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Robin Byrd hosted ‘The Robin Byrd Show’ on New York City’s Channel J from 1977 to 1998<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
Before becoming a public access host, Byrd was a nude model who later transitioned into adult films\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
Byrd, 69, shared what changed her mind about entering the industry<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Robin Byrd has lived a full and exciting life.<\/p>\n
In the new documentary, Bang My Box: The Robin Byrd Story<\/em>, Byrd, 69, shares some insight into what her life was like before she made sex a central part of her public persona.\u00a0<\/p>\n Byrd recalls an upbringing that was joyful until it took a turn that led to her decision to strike out on her own.<\/p>\n “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.<\/p>\n “I was Daddy’s little girl. My dad died when I was 8. Everything changed.”<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/p>\n “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!’ “<\/p>\n With nowhere to go, Byrd fled to Central Park, where she remembers finding “hippies, everywhere.”<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n “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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n “High Society Magazine<\/em> 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.<\/p>\n “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.<\/p>\n “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?”<\/p>\n Byrd agreed and started making films, most famously getting a role as Mrs. Hardwick of the candle store in Debbie Does Dallas<\/em>. Altogether, Byrd appeared in 13 films before she shifted her focus to her public access show.<\/p>\n The Robin Byrd Show<\/em> developed a cult following during its airing on New York City’s Channel J. from 1977 to 1998.\u00a0<\/p>\n The documentary, produced by Sarah Jessica Parker<\/a> is streaming now on HBO Max.<\/p>\n