Sally Jessy Raphael facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sally Jessy Raphael
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Sally Jessy Raphael in 2012
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| Born |
Sally Ray Lowenthal
February 25, 1935 Easton, Pennsylvania, U.S.
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| Occupation | Talk show host |
| Years active | 1959–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Andrew Vladimir
(m. 1956; div. 1963)Karl Soderland
(m. 1963; died 2020) |
Sally Lowenthal (born February 25, 1935), known as Sally Jessy Raphael, is an American TV host. She is most famous for her talk show Sally. This show was originally called The Sally Jessy Raphael Show.
Contents
Early Life and School
Sally Lowenthal was born on February 25, 1935, in Easton, Pennsylvania. She went to Easton Area High School and graduated there. She also lived in San Juan, Puerto Rico, for a while. Her father, Jesse Lowenthal, worked in the rum business. Her mother, Zelda Lowenthal, ran an art gallery. Sally has a younger brother named Steven.
During her teenage years, she lived in Scarsdale, New York. One of her first jobs was at a local AM radio station, WFAS. She read the news for a show made by and for junior high students. Sally went to Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She also studied at the University of Puerto Rico in San Juan. She learned acting from Sanford Meisner in New York City.
She chose her mother's maiden name, Raphael, for her professional name. She added "Jessy" from her father's family name.
Career Journey
Starting in News and Radio
After finishing school at Columbia University, Sally became a news reporter. She covered Central America because she spoke both English and Spanish fluently. This helped her work for big news companies like Associated Press (A.P.) and United Press International (U.P.I.). She also gained a lot of experience in Puerto Rico. There, she worked in both radio and television. One of her first TV jobs was hosting a cooking show.
While working in radio, she met Karl Soderlund. He became her second husband. He was the general manager of a radio station that hired her. After he lost his job, they moved to Miami, Florida. In Miami, Sally worked as a radio announcer. She became friends with Larry King, who later became a very famous talk show host.
Sally's early career was not always easy. She often said that she moved between many different stations. She worked as a disc jockey, news reporter, and interviewer. She worked at 24 stations and was fired from 18 of them! In the early 1980s, she started a call-in advice show on WMCA in New York City. She even appeared as herself in an episode of The Equalizer TV series.
Becoming a Talk Show Host
Sally's husband, Karl Soderlund, became her manager. He helped her with her biggest successes. She hosted a radio advice show called NBC Talknet from 1981 to 1987. But she is most famous for her TV talk show, The Sally Jessy Raphael Show. It later became known simply as Sally. This show aired from October 17, 1983, to May 24, 2002.
A producer named Maurice Tunick heard her radio show. He gave her a chance to try out on TV in Washington, D.C. She decided to give advice and talk about relationship problems. Soon, her advice show was on over 200 radio stations. She gained many loyal fans.
One of her fans was the famous talk show host Phil Donahue. He heard her show and liked how she connected with her audience. His encouragement led to a TV tryout. A producer named Burt Dubrow gave her a chance to guest host his talk show. People who loved her radio show were excited to see her on TV. Her friendly and sensible style appealed to Dubrow. By October 1983, she had her own half-hour show in St. Louis. This was the start of her successful TV career.
Sally became known for her large red-framed glasses. This look started by accident. For her first TV news job, she needed reading glasses quickly. She bought the only pair she could find, which were red. Her bosses didn't like them, but the audience did. So, she kept wearing them.
By 2000, her show's popularity began to decrease. In March 2002, it was announced that her show would end after 18 years. In 2002, Talkers Magazine named Sally Jessy Raphael one of the 25 Greatest Radio Talk Show Hosts of all time. She was also named one of the 25 Greatest Television Talk Show Hosts of all time. She was one of only three people to be on both lists.
From about 2005 to 2008, she hosted a daily radio show called Sally Jessy Raphael on Talknet. This show was on the Internet and local radio stations. She ended the show on July 7, 2008.
On November 10, 2010, Sally Jessy Raphael appeared as a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Other famous talk show hosts like Phil Donahue and Geraldo Rivera were also guests.
In 1993, Sally offered to introduce radio host Rush Limbaugh into the Radio Hall of Fame. During her speech, she shared her different views about him. This caused some discussion.
In 2014, Sally hosted a web series called Sally Jessy Rides for Logo. In 2024, she made a small appearance in an episode of Everybody Still Hates Chris.
Personal Life
Sally Jessy Raphael first married Andrew Vladimir in 1956. They divorced seven years later. They had two daughters, Allison and Andrea. She also has two grandsons, Max and Kyle.
She married Karl Soderlund in 1963. He later became her manager. They had one adopted son, Jason, and three foster children. They were married for 57 years until Karl passed away in 2020.
