Vanessa Williams

OF “DAYTIME DIVAS” ON VH1

Your new series, “Daytime Divas,” is about a female-driven talk show – and is based on a novel by Star Jones, who was a cohost of “The View.” What has your own experience with talk shows been like?

I have co-hosted “The View” a couple of times, I’ve co-hosted the 9:00 hour of the “Today” show, so I know what it’s like to prepare to go on (such a) show. I know what it’s like to line up with Barbara Walters on my right and Joy Behar on my left. I know what it’s like to work with Star, and to know her as a person.

I can bring all that preparation to what I’m doing here, but in terms of the drama, if you read (Jones’ book) “Satan’s Sisters” ... she called me and said, “You’re my number-one choice. I got picked up for 10 episodes. Please read the book and get back to me.” And I read the book, and it is scandalous. I said, “You’re going to actually put this on television?” And she then sent me the pilot (script), which didn’t have all the (material) from the book, but we’ve got plenty of places to go.

Since “Daytime Divas” makes it seem it could be that way, is doing a talk show the craziest experience you’ve had in your career?

Probably Broadway is the craziest, because you’re working with an ensemble. You’re working with props. I had my headdress go on fire one time.

Do you feel you’re better known as an actress or as a singer?

I think that was a problem back in the day, because people would go, “What are you?” And I think majoring in musical theater and having a theater background and doing singing, dancing and acting ... everything was part of what I could do. It’s less of a problem (now), because I’ve got over 30 years of work and material that people can reference.