Farewell to "The Tyra Show"

"The Tyra Show," Tyra Banks' talk show, aired its final episode today. To many people, that means absolutely nothing. To many other bitter people, that means good news. But I came to love "The Tyra Show" after discovering it late in the game and found it to fill a void in daytime TV.

The show premiered in 2005 and focused often on issues in the lives of women. However, she also interviewed celebrities and politicians, conducted social experiments, and (like any good talk show host) gave away prizes. The show has won many awards including multiple Emmys.

On a personal level, I discovered "The Tyra Show" only last year. Maybe 'discovered' isn't the right word, though, as I was aware of the show prior to this time, but hadn't actually watched it. But a year ago my schedule changed and I suddenly had some free time when the show aired. I started out watching "Dr. Phil" at that timeslot, because I just can't resist some good old-fashioned straight talk via a Texas accent. But as I flipped through the channels, I found Tyra Banks and her show. At first, I dismissed it, as many people do, as a frivolous "Oprah-lite" about stupid things like makeup and fashion. She was a model, after all. But as I tuned in more often, I found her show to be more than just that. In Tyra, I got something I never got from watching Oprah. I felt like I was watching a real person, not the Queen of the World. Tyra didn't stay hidden behind a gorgeous facade of "The Host and Supermodel." From showing us her natural hair, to taking off her makeup, to talking about her own cellulite and strechmarks, to discussing personal hygiene and women's health issues, I never got the feeling like I was watching some pretty supermodel talk down to me from her tower of superiority. I felt like I was hanging out with a real human being, a real woman, who has the same struggles and questions as the rest of us.

This comes across as more maudlin than I had expected, but I really was surprised how much I enjoyed her and her show. I expected her to come across as fake and conceited when she really wasn't. As a woman in the 18-34 demographic she's so popular with, as she pointed out today, I felt like this talk show better than any other addressed issues relevant to my life. My favorite segments were always the ones where she had the audience ask questions of a panel of guests, normally about health, hygiene or relationships. They were questions that people never discuss, especially not in the public forum. It was fun to hear questions that sounded really weird, awkward, and bizarre when it turned out that most other girls had these questions too.

I know this all sounds cliche - female empowerment, finding your inner beauty, a glamorous supermodel understanding the problems of normal, everyday people, etc. But I'm not afraid to gush, because I think Tyra deserves the praise and respect for her show. Yes, there were plenty of shows that were sensational or not the best, but you can say that about a lot of talk shows. There were times I found her irritating, there were times I couldn't manage to give a damn about the things she was talking about, but then I just switched channels. I'm a woman, but I'm not so girly I want to watch an entire show about 'finding the perfect pair of jeans.' There's a lot of criticism of her show being too self-indulgent, but come on! It's her show! She's allowed to talk about herself on her own television show! I don't find her as egotistical as other people do, just very confident, outgoing, and extroverted. There are certainly bigger egos in this business than her.

Some highlights from her last show:

• Hearing what she's doing next. I'm not a Tyra stalker or anything, and never really watched "America's Next Top Model," but I was curious. She's going to be focusing on making movies and books.


• Hearing her say "kiss my fat ass" again, after the whole scandal about her looking "fat" in a bathing suit a while back.


• Her explanation of all the things going on at once in a talk show. I have no idea how hosts do it! As she went through each thing she had to pay attention to: the guest, the audience, the teleprompter, the cue cards, her personal notes, the clock, etc I was even more impressed. I knew hosts had to deal with a lot of things going on at once, but it was still fun to see her describe them all and what it's like from her perspective.


• Her talking about how important it was to have a show with her taking off her makeup. I loved hearing her say that she "doesn't wake up looking like this!" It's understandable that guests would be intimidated by her since she's incredibly gorgeous, so I loved when she revealed things like this.


• Her emotional comment about people not taking her seriously in the beginning of her show, when she was told that her show wouldn't last and she was just a model. It's the feminist in me, I know, that loved her talking about wanting to be taken seriously and not just dismissed as a beautiful but brainless woman.