Ricki Lake, who stole hearts as the original Tracy Turnblad in the 1988 hit 'Hairspray', became a television staple in the late 90s and early 00s with her eponymous daytime talk show. After her star ...

Looking back at the 24-year-old actress she was then, Lake pronounces the 1993 career move "a little bit presumptous," although "Ricki Lake" quickly won over a young-adult audience that wanted a peppy ...

Speaking with PEOPLE exclusively about her journey through acting, talk show hosting and podcasting, Lake opens up about why it's important to her when she connects with her audience and why she ...