Oops, now you notice how my kitchen is, right?

 

I was used to from one wrong thing after another. I’m talking about the fighting allinis. I didn't even know who they were. I was calling them the Illinis. And it was a total mess. But I got through it. I got through it. I got through it, and came off thinking, you know what, I should’ve asked them what the show was about.

 

First of all, there’s no audience.

 

We’ll be right back to talk to you in a moment.

 

So we got to get somebody. So we pull people from the building. We go downstairs on State Street and beg people to come up in exchange for heat. "Come in, it's warm. We’ll give you some coffee" And then we add some donuts. You know, I would stop at Dunkin' Donuts in the morning myself, pick up the donuts for the audience.

 

What a group. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Good morning and welcome to AM Chicago, and what a morning it is!

 

We were successful immediately. We were so successful, so quickly, it was stunning, even to me. The day after the first show, I walked across the street, and everybody knew who I was. I don't mean just some people. I mean everybody.

 

Can I shake your hands? Hi, Honey, how are you?

 

Hi, Oprah! How are you?

 

So I thought something just happened. I’m not sure what it was, but something just happened.

 

Hello!

 

Hi, how are you?

 

You know, when I think about it, it is crazy. Nobody, including the Donahue people, I’m sure when they turned on the air and saw me on there, they chuckled. No, they had a big belly laugh, until the second or third day. Actually we beat them the first day. I beat them the very first day.

 

Reggie Wells who still does my make-up today. The third day I was on the air. I walked across the street and he was working behind the make-up counter. Reggie was like, "Hey, girl, you are that girl on TV? You are that new girl on TV?" I said, "Yeah, you got it.” "Come here, let me do you a make-up." And so, I stopped for a free make-up sample to this day. They’ll give me a call and a free make-up sample. And, girl, you know, you let me do your make-up everyday. So I love hiring Reggie Wells. And I think Andre had seen my, Andre came about a year later, coz he'd seen me on TV and sent a note, sent me flowers, sent me a note or something that said “He’d loved to get his hands on my hair”, and twenty years later, he still is.