What Lauren "Lolo" Wood Learned from Chanel West Coast About Cohosting Ridiculousness
Lauren "Lolo" Wood did a lot of studying before taking her seat on the red couch.
In fact, the 31-year-old—who's officially replacing Chanel West Coast's on Ridiculousness—prepped for her role by checking out past episodes of the Rob Dyrdek series.
"I learned from watching Chanel and other guests on the show," Lauren told E! News in an exclusive interview, "and seeing what their dynamic is. Everyone has their own individual flavor, so I don't want to try and emulate in that way, but just to watch and learn what works for them and what could work for me."
And although Lauren—who began guest hosting in last May—hasn't had a chance to meet Chanel, she welcomes any guidance.
"I would love any advice," she noted, "because it's some big shoes to fill."
As for Rob's biggest piece of advice? Authenticity.
"He was just saying to be yourself and bring whatever you can add to the show," Lauren recalled. "It's not very strict, and that's the beauty of improv. You're just yourself and what makes it better is your personality."
But she's no stranger to the MTV family, as she previously hosted Wild 'n Out from 2014 to 2016. And she credits her time on the show with helping her prepare for her latest job.
"It just got me so used to being in front of the camera and being on such a big syndicated TV show—it just made me more self-aware," she said. "It definitely got me to recognize the work that celebrities put behind their craft—just all the behind-the-scenes work they dedicate to lead to that status and comedy."
With this new opportunity, she knew she had to refresh her skills.
"I'm like, 'OK, how can I better my craft?'" Lauren explained. "I'm taking improv classes right now and never thought I would do that. I try to implement what I learned into my work at Ridiculousness to help better my performance. Like, how can I be more relatable? What can I say that will be funny for the public?"
"Instead of thinking ahead so much and second-guessing yourself, you just go with the first thought that comes to your mind and build with that," she continued. "I'm going to get more comfortable with that and hopefully, it'll translate on TV."
Although Chanel left the show after 12 years as host, her departure was just the next chapter in her life. As she told E! News last month, "I think this was just the natural time and that it was the natural evolution of me."
Instead, the 35-year-old is now starring in her own show, West Coast Hustle.
"I've always wanted to show the world what I was doing outside of Ridiculousness," she shared. "I was pitching trailers, trying to get somebody to pick up a show for a while, and nobody was biting at first. And I think the universe has plans for us."
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