Ricki Lake had one of the most popular daytime talk shows of the 1990s. After 11 years, however, the “Dancing With the Stars” alum decided to step away amid a major life change.
Why Ricki Lake Quit Her Talk Show
Lake appeared on the Monday, April 27, episode of “On Par With Maury Povich” where she opened up about her decision to end her popular talk show in 2004.
“I could have done it for probably a decade longer,” Lake told Povich — who also had a popular talk show during the same time. “I made that choice.”
She went on to say that the September 11 terror attack in New York City largely contributed to her decision.
“9/11 was a huge trajectory shift in my life,” Lake explained. “Every aspect of my life changed from witnessing that experience that day from my West Village apartment.”
Lake was just 33 years old at the time, raising her two children with husband Rob Sussman in NYC.
“I was so freaked out watching that plane fly down the Hudson and hit that building. I had a 2 month old and a 4 year old. So I was a lactating new mother protecting my cubs, you know?” Lake continued. “I mean, I just felt like the world was coming to an end that day. And I said to myself — I had an epiphany on the roof of my building as I watched it all unfold — that I would leave New York.”
She added, “I would leave my job and I would ultimately leave my marriage. And it took a lot of planning. It took a couple years to finish my contract. I couldn’t [immediately] walk away from my show, but I knew I wasn’t going to renew beyond the term that I had agreed to.”
Ricki Lake’s Family Life
Lake was married to Rob Sussman from 1994 until they split in 2004. The pair share two children, sons Milo, born in March 1997, and Owen, born in June 2001.
Following her divorce, Lake relocated to the West Coast, where she met Christian Evans. The couple eloped in April 2012. However, their marriage would not last. Lake filed for divorce in October 2014. Evans tragically took his own life in February 2017.
“I found true love with my husband who passed so I’m hoping to find love again,” Lake told People in October 2018. “I don’t think I will. I’m open to it, but I think what I had — I was so lucky to have found that, it’s what everybody wants in life.”
She continued, “I had true, unconditional love so I’d like to have something along those lines again,” she continued. “But I feel like lightning doesn’t strike twice.”
The “Serial Mom” star would find love again with lawyer Ross Burningham. The couple tied the knot in January 2022 after a whirlwind romance.
“I was naked in the jacuzzi with my man on the first night that we’re in my new Malibu home,” she told “Watch What Happens Live” host Andy Cohen in February 2021 of Burningham’s proposal. “So it was romantic. It was very spontaneous and I couldn’t be happier.”
