Amber Rose doesn't back down from telling it like it is. On her late-night Amber Rose Show, she'll be using her comedic side and life experiences to dish the real on sex awareness and healthy relationships with the help of her audience and celebrity guests. She admits that she's, "an open book," which will be revealed in her candid responses makes personal connections to the some of the show's topics. In the spirit of her 2015 Slut Walk, Rose is steadfast in her mission to educate men and women about the detriments of double standards by encouraging viewers to engage in dialogues beyond the limits of taboos.
Over the phone from Los Angeles, Amber Rose spoke to The FADER about how she found her voice, the impact of her friendship with Blac Chyna and why she didn't take the reality TV route.
Do you remember the moment you found your voice and how?
I definitely know how. What people don’t understand is that when you’re in a relationship and you both are famous, there’s certain things that you feel like you can’t say because it pertains to your partner as well. Anything that I say, it’s like, “Wiz talks about fucking hoes and this and that,” and I felt like I couldn’t say those things at that time because I was with a man that was a musician that spoke about all of those things that I wasn’t comfortable with.
That was difficult but after we separated I felt like, “This is my time to really help women. I have this platform of fame and celebrity, why not use it for something good because I am passionate about it.”
Tell me more about why you decided to start the show.
The thought of doing a talk show kind of started when I started my first Slut Walk, and I was like, “If I’d just had like a bigger voice so people would understand a little bit more of what I’m doing it would be awesome,” and then it just happened like crazy organically. I did The Doctors, which is under Dr. Phil and I did a whole segment about slut shaming. Then after that they watched it and I didn’t even know what was going on and he was like, “You really have a voice. I want to give you your own talk show. I think you’re capable of carrying a talk show by yourself.”
That was a year ago. So, I have a full year of practicing and working with people who’ve been in the industry for 20 plus years and they’ve taught me everything. So now I have a voice to talk about feminism, double standards, and pretty much everything that has to do with sex and relationships. I’m interviewing celebrities and asking them crazy sex questions. It’s really fucking cool.
How are you approaching these topics? Will it be heartfelt? Comedic? Entertainment news based?
It’s definitely a lot of comedy. I like to think I’m a funny chick. I love comedy and I love to laugh. I do have an opening monologue which I think is really cool. I’m going to touch on everything but it’s really just unapologetic and very sex positive. People get very ashamed about talking about sex or what they’re into. Most of the questions that I get from guys are like, “If I do this with a girl, does that make me gay?” Or, “Will she think that I’m gay because I want this?”
It’s like, you’re in a heterosexual relationship or the act of sex can never be gay unless you like guys. A lot of people really don’t understand these simple things, so I have really cool sex therapists that come on. When I’m talking about the slut walk and being a hoe, I’m just embracing those derogatory words that people use towards women to try and put them down for being comfortable in their sexuality. I’m a big advocate on safe sex. I’m a big advocate on masturbation which I believe is the safest sex in the world.
We do a whole segment about internet celebrity gossip but it’s coming from a different perspective because I also live that life. I’m not disconnected from that and I deal with the rumors so I’m letting people know what it’s like to be a celebrity but from a different side. I’m not judging people. It’s a safe place for celebrities to come and I’m going to show them in a positive light but we are going to talk about what’s on the internet.
“I’m an open book, I don’t have any skeletons. I’m not ashamed of my past or my present. I’m not ashamed of anything sexual that I have done.”
Are you going to be primarily focusing on women or men on the show?
My audience is 50/50. So we have questions from half guys and half girls. It’s not just a show for women and it's not just men. Women call each other “hoes,” all the time. So it’s my show now and I’m showing people. A girl could ask, “What’s an appropriate time to have sex with a guy? I don’t want to do it too fast and I don’t want to wait too long and then he goes with somebody else.”
Why are you worried about what how he feels? It’s not about him and what he thinks it’s about what you want. If you want to have sex and protect yourself, then do it. Don’t be concerned about how he feels. If anything you can call him a hoe as well. It’s just a different perspective and people don’t really think about those things.
Will you be covering other topics that you've discussed before like motherhood, parenting and race?
Being a mom and being a single mom reverts back to dating as a single mom. We’ll get those questions like, “When is it appropriate for your boyfriend to meet your new kid?” I refer that back to myself, I’m a single mom. I’m divorced and I’m dating. Then we get into it.
Race, it depends that day but for the most part it would be like maybe a female version of Howard Stern, in a way. So the race issue would be more so like, “Hey, I’m ___ and I’m dating outside of my race and my family feels this way.” We would talk about those things.
How does your personal life influence the topics on the show?
In every single way. I’m an open book, I don’t have any skeletons. I’m not ashamed of my past or my present. I’m not ashamed of anything sexual that I have done. We encourage the audience to chime in and ask questions and then I relate that back to myself. If they ask a crazy question and they feel embarrassed about it, I’ll then say, “I’ve never done that but I’ve always wanted to,” or “I did that plenty of times but it’s fucking great.” It really just depends on the question.
Speaking of your personal life, what does your friendship with Blac Chyna mean for you as a woman? How does it inspire some topics that you want to talk about on the show or with other women?
Me and Chyna have definitely lived very similar lives. We were both dancers and then we fell in love with famous men and we had babies. Our sons are like the same age. It’s just crazy how much we have in common. So yeah, we’ve kind of been through a lot of the same things so that definitely let me know I’m not the only one and we’re not the only two.
There’s girls that go through some of the things that we’ve gone through all over the world. That’s the thing, that’s what makes people connect with me as well. They may not have married a famous guy and had a baby with a famous guy, but they had babies, they got married, got divorced, have kids and now they’re dating. It’s everything that I pretty much relate to.
Will she be on your show? Or will you be on hers?
I can't talk about that. Don't do it girl, don't do it. [Laughs]
Did you ever think about doing a reality show before getting the talk show?
Have I thought about it? Yeah because I thought about it because every single network you can imagine has approached me about a reality show and I’m like, “Ehh, it’s not really my thing.” You have to be happy going to work everyday and I feel like having a reality show would not make me happy.
I’m an open book in a lot of ways when it comes to my life but I like my family to be normal people. I don’t want them to be famous. It’s not something that I’m into.
What excites you the most about Amber Rose Show coming out?
People getting to know me for who I am because they think they know me through social media, but they have no idea. I just see a lot of people with a misconception of my personality and who I am. I’m more opposite than what a lot of people think. I’ve been working on this talk show for a whole year. It doesn’t sound like a lot of time but when you practice every single day for a year to be the best you can possibly be as a talk show host...I’m not Conan, I didn’t go to Harvard. I’m not Wendy Williams with over 20 years of experience on the radio where I learned how to talk into a microphone when no one else was there.
I had to take a step back and take it seriously and study constantly and thank God I have Dr. Phil and his team that has been in the industry for 20 years. I’m not scared. I don’t feel overwhelmed I feel like it’s my time. I’ve been very patient and now it’s my time to have a voice.
The Amber Rose Show premieres on VH1, July 8 at 11 p.m. EST.
