A New Era for Ricki Lake

By Jo Cavallo

07/16/2002 at 01:00 PM EDT

Ricki Lake, now 33 and the mother of two young sons, will celebrate the tenth season of her syndicated talk show, "Ricki," by changing the format to reflect both the host's and the show's growing maturity, reports Variety. While the show will continue its single-issue talk format, topics will not be as conflict-driven as they have been in the past. "We want the show to be a place in the afternoon or late morning where women can let down their hair, kick up their heels and talk about topics that are important to them, from relationships to sex, to women overcoming odds, while keeping the surprising elements that have been the signature of 'Ricki,'" executive producer Michael Rourke told the paper. "We're refocusing a lot on Ricki herself," Rourke added. "She's going to become more involved out in the field, doing interviews and covering topics that are based on her interests and curiosity." The new season begins Sept. 16.