Amber Rose hopes to shake things up on late-night television. She says the Amber Rose Show, which premiered Friday night on VH1, is for everyone. In the promos, she calls herself the “CEO of No Shame” and the “SVP of Women Supporting Women.” If nothing else, Rose has lots of opinions — and she isn’t afraid to share them, which distinguishes her from the other, more traditional, talk-show fare.
The show starts with a declaration: “Whatever your thing, we’ve got your front and your back,” Rose says. She promises that viewers can get to know the real Amber Rose, talk about what is going on in the world, and get real about sex. She introduces her cast, such as they are, which include her security, her assistant, and “Brandon, Amber’s homie.”
The first segment is a series of jokes based on current pop culture and social media headlines. Rose weighs in on Iggy Azalea’s breakup (a follow-up to her Instagram post from earlier in the week) and Chris Brown’s reported bad behavior at a rental house in Ibiza. Delivering jokes might not be Amber’s thing yet (selling Amber Rose short seems like a really bad idea), but it is impossible not to crack a smile when she asks Taylor Swift for an invite to next year’s Fourth of July party: “Can I please come next year? As long as you know that my plus one won’t be Kanye, we’ll be straight.”
After a quick woman-on-the-street bit where Rose answers questions, like "What is the sexiest way to put on a condom?" it's time for “Ask Muva.” The studio audience gets to ask Rose and Dr. Chris questions. He's an actual sex and relationship therapist. Should a woman break up with a man because he has a small penis? Rose says yes. The therapist says not so fast. Not surprisingly, Dr. Chris barely gets a word in and really has no helpful advice (or useful emoji to share) with the woman who wants to learn how to sext with her long-distance partner. Rose has some pointed advice about sending nude pictures: “Don’t ever, ever, ever send nudes.” Spoken like an veteran of the game.
During the next segment, Rose welcomes French Montana. They talk a little about his idea of a great date and then Rose hits the streets again to find him a match. This part is called “Muva Match” and she’s “looking for bad bitches.” Three willing candidates compete for the chance to go out with Montana; Rose makes a selection and then the woman gets a quick makeover and a “Muva Match” is made.
Rose is clearly aware that there are skeptics out there wondering how she got her own show in the first place. Short answer? “I worked my effing ass off to get this show.” The long answer is a video short where Rose is a lifeguard on “Baewatch” who rescues a drowning Dr. Phil. In a night full of hashtags, the one for the selfie with a waterlogged Dr. Phil might be the best: #HeRich. Dr. Phil is so grateful to Rose that he gives her a talk show. (The lifeguard bit might be a joke, but the Dr. Phil thing is all real. He and his son, Jay McGraw, are the producers of the Amber Rose Show.)
Premiere episodes are hard and finding the right format is not easy. Rose has a lot of segments and hashtags packed into her first half-hour. The thing is, though, she’s got something to say and she speaks to an audience that wants to hear it. The key for the show will be finding what works and ditching what doesn’t.