The undisputed queens of ’90s daytime talk shows — see their lives and VERY different looks today

Ricki Lake worked as host on her self-titled talk show between 1993 and 2004, debuting when Ricki was just 24 years old. She’d already broken into mainstream fame in John Waters’ 1988 musical Hairspray and appearances on Late Night with David Letterman. While other hosts in the ’90s appealled to an older demographic, Ricki Lake was targeted at younger audiences. 

In 2012, she returned to the world of talk shows, earning a Daytime Emmy for The Ricki Lake Show. Today, she’s still using her hosting talents for podcast The High Life with Ricki Lake, discussing midlife, divorce and wellbeing, as well as working as a producer with projects like The Business of Birth Control.

Oprah Winfrey’s talk show has brought viewers plenty of iconic on-screen moments, from Tom Cruise’s couch-jumping as he declared his love for Katie Holmes to gifting each of her audience members with a brand new Pontiac G6 in 2004.

Her iconic talk show wrapped in 2011 and she’s since published several books including, What I Know for Sure (2014) – a collection of essays from O, The Oprah Magazine – The Wisdom of Sundays (2017) and Enough: Your Health, Your Weight, and What It’s Like To Be Free (2026).

The comedian hosted The Jenny Jones Show for 12 seasons, debuting in 1991 and cutting cameras in 2003. Former actress Jenny Jones turned her attention to several typical talk show topics, including paternity tests and teenage bullying.

Nowadays, she’s focusing her energy on a quieter life with her partner Denis McCallion, sharing occasional updates on her website including birthday photos, Christmas poems and pictures of produce from the garden.

Known for her iconic red glasses, Sally Jessy Raphael covered every talk show topic under the sun, from tabloid tales to teen troubles and celebrity interviews alongside everyday stories. The show ran for a total of 23 seasons, airing from 1983 to 2002.

Now retired, the 91-year-old is still occasionally shares updates on her life, including a 2026 episode on her YouTube channel taking a look back at promotional videos for her famous talk show.

The Rosie O’Donnell Show ran between 1996 and 2002, crowning the host the Queen of Nice. The talk show lasted 1193 episodes across 6 seasons and won five Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Talk Show. When her bank account reached $100 million, the star host stepped back to focus on her family and philanthropy efforts.

She’s since relocated from New York to Ireland with her youngest child Clay, sharing TikTok videos talking on politics and parenting as well as guest-hosting Jimmy Kimmel Live!. It’s clear Rosie hasn’t run out of energy – if anything, she’s even more of a talking talent today.

Emmy Award-winning host Leeza Gibbons had several hits through the ’90s, working as a co-host for Entertainment Tonight and creating her own talk show Leeza, which ran between 1993 and 2000. 

She’s not hung up the microphone just yet, working as host and executive producer of Remarkable Women, a celebration of women’s contribution to local communities. Leeza also focuses her time and efforts on advocacy as the founder of Leeza’s Care Connection, a charity providing support for the families of those with Alzheimer’s.

Rolonda ran for just four seasons across three years, from 1994 to 1997, but made an impact on the talk show scene that’s remembered to this day. It tackled all of the typical talk show topics but also investigated then-taboo subjects such as sex work and exploitative street recruitment. 

Rolonda has recently appeared on screen in comedy series Mind Your Business and Netflix’s Survival of the Thickest, as well as voice acting in Adult Swim’s animated series Invincible Fight Girl in 2025.