Loni Anderson Updates Us on Her Iconic ‘WKRP in Cincinnati’ Character
Loni Anderson became a household name after starring as Jennifer Marlowe in WKRP in Cincinnati — and four decades later, she still can’t help but praise the trailblazing character.
In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, the actress, 78, opened up about the role that earned her three Golden Globe nominations and two Emmy Award nominations. “She was the smartest person in the room. She spoke seven languages and she took care of everybody like she was their mom,” Anderson shares. “And yet she was a bombshell, so it made her so interesting.”
Anderson believes Jennifer — the sitcom’s receptionist who was revered for having both beauty and brains — helped inspire the next generations. “Young women, especially, identified with [the idea that] you can be hot and also be the smartest person in the room,” she explains. “It was a wonderful thing.”
Anderson has an idea of where the character would be today. “I do think that she’s running the show somewhere,” she tells Us. “She is definitely a CEO, because she really ran the station.”
‘80s Stars: Where Are They Now?
While some of today's biggest A-listers got their start in the '80s, many of their famous contemporaries in the "Me" decade live quieter, more low-profile lives today. From Tom Cruise, who bravely donned those tighty whities in Risky Business, to the boys and girls of the Brat Pack, click through to see which stars got their big breaks in the 1980s — and see where they ended up!
Next up for Anderson? Lifetime’s Ladies of the 80s: A Divas Christmas, in which she stars alongside fellow legends Morgan Fairchild, Linda Gray, Donna Mills and Nicollette Sheriden — all of whom play soap opera divas who reunite for a holiday special.
According to Anderson, it was one project she couldn’t turn down. “When it was presented to me, [I said], ‘First of all, I want to be with these ladies’ and the script was so adorable — these five divas, what a great idea!” she shares. “I was on board immediately.”
Teaming up with the women was more play than work — “[There were] some laughs in the makeup and hair department,” she explains — and the group had a wonderful time going down memory lane.
“We were all talking about the old days. Linda explained to us how crazy it was in her life when the ‘Who shot J.R.?’ [phenomenon] happened,” she recalls of the Dallas star. “We learned backstage stuff that happened, because in that era, you had a secret and you had to carry it all the way through.”
A Guide to Every Holiday Movie on TV This 2023 Season: Hallmark, Great American Family and More
Every year the holidays seem to come a little faster — and that is partly thanks to all the festive films that begin airing on TV months before the season really starts. Hallmark Media, for example, will kick off its annual “Countdown to Christmas” on Hallmark Channel on Friday, October 20, this year. Hallmark Movies […]
Of course, the ladies also inquired about each other’s beauty secrets: “You can’t help but want to know [about] Donna — How do you stay looking like that? What is the deal? I know you have good genes, but wow, magic!”
Looking back on her career, Anderson knows what she hopes her legacy will be: “I hope that I’ll be remembered for changing the whole look of a young woman with a career.”
“My granddaughters are like, ‘What? Was it ever any different?’ Yes, it was,” she adds. “My daughter’s generation felt that they were able to do anything and still be cute — and my granddaughter’s generation doesn’t even think a thing of it.”
Ladies of the ‘80s: A Divas Christmas premieres on Lifetime Saturday, December 2, at 8 p.m. ET.
