Nischelle Turner Gets an Emotional Surprise on Tamaron Hall Show

Nischelle Turner became the first Black woman to host Entertainment Tonight, and she recently sat down with Tamron Hall to discuss her accomplishment and what inspired her to pursue journalism.

Along with becoming the first Black woman to host ET, Turner was named one of Ebony’s Power 100 alongside Hall.

“You know, Tamron growing up for so many of us, especially young girls of color, that was how we saw ourselves. That was really the only place we were reflected in print so, to be honored under the umbrella of a brand that’s so iconic to you it just means the world,” said Turner.

Turner went on to tell Hall she was an inspiration and praised her for her success.

“I’ve been a fan of yours since you were in Chicago. I’ve been watching you, emulating you, adoring you, just thinking you are everything so, it’s kind of a full-circle moment for me to be here today,” she told Hall.

Hall then showed a picture of 12-year-old Turner on the screen and asked, “What was going on at twelve when you said, ‘I want to do this, I can do this I want to be a reporter?'”

Turner then recalled a source of inspiration, a black woman named April Eaton, the first Black anchor she had ever seen growing up in Missouri.

“I saw this woman April Eaton on television in Columbia, Missouri, where I’m from, and I looked, and I said ‘What? Hold on,’ I had never seen a black woman on television like that,” she said. “It just sparked something in me to say ‘Can I do what she’s doing?’ and it just really sent me on a journey,” she added.

She told Hall she was able to connect with Eaton after an interview she did with Vogue in which she mentioned Eaton. The two had exchanged letters and a phone call, but thanks to a special surprise from Hall, Turner met Eaton in person.

“Guess what? She’s here!” said Tamron, bringing out Eaton to surprise Turner.

Turner immediately became emotional and excited to meet her childhood inspiration.

Due to COVID protocols, The Tamron Hall show doesn’t allow guests to touch or hug, but they made an exception during this emotional moment.

As Turner and Eaton shared a hug, Eaton told her she was proud of her, prompting Turner to shed a few tears.

“I am so excited to see you and so very proud of you. You just don’t know,” Eaton told Turner.

Eaton shared a bit of her story, saying she anchored while she was a graduate student.

“More amazing than all of that is the fact that as a little girl, Turner saw her face in my brown face, and she thought, ‘I can do this,'” said Eaton. “You just never know who’s watching; you never know the power of what you can do mentoring and making a difference in a community in this case without even knowing. I didn’t know until a few months ago that I made that impact on her life,” she added.

Turner shared she took the same trajectory as Eaton in that she anchored while in school to which Hall said to the Entertainment Tonight host, “Now imagine how many are looking at you know and will look at you in that same way.”

Watch the emotional video clip here.

Photo Credit: The Tamron Hall Show YouTube