Once a familiar face on daytime TV in the 80s and 90s, Sally Lowenthal, better known as Sally Jessy Raphael, is facing an unexpected challenge these days: people aren’t recognizing her like they used to.
The legendary talk show host recently took to Instagram to share her frustration after the social media platform refused to verify her account, even after she provided proof of her identity.
“So, Instagram doesn’t want to give me my blue check – no matter what proof I send them,” the 89-year-old posted, alongside a picture of a giant blue checkmark. “AND there’s a fake account called ‘realsallyjr’, and that’s NOT ME! Help me let Instagram know, so we can fix this.”
Sally Jessy Raphael became a household name when she began hosting The Sally Jessy Raphael Show—later simply called Sally—in October 1983.
Her show, which ran until May 2002, was one of the first to feature audience participation, paving the way for future female talk show hosts, including Oprah, whose own show premiered three years after Sally’s.
During her 20 seasons on air, Sally interviewed countless celebrities, but one guest stood out above the rest—Audrey Hepburn. “I was so awestruck, I could hardly ask a question. Everything she did, I admired. Everything she had done in her life I found to be exemplary,” she told the Daily Mail.
Sally’s signature style has always been unmistakable, especially her iconic red glasses. The story behind those glasses is as memorable as the glasses themselves. When she first started filming The Sally Jessy Raphael Show, she realized she couldn’t see the teleprompter.
“When we started, I looked at the teleprompter and I said, ‘I can’t read that! I’m going blind!’ ”
In her search for a new prescription, she came across an ad offering an eye test, glasses, and a Pap smear. Despite the odd combination, she booked the appointment. The only catch? The only frames they had in her prescription were red.
“You got it,” Sally said, choosing the red glasses that would become her trademark.
However, she didn’t expect the pushback from her show’s producers. “I had to fight to have the glasses. Producers tried to change them. Those shadowy figures objected to everything.”
But Sally stood her ground, and now she owns over 200 pairs of those iconic red glasses.
Despite her long career and iconic status, Sally’s Instagram following remains modest, with less than 650 followers as of August 2. But even though her follower count might not rival other talk show hosts, her fans are fiercely loyal and vocal.
One fan commented, “The Icon, the Legend of daytime TV, Ms. Sally Jessy Raphael needs her Blue Check Mark ?” Another wrote, “That’s pretty crazy that someone as famous as you are is having trouble with being recognized.
I’m trying to understand what the issue is though.” And another suggested, “We should flood your feed with blue hearts—it’s so much better than a blue checkmark!”
Many still remember watching Sally on TV, and her fans are eager to show their support. Do you remember Sally Jessy Raphael?
Let us know in the comments!
