'The Real' was canceled in April after eight seasons.
Letting go of The Real is going to be hard, but Jeannie Mai is proud of what the award-winning talk show accomplished. In April, it was announced that the daytime program hosted by Mai, Garcelle Beauvais, Adrienne Houghton and Loni Love was canceled -- after eight seasons.
“It’s hard because the show was the first of its kind. When you have a show that is by minority voices for minority voices, I gotta say, I didn’t have a show like that when I started,” Mai, 43, told ET’s Kevin Frazier.
“And even today I’m like, 'Where can I go that has such a great culmination of different aspects and women's perspectives that come from different lives and cultures?' Especially as an Asian woman, I don't see that representation enough.”
She continued, “So, for me getting off that show was hard because I still think we need a show like that. So, if we open doors for other shows like that to be in production, I’m excited about that. I wanna see that happen.”
As one of the few Vietnamese American hosts, Mai is proud of the platform and inspiration that The Real provided.
“When people ask me, ‘What’s it like being one of the only Vietnamese Americans in TV?’ it feels lonely,” she shared. “It doesn’t feel great. I want to open that up more for the AAPI community. At the same time, I’m proud of The Real for what we did. We were iconic.”
And while the ladies of The Real may no longer be together onscreen, Mai promises it’s not the end of their relationship. “Absolutely, yeah, the girls, we keep in touch, we have our text thread,” she shared about remaining in contact with her co-hosts. “I think that's the greatest, and from here, like, the girls, they're gonna soar. J-Money, Garcelle, Adrienne, Loni. It’s not the end of seeing them.”
It’s also not the end of Mai on TV either. This summer, she will be back reporting on the sidelines as adults take on some of the most hilarious obstacle courses on the new season of Holey Moley.
“I think for every adult out there you need to have something that reminds you that you ain't got it all. You could be laughed at and Holey Moley is that humbling moment in everybody's life,” Mai shared.
“Holey Moley is an intense, high-octane, crazier, bigger-than-life gold course. It’s about, could you survive that altitude? Could you have made it through the cornhole? Could you have made it through the distractions coming at you that are trying to pull you away? These people across America have found such a favorite show," she added. "I can't believe how we have been the most-loved show for the summer all because Americans need an excuse to go and play.”
Holey Moley airs Tuesdays on ABC.
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