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All The Info You Need About Cynthia Nixon's First-Ever TV Interview As A Candidate
A certain actress-turned-New York gubernatorial hopeful will officially kick off her campaign Wednesday on the Wendy Williams Show. So you don't miss it, you should know when the Cynthia Nixon and Wendy Williams' interview is, and what you can expect from the former Sex and the City star's first-ever TV interview as a candidate.
On March 19, Nixon announced her candidacy for New York governor, running against incumbent Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary. Two weeks later, Variety reported that her first on-air pit stop on the campaign trail would be on the Wendy Williams Show on April 4.
The daytime talk show — which has an average of 2 million viewers — is broadcast on cable channels throughout the United States. It's primarily available through local affiliates of Fox, the CW, and MyNetworkTV (MNTV). Showtimes and channels vary depending on your location, but you can check the "showtimes" section of the Wendy Williams Show website for details. For New York City viewers, the show airs on Fox's WNYW at 10 a.m. and at MyNetworkTV's WWOR at 4 p.m.
“We win by getting her in front of voters, because we actually want them to see the real Cynthia,” Nixon’s campaign spokesperson, Rebecca Katz, told Variety when announcing the TV appearance. “And that’s what we get with Wendy. Her viewers are a large and crucial part of the electorate, and her show reaches all corners of the state.”
In a campaign video shared last month, Nixon explained why she, a lifelong New Yorker, wants to run for governor. "Our leaders are letting us down," she said. "We are now the most unequal state in the entire country. With both incredible wealth and extreme poverty."
She went on to say that half of all children living in upstate cities live below the poverty line, a statistic that's backed up by multiple local news outlets throughout New York. More than half of Buffalo children live in poverty, the Buffalo News reported, and according to the U.S. Census, one in two children in Syracuse does as well.
According to Variety, Williams' show is one of the most-watched programs throughout the state of New York, including in New York City, Buffalo, Syracuse, Albany, and Rochester.
"Something has to change," Nixon continued in her campaign video. "We want our government to work again, on healthcare, ending mass incarceration, fixing our broken subway. We are sick of politicians who care more about headlines and power than they do about us."
While Nixon has made campaign speeches, she's yet to do a sit-down interview on TV. The Wendy Williams Show will be her first. Many have criticized the former actress for having no experience in politics, with one of Cuomo's surrogates calling her an "unqualified lesbian."
But Nixon, who is married to education activist Christine Marinoni and has been a vocal advocate for LGBTQ rights, laughed off the criticism. “When I announced yesterday that I’m running for gov, one of Cuomo’s top surrogates dismissed me as an 'unqualified lesbian,'" she tweeted. "It’s true that I never received my certificate from the Department of Lesbian Affairs, though in my defense there’s a lot of paperwork required.”
If Nixon won the governorship, she'd be the first openly gay and first-ever female governor of New York, according to the New York Times. Despite Nixon's name recognition from her years starring in a hit show on HBO, she's still got a long ways to go, and a lot of New Yorkers to convince, before winning the position.
According to a recent poll by Quinnipiac University, 64 percent of constituents polled think "Cuomo would be better for New York City than Nixon." Just 21 percent preferred Nixon. Those numbers are likely to change in the months leading up to the election on Nov. 6, and the interview with Wendy Williams could be the push Nixon needs.