Jessica Lee Williamson

When I was 18, my little sister, for my birthday, she gave me this journal that she had written in the front cover.

It said, to Jessica, if you don't make it as a talk show host, maybe you'll make it as a writer instead.

Happy birthday.

Okay.

And when I was 18, that's the only thing I wanted to do with my life.

I was obsessed with the idea of being a talk show host.

I would just come home from school and just sit on the sofa and go through Rosie O'Donnell, Maury Povich, Geraldo, just down the line.

And it wasn't my personality that squashed those dreams.

It was Geraldo Rivera and his live studio audience.

I lived in Maryland, which was like three hours away from New York City, and they would always show on the talk show, they'd say, if you want free tickets to send away.

So I had to send away to all of them.

I got tickets to all of them, including Geraldo.

I got four tickets, and I invited the people who I thought were the coolest people I knew.

And we had this plan to go up to New York City and go see the show live.

And then everyone bailed on me.

And I was devastated.

And so my mom was like, I'll drive you up there and go see Geraldo with you, which was horrifying.

And then when we got there, this producer came out and said, who wants to take part in today's show?

And I rose my hand because I had this desperate need for attention.

And I guess Geraldo's producers had a desperate need for people with a desperate need of attention.