Ricki Lake is finally revealing the personal moment that pushed her to walk away from her hugely successful daytime talk show, Ricki Lake, which ran from 1993 to 2004 and became one of the most-watched shows of its era — second only to Oprah Winfrey in ratings at its peak.
Speaking on the On Par with Maury Povich podcast, Lake explained that while she could have continued her show for many more years, a life-changing event altered her priorities completely.
The Moment Everything Changed
Lake said the turning point came on September 11, 2001, when she witnessed the attacks from her West Village apartment in New York City.
“9/11 was a huge trajectory shift in my life,” she said. “I was so freaked out watching that plane fly down the Hudson.”
At the time, Lake was a new mother with two young children, and she described feeling overwhelmed by fear and instinctively protective.
“I felt like the world was coming to an end that day… I had an epiphany on the roof of my building.”
A Decision That Took Years to Complete
Following that moment, Lake said she made a series of life decisions — including eventually leaving New York, stepping away from her talk show, and ending her marriage.
However, she clarified that she couldn’t leave immediately due to contractual obligations.
“It took a couple of years to finish my contract,” she explained.
By the time Ricki Lake ended in 2004, she transitioned away from television hosting and moved into producing documentaries such as The Business of Being Born.
Looking Back on Her Impact
Despite the difficult period, Lake says she remains proud of what the show accomplished during its run.
“We did so much good for young people… for people who were marginalized and not represented.”
Her guest, Maury Povich, also reflected on her impact, admitting that her arrival in daytime TV created major disruption in the industry.
“Here comes this 23-year-old who gets the youngest audience of us all… we were scared s—less!”
