The Real is ending and one of its hosts is discussing the show coming to a close.
After eight seasons and several co-host changes, the show was canceled. Loni Love has shared her sadness about the show no longer being on the air, saying that she believes the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is what killed the show. Now, Jeannie Mai is speaking out.
She says the show was unprecedented
Mai has been on the show since its inception in 2013. The show was promoted as the first daytime talk show featuring a diverse group of hosts targeted at millennials. For that reason, Mai, 43, says it’s difficult for her to see the show go.
“It’s hard because the show was the first of its kind. When you have a show that is by minority voices for minority voices, I gotta say, I didn’t have a show like that when I started,” she told Entertainment Tonight.
“And even today I’m like, ‘Where can I go that has such a great culmination of different aspects and women’s perspectives that come from different lives and cultures?’ Especially as an Asian woman, I don’t see that representation enough,” she added. “So, for me getting off that show was hard because I still think we need a show like that. So, if we open doors for other shows like that to be in production, I’m excited about that. I wanna see that happen.”
The fashionista admits it was a tough job, especially because she didn’t have a model
Mai made history as one of the first Vietnamese American hosts on a daytime talk show. Though she’s proud of that feat, she says it came without a blueprint.
“When people ask me, ‘What’s it like being one of the only Vietnamese Americans in TV?’ it feels lonely,” she shared. “It doesn’t feel great. I want to open that up more for the AAPI community. At the same time, I’m proud of The Real for what we did. We were iconic.”
Her bond with her co-stars remains tightknit
Despite the show ending, Mai says the one thing that doesn’t change is her friendship with her co-hosts. The show currently features hosts Loni Love, Adrienne Bailon, and Garcelle Beauvais – Beauvais joined as a replacement to Amanda Seales who was only on the show for six months. Mai, Bailon, and Love have worked together for the past eight years.
“We keep in touch, we have our text thread,” she said. “I think that’s the greatest, and from here, like, the girls, they’re gonna soar. J-Money, Garcelle, Adrienne, Loni. It’s not the end of seeing them.”
