If you are in need of a deliciously guilty pleasure this summer, then VH1’s Daytime Divas is your answer! The hot new scripted series has been on everyone’s lips for some time now, and last night the stars of the show came out for its highly anticipated premiere which took place at the beautiful Whitby Hotel in Midtown East. Vanessa Williams, Star Jones, Kelly Osbourne and more were in attendance to dish about this incredibly series about what goes on behind the scenes at a popular daytime talk show called “The Lunch Hour”.
On Daytime Divas, the owner of the left chair, otherwise known as the “head honcho” is Maxine Robinson, effortlessly played by the iconic Vanessa Williams. During the premiere last night (which was beyond fabulous), we get to see that Maxine is definitely the bus driver of her group of five women and has soft spots for some and vilification for others. When chatting with Ms. Williams, I asked her three words to describe Maxine as a whole. She said “fearless, inquisitive, and courageous”. If the first episode is any indication that she is going to go THROUGH IT this season, then I can’t wait to see what happens to her character next.
The ever so handsome and talented McKinley Freeman (who many of us know from “Hit the Floor”) plays Maxine’s stepson Shawn on the show, who is the one behind the camera during each episode and the one having to deal with the variety of personalities on and off the camera. When I asked him what his favorite part of doing this show was, he said “I’ve been happy to work with VH1 for years, but beyond that the opportunity to work with Vanessa and Tichina is simply incredible”.
One of the other girls on Daytime Divas who I really enjoyed meeting was Camille Guaty, who plays Nina on the show. Nina is definitely the educated intellect of the group, who has a Nobel Prize under her belt but has a ton of problems beyond the cameras. When I asked her how she got involved with this project, she said “The casting director actually has been a champion of mine for a long time. She talked to me about this role five months before I ended up getting it. I was unavailable when she called me into audition, so I had to say no at that point. Finally at the last minute, something happened and she is like listen “can you just come in at such and such a date? Please tell me you are free!” We were able to work it out, and I got it! This was on my mind for five months, FIVE MONTHS! So I’m very fortunate to get it.
The stunning and gorgeous Chloe Bridges is another panel member of “The Lunch Spot”, where she plays Kibby Ainsley, a former child star who has had a history with run-ins with the law. That issue plays a big part in the first episode of the show in dealing with her temptations to stay the right path and not get in trouble again. Similar to Vanessa’s question, I asked her three words to describe Kibby. She said “Fun, first and foremost. She is a little bit of a trainwreck but she’s well intentioned. Finally she is very friendly, and sexually fluid!”
(Almost) rounding out the panel (Tichina Arnold was not in attendance), is Fiona Gubelmann who plays Heather Flynn-Kellog on the show. Heather is the conservative Christian type, who has her values yet her home life seems to be a huge disaster in so many different proportions. “When I first read the script, I loved it and I loved my character Heather. She is someone who I don’t necessarily agree with, with everything she does, or her viewpoints, but she is a strong woman who loves her family and herself”.
Also in attendance last night was America’s Next Top Model star Jay Manuel, Kelly Osbourne (who has an upcoming cameo on the show), producer Janet Mock and many more. I hope you all love the Daytime Divas premiere as much as I did! The show premieres this Monday, June 5th on VH1. For more information on Daytime Divas, check out their official site.