gender. The origin of the term "drag" is unknown, but it may have originated in Polari, a gay street argot in England in the early...
. In addition, it was mentioned in the chorus of the hit 1998 song "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)
Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)
-Australia CD Maxi:-Europe CD Maxi:-Composition and lyrics:Beginning with a sample of the pseudo-German nonsense phrase "Gunter glieben glauchen globen" from Def Leppard's song "Rock of Ages," chanted as a replacement for the traditional "1, 2, 3, 4" to start the recording, the song ridicules a...
" by The Offspring
The Offspring
The Offspring is an American punk rock band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1984. Known as Manic Subsidal until 1986, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Dexter Holland, lead guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman, bassist Greg K. and drummer Pete Parada...
: "So if you don't rate, just overcompensate, at least you'll know you can always go on Ricki Lake." It is also mentioned in the 2004 hit by Australian band Butterfingers, "I Love Work", as well as "Strong" by Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
, "Hole in the Head
Hole in the Head
"Hole in the Head" is a dance-pop song performed by Sugababes, released in October 2003 as the lead single from their third studio album Three...
" by Sugababes
Sugababes
The Sugababes are an English pop girl group based in London, consisting of members Heidi Range, Amelle Berrabah and Jade Ewen. The Sugababes were formed in 1998 with founding members Siobhán Donaghy, Mutya Buena and Keisha Buchanan. Their debut album, One Touch, was released in 2000 under London...
and "Little White Lie" by Tanya Stephens
Tanya Stephens
Vivienne Tanya Stephens, better known by her stage name Tanya Stephens is an influential reggae artist who emerged in the late 1990s...
. The female group Shooter also mentioned the show in their song, "Life's a Bitch" ("Everybody's tellin' all, baring their souls, just to go on The Ricki Lake Show"). It was also mentioned in an episode of the TV show Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
entitled "Peter, Peter, Caviar Eater
Peter, Peter, Caviar Eater
"Peter, Peter, Caviar Eater" is the first episode of season two of Family Guy, originally aired on Fox on September 23, 1999. It guest-stars Robin Leach as himself, and Fairuza Balk as Connie D'Amico...
", in which Brian, attempting to rehabilitate Peter in the ways of a gentleman, electrically shocks Peter every time he looks at a television showing an episode of Ricki Lake. In the WB series Gilmore Girls
Gilmore Girls
Gilmore Girls is an American family comedy-drama series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. On October 5, 2000, the series debuted on The WB and was cancelled in its seventh season, ending on May 15, 2007 on The CW...
, Rory mentions feeling like she is on The Ricki Lake Show, with Lorelai then replying, "Go, Rory! Go, Rory!" The music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for the song "Perfect Match" by the hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
group Cella Dwellas
Cella Dwellas
Cella Dwellas are an underground hip hop duo from Flatbush, Brooklyn, consisting of emcees UG and Phantasm. The group is largely known for their dark beats and excellent lyricism...
is largely a satire
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
of Lake's shows about cheating spouses.