Tyrone Edwards is Ready to Shine as ETALK’s New Co-Anchor: ‘This is Going To Be Big For So Many People That We Don’t Even Know’

By BILL HARRIS Special to The Lede Tyrone Edwards couldn’t wait to share the news with his mother that he’s the new co-anchor on CTV’s ETALK. “When I told my mom about it, she was like, ‘Oh, I’m so proud of you – you’re my Anchorman,’ ” Edwards said. “And my mom does NOT get the reference to the Will Ferrell movie AT ALL. She just calls me her ‘Anchorman.’ So I’ve downloaded a picture of Will Ferrell as Ron Burgundy, Channel 4 News, to post on my social media, because, well … I’m the ‘Anchorman.’ ” Edwards’ new job was officially announced during Monday’s episode of ETALK. It’s a dream come true for the versatile veteran broadcaster, and he shared his thoughts in a wide-ranging Q-and-A: Q: The ‘Anchorman’ incident with your mom aside, what was your first reaction? TYRONE EDWARDS: “I think … well … it’s weird, because as I’m sort of freezing here now, with a bit of a delay in my response, there was the same delay when I first found out. It’s almost like watching a movie where you see the character have a flashback in their mind, going almost chronologically through their life, before they can actually spit a word out. When I was growing up, I always wanted to be on RAP CITY, probably ever since I was 13 years old. Then I got hired on RAP CITY almost 10 years ago. And then I saw ETALK, and thought, ‘Oh, THAT’S what I want to do. That’s more of me.’ It’s the ability to talk about the Kardashians, but also about climate change, and maybe that conversation is sparked through a documentary from Leonardo DiCaprio. That is the person I am. I’m a hippie who wears extremely expensive designer shoes. That’s the dichotomy that is Tyrone Edwards.” Q: As a person of colour at this particular time in history, do you see this job through that lens? TYRONE EDWARDS: “It means everything to me. I am a Black man. At the end of the day, at the beginning of the day, throughout my day, throughout this whole journey, I have been a Black man. So all of those things that are coming to the forefront of the conversations around anti-Black racism, the hard truths around being marginalized and underserved – I’m coming from an underserved community. And we can’t just be pacified by the idea that we’re Canadian and it’s not as bad as America. Well … tell me that when I get pulled over for the second or third time in a week, and the feeling I get when that happens. Tell me that when, you know, someone makes a little jokey joke, and it’s not okay, but I’ve built up this sort of tolerance for other people’s ignorance over the years. But listen, me being Black at this point, I think it’s super important. I love the fact that my face, my personality, who I am as a man, has the opportunity to be in everyone’s homes at 7 p.m. on CTV every night. I think this is brilliant, this is going to be big. This is going to be big for so many people that we don’t even know, just normalizing this big Black guy with dreadlocks. I want that to be normal. I want that to be a normal thing for a young person of colour, a young white girl, everybody, to see someone like me in the position that I’m in, and for that to be normal. That’s what matters to me the most.” Q: Hosts definitely matter in terms of setting the tone on a show such as ETALK. What’s the tone going to be with you as the co-anchor? TYRONE EDWARDS: “The tone I will bring to the show is relatability, along with ETALK’s extraordinary access to stars and information. So it’s about sharing that information, but also, everything for me is going to be rooted in love. With me there’s always going to be a community feel, because I’m part of so many different communities that span across this country. The tone for me is going to be, ‘Celebrity, but also community.’ But I can also help not only as a host, but as a team member. I’m a team member and we can make sure that the stories that we’re putting out there – whether it’s me leading the story, or if it’s my co-host Danielle (Graham) – there’s that lens, there’s that sensitivity, there’s the fact that we worked on it together, we’ve talked about things, and I love that. And we already have that. So I’m excited.” Q: You have tons of experience chatting with celebrities already, but do you have a dream interview in the back of your mind? TYRONE EDWARDS: “I’ve interviewed LeBron James before, but I would love to have a proper sit-down, in-depth interview with him. Celebrity, sports, entrepreneur, politics, community … I think we could really get into it.” billharristv@gmail.com @billharris_tv