NEED TO KNOW
Robin Byrd hosted ‘The Robin Byrd Show’ on New York City’s Channel J from 1977 to 1998
Before becoming a public access host, Byrd was a nude model who later transitioned into adult films
Byrd, 69, shared what changed her mind about entering the industry
Robin Byrd has lived a full and exciting life.
In the new documentary, Bang My Box: The Robin Byrd Story, Byrd, 69, shares some insight into what her life was like before she made sex a central part of her public persona.
Byrd recalls an upbringing that was joyful until it took a turn that led to her decision to strike out on her own.
“I was born and raised in Manhattan. I was adopted at childbirth and I was taken away from my mother right then and there. That was it. My adopted father was an antiques dealer and I would hand out in the store with him. But he always loved me,” she shared.
“I was Daddy’s little girl. My dad died when I was 8. Everything changed.”
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“My adopted mother, she took a lot out on me. She drank and cried and screamed. She would always say that I wasn’t gonna amount to anything and that I was ugly. And we got into a big fight and she said to me, ‘Well if you don’t like it here, then get out.’ And I’m like, ‘Okay, bye!’ “
With nowhere to go, Byrd fled to Central Park, where she remembers finding “hippies, everywhere.”
It was freedom. It was the 60s, the awakening of love and sex,” she recalled, explaining that she indulged in finding herself once she realized she was out on her own.
Byrd became involved with a woman for the first time and as they became partners, she offered her a place to stay. The experience allowed Byrd to focus on getting into college.
“I wanted to be an art director. I wanted to be a creative director. I wanted to be a director. So I went to the School of Visual Arts, and I started taking some art classes. And I needed money. So I posed for figure drawing and they had me naked,” she shared.
After learning she was modeling nude, a friend suggested she try to enter the Miss All Bare America contest. A riff on the popular mainstream beauty pageant, the competition saw all the contestants competing naked.
“High Society Magazine saw me and asked me to do a layout for the Christmas issue,” she shared, explaining that she felt empowered to continue to move through the scene with the advent of birth control.
“I used to go to Plato’s Retreat, which was a sex swinger’s club. And I used to love going there because I love sex. I loved it. And I was having sex with the people who were in the porn films, off camera,” she explained.
“So they said, ‘Well, if you’re going to do it off camera, why don’t you do it on camera and get paid for it?”
Byrd agreed and started making films, most famously getting a role as Mrs. Hardwick of the candle store in Debbie Does Dallas. Altogether, Byrd appeared in 13 films before she shifted her focus to her public access show.
The Robin Byrd Show developed a cult following during its airing on New York City’s Channel J. from 1977 to 1998.
The documentary, produced by Sarah Jessica Parker is streaming now on HBO Max.
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