Marissa Jaret Winokur on Plus Size Nudity, Eco Vibrators and Her New Show

Photography by David Cortes for Yahoo Style; Styling by Christopher Kim; Grooming by Martha Fernandez

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Marissa Jaret Winokur won a Tony Award for Broadway’s Hairspray in 2003. But now, at the age of 41, it’s safe to say she’s stepping out of her comfort zone. Her new show, All About Sex (debuting on TLC tomorrow), aims to be The View’s raunchy, late-night cousin.

Here’s the pitch: Once a week, co-hosts Winokur, comedian Margaret Cho, writer Heather McDonald, and relationship expert Tiffanie Davis Henry talk dirty, tackling taboos and giving viewers a chance to ask their most outrageous questions. In the process, she found out that talking about what happens in your own bedroom on national television requires your husband to sign a waiver. Here, on the set in L.A., Winokur discusses losing her virginity, plus-size sex, Fifty Shades of Grey, and what happened that time when she and Pamela Anderson went to Las Vegas. — MICKEY RAPKIN

YAHOO STYLE: You came in this morning very proud of yourself because you managed to say “vibrator” while being interviewed on a morning TV show. I didn’t know there were rules.

MARISSA JARET WINOKUR: A girlfriend told me you’re allowed to say “hooker,” because that’s considered a profession. But “whore” is considered a slight.

YS: In what context did you mention “vibrator” this morning?

MJW: Dr. Tiff [Tiffanie Davis Henry] has an eco-friendly sex-toy company.

YS: Eco-friendly? Is it made of old tires?

MJW: I don’t know! I was like, “I have an electric car. I plug my car in. Isn’t that enough?”

YS: What excited you about doing this talk show?

MJW: ’Cause there’s never been anything like this on TV.

YS: Were you afraid to talk about what happens in bed with your husband?

MJW: Well, he didn’t realize I’d be talking about him.

YS: What did he think you’d be talking about?

MJW: Right before they started running commercials, the network was like, “He needs to sign this waiver that says he’s allowed to be talked about.” So he can’t go back and sue TLC. I’m like, “Just sign this.” He’s like, “I don’t think my lawyer would want me to sign this.” Well, you kinda have to! I’m just your crazy actress wife. He’s a comedy writer. It’s OK.

YS: Did he want to know what you said about him?

MJW: He better up his game! Everyone is telling me we don’t have enough sex. I’m like, “We have to have sex tonight.”

YS: What kind of advice does Margaret Cho give?

MJW: In general, I’m in shock about everything Margaret says. She has such a colorful background. And you know she’s not making it up. She earned it. I’m like, “I have a 6-year-old, and I’m tired, and after bringing in the trash I don’t care about sex.” She’s like, “Well, you should bring someone into your relationship. Bring a new couple in and swing.” I’m like, “First of all, that’s more people to disappoint. And more people to share my food with.”

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YS: Where did you learn about sex? With the Internet, you can search any weird question you want. But where did you get your answers growing up?

MJW: From my girlfriends. Our answers were urban legends. I got my period, and I didn’t know what it was. I also didn’t know I would be getting it every month. I genuinely believed, “I had my period, and now it’s over.”

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YS: What else did you believe?MJW: We believed that if a guy came anywhere around your body, you were pregnant. That was it! Tell your mother! You’re pregnant! I remember a girl had sex in a hot tub. He didn’t come inside of her. But I remember us telling her that the sperm could swim and find the way in.

YS: What’s the sexiest movie you’ve ever seen?

MJW: I liked 9 1/2 weeks and I liked Secretary.

YS: Two movies about bondage basically.

MJW: It’s like Fifty Shades of Grey for my generation.

YS: Did you read Fifty Shades?
MJW: Of course. I am embarrassed to say that I’m not a big reader. But I read all three, cover to cover.

YS: Have you tried BDSM?

MJW: Never tried!

YS: No handcuffs?MJW: Handcuffs in high school.

YS: In high school? Wow.

MJW: My sweet high school. Everybody I grew up with lost their virginity at my house. YS: Why? Were your parents always traveling?

MJW: All of our bedrooms had these lofts for homework. But it was really just where everybody lost their virginity. When I posted on Facebook that I was doing this show about sex, people are like, “Of course. I lost my virginity at your house.”

YS: What would you do differently about your own first time?
MJW:Everything. (Laughing) My first time was a disaster. First of all, it was at 4 o’clock in the afternoon — at sleep-away camp — with a person who was considerably older.

YS: Like, how old? 70?

MJW: Could you imagine? No, I was 16 and he was 18. He was a counselor. My girlfriend was knocking on the door the whole time because it was 4 o’clock in the afternoon.

YS: One of the panelists on your show is a certified sex therapist. What have you learned from her?

MJW: Here’s the bad news. When I say “My husband is lucky if we have sex once a month,” Heather and Margaret will joke with me. But when the doctor says, “You’re in a sexless marriage,” it’s like, Debbie Downer.

YS: You’ve become something of a plus-size role model. Though I should say, you look tiny. Is there a misconception about plus-size women and sex? MJW: There are a lot of misconceptions. I like my relationship with my body at this weight, as opposed to 20 or 30 pounds lighter. I’m so much more sexual. I have boobs. I call this “happy fat.” I joke about how I know how to lie in bed and look good naked.

YS: How?

MJW: If you put your hands straight above your head, your boobs will go where you want them to go. A skinny girl can feel bad about her body. A fat girl can feel good about her body. It’s all where your mind is.

YS: You and Pamela Anderson starred on a series together called Stacked in 2005-2006.What did she teach you about sex?

MJW: Nothing.

YS: Really? Nothing at all? Nothing about a sex tape?

MJW: I wish she did! That might have helped my career. We were superclose.

YS: There must be one story…

MJW: We went to Vegas for the Billboard [Music] Awards. We flew on the Fox jet. I’m supernaive. I have a New York attitude, but I’m naive. We did the presenting. We come out. She goes, “Let’s fly home on our own.” I’m like, “OK, Pam. How are we going to do that?” She’s like, “Slash is going to fly us home on his jet.”

YS: Slash? From Guns N’ Roses?

MJW: I didn’t know who that was. I’m like, “OK.” We get lunch. All of our bags and our purses were on the fox jet. I’m like, “OK, but we don’t have anything…” She’s like, “That’s fine.” We went around Las Vegas until 5 in the morning with no purses. I was like, “How is this even happening?” We went to Tao [nightclub]. She’s ordering champagne after champagne. I’m like, “We don’t have a purse. I don’t have a bag.”

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YS: Who paid for everything?

MJW: I don’t know! At the end of the night, she took her dress off. She was like, “Hold on. Before we go, I have to get in that tub.” They have those bubble baths up in Tao. I’m like, “OK.” She took her dress off, jumped in the tub, came back, and was like, “Now we can go.” I’m like, “We’re gonna die!”

YS: She was naked?

MJW: Naked. Maybe panties.

YS: Last thing: What do you want women to take away from your new show?

MJW: It’s not, “Love yourself now and not five pounds from now.” Wrong show. I’m going into this thinking, “There’s so much that I don’t know. And I don’t have friends to talk about this with.” Also, come to laugh. Come to learn something.

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