Ricki Lake reflects on witnessing 9/11 from roof of West Village home

• Ricki Lake witnessed the 11 September attacks from her West Village apartment roof.
• The host prioritised her sons, Milo and Owen, over continuing her television career.
• Ricki Lake appeared on Maury Povich’s podcast to reflect on her talk show’s end.
  

American television host Ricki Lake has revealed the poignant reason behind her decision to quit her iconic 1990s daytime talk show.

During a recent appearance on the On Par with Maury Povich podcast, the 57-year-old actress explained that witnessing the 11 September terrorist attacks was the primary catalyst for her departure.

Although her programme ran from 1993 until 2004, Lake admitted to Povich that "I could have done it for probably a decade longer," had it not been for the life-changing trauma she experienced in New York.

Lake recounted how she watched the tragedy unfold from the roof of her West Village apartment in 2001. "I made that choice. 9/11 was a huge trajectory shift in my life. Every aspect of my life changed from witnessing that experience that day," she noted.

At the time, Lake was a mother to a four-year-old and a two-month-old infant. Describing her maternal instincts, she remarked, "I was a lactating new mother protecting my cubs, you know? I mean, I just felt like the world was coming to an end that day."

The Hairspray star experienced a sudden epiphany on her rooftop, deciding immediately that she had to relocate her family away from the city.

This shift in priorities eventually led to the conclusion of her show while it was still at its commercial peak. Lake shares her two sons, Milo and Owen, with her former husband Rob Sussman.

Following her talk show career, she has continued to work as an actress and documentary filmmaker, focusing on projects related to natural childbirth and women’s health.