Jeannie Mai Gets Candid About 'The Real' Cancellation: 'It's Hard'

Jeannie Mai is having a difficult time saying goodbye to her syndicated daytime talk show!

The TV host, who first rose to prominence for her work as a makeup and fashion expert, has hosted "The Real" show since its debut alongside other talented women.

After eight seasons and many co-hosts later, ET Online, announced that the award-winning franchise had been canceled, a decision Mai addressed while speaking to the outlet's Kevin Frazier.

"The Real" talk show, since its inception in 2013, made history as one of the first daytime programs to feature a diverse group of hosts with its final lineup, including Mai, Garcelle Beauvais, Adrienne Houghton, and Loni Love.

Because the show was unlike any other with its concept and millennial target audience, the "How Do I Look" star confessed that its cancellation broke her heart. The 43-year-old said,

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.

As an Asian woman, the mother-of-one explained that her race was not represented enough in the media. However, "The Real" broke boundaries by allowing women of different cultures to share their varying perspectives in a safe environment.

Even to date, "The Daily Mixx" producer wondered where she could go to find a show that offered the same benefits as the daytime program, noting that the world needed more shows like "The Real."

As one of the first Vietnamese American hosts on a daytime talk show, the "Character Fantasy" alum made history with her time on the program, but this remarkable feat did not come easy.

The fashionista explained that whenever people asked her what it felt like to be one of the few Vietnamese Americans on TV, she always replied that it felt "lonely." In her words,

"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." 

The talk show may have been canceled, but Mai stated that her relationship with her fellow co-hosts remains strong, revealing that the friends stay in touch through their text thread.

The stylist's TV appearances were not ending either, as she confirmed her return to the sidelines on the latest season of "Holey Moley," a mini-golf competition series where contestants faced some of the most hilarious obstacle courses.

Last month, The Blast reported that the Emmy-winning program, which was on its eighth season, was canceled by Fox Stations

Although the studio did not give an official reason for ending "The Real," some fans speculated that this decision was influenced by Warner Bros.'s new syndicated daytime program, "The Jennifer Hudson Show."

This show would reportedly air on Fox stations in place of "The Real," but a source refuted these rumors, claiming that the Hudson program did not influence the show's cancellation.

Following the studio's announcement to end the fan-favorite show, Love, one of the program's co-hosts, revealed on her Instagram Stories that the crew fought to keep "The Real" on air.

In her post, the stand-up comedian explained that the show's cast and staff did everything to ensure the program did not get canceled, including shooting "7-8 shows in three days with no audience."

Despite their best efforts, they could not stop "The Real" from ending, a fate Love noted was influenced by the pandemic. Nonetheless, the 50-year-old was proud of all they accomplished. 

The TV personality ended her emotional message with a special shout-out to fans for their consistent love and support from the show's debut until its finale.

The former electrical engineer also expressed her gratitude to the studio for allowing "The Real" to run for eight seasons, making history and changing lives with its powerful ideas.

Since its premiere, the show has won two NAACP Awards and three Daytime Emmy Awards, earning, third place as the longest-running Warners/Telepictures’ daytime talk show, with Jenny Jones in second and Ellen DeGeneres in first place.