This story originally appeared in La Fronde’s Oct. 1 newsletter.
Nischelle Turner made history in 2021 as the first Black woman to co-host ‘Entertainment Tonight’ in the show’s 45-year history. That meant that, with her colleague Kevin Frazier, ET would have two Black co-hosts for the first time.
Of course, Nischelle was elated when she got the news. She spent seven years proving herself as an ET correspondent and was more than ready to make that leap as co-host. But she couldn’t help but wonder: would America accept two Black co-hosts on a nationally syndicated show?
Being a “first” at something can feel at once like an honor and like a massive amount of pressure to set an example for an entire generation. For this week’s Maxed Out, I talked with Nischelle about how that “first” designation changed the way she felt about her job, the celebrity interviews that changed her perception entirely, the self-care habit that’s made the biggest difference in her career, and her favorite corners of the internet that include some of the best podcast recommendations we’ve gotten so far!
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
You grew up on a farm in Missouri, and you've mentioned that it shaped the way you approach work. Can you tell me more about that?
I grew up in rural Missouri, in Columbia, Missouri, but right outside on a farm. We had pigs for a very long time. We raised pigs to send them to slaughter, which sounds so ridiculous, and it is.
I didn't grow up with much, even though we were on the farm. We didn't have money. I was raised an only child, but my mother was one of 11: eight brothers and two sisters. My grandmother lived with us. My aunt lived with us. So I grew up in a multigenerational house, and that shaped who I am today so much, as a person and as a woman. That's where I learned community. That's where I learned that it's family over everything. Our door was always open to anyone. That's how I go forward and live my life now.
Growing up in the country in rural Missouri, what I knew around me was Future Farmers of America. I knew farming. I knew horticulture. And for the most part, there weren't a lot of people who looked like me. I was one of very few Black folks in my school, and definitely where I lived. Black people in my life called me Oreo, which I didn't really care about, because I was a girl who loved country music. I was always a little left of center because I was a nerd and I loved comic books. And because I was an only child, I spent a lot of time by myself. I would create stories and make plays and do all kinds of things because I had to spend time alone.
All of those things helped shape the woman I am today. It turned me into a creative. Growing up as a brown girl loving country music is one of the things that serves me really well in my business today, because the genre is so big and it's authentically something I love. I was a little Black nerd loving comic books, a Marvel kid, and now that's the biggest film franchise there is. All of those things I was told I was weird for back then serve me well in my career now. I always had that "figure it out, you're on your own" attitude, and that translates to now in this business.
You made history as the first Black woman to co-host ET. Did being the “first” change the way you thought about the job once you had it?
I've always known that the distinction of being the first Black woman to host this show was bigger than me. I told the bosses here, when we were talking about it before I was ever given the job, that it means more than just Nischelle Turner being named the host of 'Entertainment Tonight,' because there's a whole generation of little girls out there who never saw themselves. I'm a firm believer that you have to see it in order to start thinking it could happen.
I know I stand on the shoulders of greatness in this business. I start with Carole Simpson, who was a north star for me as a young girl. Then I go to Oprah Winfrey, Robin Roberts, Tamron Hall, Arthel Neville, Gayle King. These women I've always looked to, who I always saw excelling in a space where they were the only one, or one of the only ones, and they all led by this very graceful example.
If I'm being honest, I don't think I ever thought I would get this job, because Kevin [Frazier] was the co-host here, and he's a Black man, and I just didn't think they would name two Black people as hosts of 'Entertainment Tonight.' Maybe that was short-sighted of me. I'll own that. But I didn't know if America was ready for that, because I'd never seen it before. Thankfully, I was proven very wrong. It's not lost on me to this day. I still think about it every single day, how I want to show up in this space, because I don't ever want to be the last Black woman to host this show. As I go into year six of being the host, I'm hoping they're saying, "We made the absolute right decision, and this Black woman is setting the table for so many other brown and Black girls to come and do the same thing."
You've been at 'Entertainment Tonight' a long time and have done so many celebrity interviews. Who is someone you spoke with who left you with a completely different perspective?
Just recently, I sat down and did a career retrospective with Mira Sorvino, which you probably wouldn't expect me to say. I didn't know a ton about her. I knew the movies she did and the television show she did. I knew she was nominated for an Oscar [and won]. But our conversation got really deep and raw and honest, and I really felt like I got to know a side of her I don't think she shows a lot. I became even more of a fan of hers than I ever thought I would be, and I started going down the rabbit hole of Mira Sorvino movies.
Then there's someone who was as advertised, because I always heard she was really nice, and that's Hannah Waddingham. She has fast become my favorite person in Hollywood. I think she embodies womanhood. She embodies what a girl's girl is, everything that's feminine and soft and fantastic about women, what a go-getter is, what a talent is. She's always so lovely and always ready to play, and she's always been vulnerable about being a woman of a certain age who's trying to figure out her happy ending and what that looks like. I identify with that in spades. My heart is full whenever I see her.
Karen Pittman is another one. I went in not really knowing what to think of her, and I've gotten to know her, and I just enjoy her. I think she is so sophisticated and graceful and smart and layered. Lately, she decided to talk about food insecurity and let everyone in on the fact that she was on SNAP and suffered from food insecurity for a very long time in this business. What we see is a front-facing actress who seems to have everything together, and to hear her story of, "I had these two babies. I didn't know if I could feed them. We really struggled." To me, that's the epitome of a woman. I went in not really knowing, and I've come out with a lovely friendship and someone I really respect and admire in this business.
You've talked about your morning prep routine and how it helps you in your job. Out of all your habits, which one has made the biggest difference?
I do have a pretty set routine. I was up at about 4 this morning. The thing that has really done well for me in the last several years is that right when I get up, I don't move. For about 10, 15 minutes, I just sit in silence and think and try to clear my mind, so that when I step out of bed, I'm in the best headspace to tackle the day. I didn't used to be that way. I used to be like, "Okay, here we go." But now I wake up and I just sit. I look into the dark. I say, "Thank you, God, for waking me up again this morning," and I try to prep myself mentally for the day.
Then I tackle the trades and start reading everything, trying to catch up on anything I missed overnight or over the weekend. I really dig in, and I do that for about an hour, an hour and a half in the morning, so when we go into our morning meeting at 7 o'clock, I'm armed with everything I need. Now you also have to go through all the social channels, because there's so much there, so the prep becomes even more. But the mental prep has been really good for me. Centered, settled and ready to work.
One thing we like to ask people for Maxed Out is how much time you spend on your phone per day. Typically, people have said around five-ish hours.
I think likely double that. I live on my phone so much. We constantly have Slacks coming in, emails coming in, text messages going out. I'm constantly making phone calls, trying to call sources and get information about pieces we're doing tonight, or backstage information, like what happened at the VMAs. So for me, I think it's double that time.
When you're not working, where do you like to go on the internet to unwind? Newsletters, podcasts and books are all fair game here!
I do all of those things. I'm obsessed with Carole Radziwill's Substack. I think she's a great writer, and she has a really cute, cool Substack.
I'm a podcast girly. I love a good podcast, and I like a mindless podcast in a lot of ways. Sometimes I'll listen to Oprah's podcast, and you get fed in those ways. But I'm a 'Bitch Sesh' girl. I love Danielle [Schneider] and Casey [Wilson]. They make me really, really giggle, so I listen to them when I want to giggle and get my Bravo fix. There are these two guys, Ronnie Karam and Ben Mandelker, who do a podcast called 'Watch What Crappens,' where they recap Bravo shows, and they're hilarious. 'SmartLess' too. I listen to those guys a lot. In L.A. we're a car culture, so I like to put on podcasts that make me giggle, so I can relax and get the day's mess out of my mind.
My girlfriend Amanda Kloots just started a podcast called 'Good Grief' that I really love. She lost her husband, Nick Cordero, to COVID six years ago, and she decided to do a podcast about grief and how you walk through it and live with it. While I haven't had the experience she had, we've all suffered grief in different ways, so I think it's really interesting hearing other people talk about how it comes to them, how they work through it or sit in it.
Lately, I've been watching old Kennedy Center Honors videos on YouTube because I love music. The ones I love the most: the Aretha Franklin tribute to Carole King. That was beautiful. I've watched that 50,000 times. And the Beyoncé tribute to Tina Turner.
I'm a subscriber to Puck and Status because I'm a political nerd too, and I read those newsletters every day.
I do read a lot. I just finished Tomi Adeyemi's 'Children of Blood and Bone' series, the 'Legacy of Orïsha' series, and I loved it too much. I love sci-fi, and I love that she writes about the sci-fi world in our voice, from people of color. I haven't figured out what I want to read next, but I'm on the hunt. With the holidays coming up, I try to take time to just sit and read, because that's food for my soul.