Iconic 90s talk show host no longer recognizable as she claims Instagram won’t verify her account

Sally Lowenthal, better known as Sally Jessy Raphael, was once a huge name on daytime TV in the 80s and 90s, but now she’s facing an unexpected problem—people aren’t recognizing her like they used to.

The former talk show queen recently shared her frustration on Instagram, revealing that the platform refuses to verify her account, even though she’s provided proof of who she is.

“So, Instagram doesn’t want to give me my blue check—no matter what proof I send them,” the 89-year-old posted, along with a picture of a giant blue checkmark. “AND there’s a fake account called ‘realsallyjr’, and that’s NOT ME! Help me let Instagram know, so we can fix this.”

Sally became a household name when she started hosting The Sally Jessy Raphael Show in October 1983. The show, which later just went by Sally, ran until May 2002 and was one of the first talk shows to get the audience involved.

Sally helped pave the way for other women in the business, including Oprah, whose show came out three years after Sally’s.

Over 20 seasons, Sally interviewed countless celebrities, but one guest stood out to her the most—Audrey Hepburn. “I was so awestruck, I could hardly ask a question. Everything she did, I admired. Everything she had done in her life I found to be exemplary,” she told the Daily Mail.

Sally is also famous for her signature look—those bright red glasses. The story behind them is just as interesting as the glasses themselves. When she first started filming her show, she realized she couldn’t see the teleprompter.

“When we started, I looked at the teleprompter and I said, ‘I can’t read that! I’m going blind!’ ”

So, Sally went looking for new glasses. She saw an ad offering an eye test, glasses, and a Pap smear all in one go. It was an odd combo, but she made the appointment. At the appointment, she found out she needed more expensive glasses, and the only color they had was red.

“You got it,” Sally said, choosing the red frames that would become her trademark.

But wearing them wasn’t easy at first. “I had to fight to have the glasses. Producers tried to change them. Those shadowy figures objected to everything.” But Sally stood her ground, and now she owns over 200 pairs of those iconic red glasses.

Despite her legendary status, Sally’s Instagram following is still small, with less than 650 followers as of August 2. But her fans are as passionate as ever.

One fan commented, “The Icon, the Legend of daytime TV, Ms. Sally Jessy Raphael needs her Blue Check Mark ?” Another added, “That’s pretty crazy that someone as famous as you are is having trouble with being recognized.

I’m trying to understand what the issue is though.” And another suggested, “We should flood your feed with blue hearts—it’s so much better than a blue checkmark!”

Do you remember watching Sally on TV? If you do, let us know in the comments!