Tamron Hall Reveals Which Talk Show Predecessors She Looks to for Inspiration

In her long and varied TV career, Tamron Hall has been a local news reporter, an MSNBC anchor and, most famously, cohost of Today‘s 9am hour with Al Roker from 2014 to 2017.

After she left NBC, the award-winning journalist says she thought, “Why not bring all these sides of my career to one show?” The result: a syndicated series executive produced by Bill Geddie, formerly of The View.

Hall says she will feature “people who have stories that viewers will find inspiring — people who will help you pull through when you’re down on your luck,” whether they are celebrities or regular folks.

She is also open to having guests who hold views different from her own: “My mind-set is that we may not always see eye to eye, but we can always talk about it.”

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She credits predecessors such as Oprah Winfrey (“the greatest ever”) and Phil Donahue (“[he was] about people, not a formula”) for their influence but looks to the 1961–82 variety series The Mike Douglas Show for inspiration. “You’d see interesting combinations of people,” Hall explains.

“One day he’d have John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and the next Muhammad Ali in an explosive debate about race relations. Mike was provocative without being tabloid, funny without being goofy and interesting without trying too hard. That’s the sweet spot I want my show to hit.”

Tamron Hall, Series Premiere, Monday, September 9, syndicated (check your local listings)