Actress Ricki Lake, known for her breakout role in the film “Hairspray” at the age of 18, recently revealed that she experienced homelessness in her early 20s. During an appearance on the “I Choose Me with Jennie Garth” podcast on October 8, Lake admitted that while the 1988 film brought her success, she faced financial troubles after encountering a career setback.
Lake shared that when she was around 21 or 22 years old, her career came to a halt when she didn’t land a major role she had been hoping for. As a result, she lost between $200,000 and $300,000 during that time. However, going through this experience taught her the value of money.
The actress explained how devastating it was to go from making a lot of money to having nothing and being homeless for a short period of time. She had to give up her house but expressed gratitude for the humbling experience since she didn’t have a family to support at that time.
Lake believes that her weight also played a role in not getting certain roles. In response, she decided to go on an extreme diet and lost 100 pounds. She felt that controlling her physicality and taking care of herself were things within her power.
In the 1990s, Lake’s hosting gig on the popular daytime talk show “Ricki Lake” lifted her out of poverty. The show ran for 11 years and received a Daytime Emmy Award nomination. She later launched another talk show called “The Ricki Lake Show,” which won her first Daytime Emmy Award as an outstanding talk show host.
Currently married to Ross Burningham since their wedding in 2022 after two years of dating, Lake says she is in the best place physically and emotionally in life. The couple embarked on a weight-loss journey together using intermittent fasting, keto dieting, and joint exercises like Pilates.
Despite being suggested medication like Ozempic by her doctor for weight loss purposes due to being overweight previously struggled with weight issues before), Lake opted for lifestyle changes instead. She dropped 35 pounds by making it into a job and finding joy in maintaining this new lifestyle.