After playing small parts on TV, Ricki Lake came to prominence as Tracy Turnblad, the irresistible hefty heroine of John Waters' camp classic, "Hairspray" (1988). Most of her work in "Working Girl" (1988) and "Cookie" (1989) was left on the cutting room floor, but the actress was seen to good advantage as the cosmetician determined to win the heart of a subway conductor in "Babycakes" (1989), the CBS remake of Percy Adlon's "Sugarbaby" and as a cheerful 'Donut Dolly' in the acclaimed ABC drama series "China Beach" in 1990. Later that same year, she reteamed with Waters for his ode to 50s rebels "Cry-Baby" and went dramatic in a supporting role in "Last Exit to Brooklyn".

Lake went on a highly publicized diet, shed more than 100 pounds and found newfound fame as the host of her own syndicated daytime talk show which debuted in the fall of 1993. Over its long run, she has come under fire for its sensationalistic approach to its topics, although her show was mild compared with the more rambunctious goings-on of "The Jerry Springer Show". Lake tailored her series toward a young adult audience, addressing issues of interest to that targeted group, including sex and sexuality, body image and relationships.

Despite the daily grind of hosting a talk show, Lake continued her acting career. Now a permanent member of Waters' unofficial troupe, she was cast as one of Kathleen Turner's children in "Serial Mom" (1994) and had a featured role in his paean to guerrilla filmmaking "Cecil B. Demented" (2000). Her most prominent film role to date, however, was in the title role of "Mrs. Winterbourne" (1996), in which she played a young woman mistaken for the widow of a wealthy man. In the fall of 2000, Lake joined the cast of the CBS sitcom "The King of Queens" in the recurring part of the sister of Kevin James' title character.