Sally Jessy Raphael Says Instagram Won’t Verify Her Because They Don’t Know Who She Is

Talk show veteran Sally Jessy Raphael really wants that Instagram blue check mark but says the social media app won’t give it to her because they don’t know who she is.

These days the 89-year-old star is not as instantly recognizable as she was in her TV heyday. And as of August 2, she had less than 600 followers on her Instagram @thesallyjessy. But still, she is a true TV icon, beloved by fans.

“So, @Instagram doesn’t seem to want to give me my blue check – no matter what proof I send them!” the former talk show host wrote on Instagram on July 26. “AND there’s a fake account called “realsallyjr” and that’s NOT ME!”

She continued, “Help me let instagram know, so we can fix this!”

Raphael is best known for hosting The Sally Jessy Raphael Show, later titled Sally, a syndicated tabloid talk show that aired from October 17, 1983 until May 24, 2002. It was one of the first audience-participation, issue-driven talk shows with a female host, predating The Oprah Winfrey Show by three years.

Sally Jessy Raphael Instagram

However, despite her TV past, Instagram has yet to recognize the star, which has shocked her followers.

“That’s pretty crazy that someone as famous as you are is having trouble with being recognized,” wrote one fan. “I’m trying to understand what the issue is though. Is it because you have a low amount of followers on this platform? Keep, sharing the link to your IG on Facebook and hopefully Meta catches on! Loved watching you growing up & Still do.”

Sally Jessy Raphael Instagram

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“The Icon, the Legend of daytime TV, Ms. Sally Jessy Raphael needs her Blue Check Mark,” said another.

Another used said they had “reported” the issue to Instagram.

Before landing her own talk show, Raphael worked as a news correspondent, covering Central America for the Associated Press and United Press International. She bounced around various radio station jobs until she was asked to host a call-in advice show on WMCA in New York City in the early 1980s. This would ultimately lead to her TV talk show.

Her talk show won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Daytime Talk Series in 1990 and led the way for many other female-led talk shows, such as Oprah, Ricki Lake, Rosie O’Donnell, Jenny Jones, and more.