Jenifer Lewis joins Tamron Hall for opening of Tiana's Bayou Adventure

Tamron Hall was joined by legendary actress and singer Jenifer Lewis, at the opening of Tiana's Bayou Adventure!

ByAmy Becker OTRC logo
Thursday, June 20, 2024 3:52AM
Jenifer Lewis joins Tamron Hall for opening of Tiana's Bayou Adventure
Jenifer Lewis joined daytime talk show host Tamron Hall for the opening of "Tiana's Bayou Adventure!"

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Jenifer Lewis joined daytime talk show host Tamron Hall for the opening of "Tiana's Bayou Adventure!"

The two talked with On The Red Carpet at the opening of new Princess Tiana themed attraction in Walt Disney World. Jenifer Lewis, who voiced Mama Odie in Disney's "The Princess and the Frog," raved about the ride, "They capture the culture of New Orleans, and the music's there. The food is there. I mean, Mama Odie is there and making beignets! And Juju, my little snake Juju is peeping up and down over the beignets, but they really captured the whole ambience!"

The attraction has been a long time in the making, with the film releasing in 2009.

Lewis shared that while recording "Dig a Little Deeper" for the film, "I did 20 takes because I wanted it to be so good and that was a live orchestra. They had live orchestras back then, baby."

Recently, Lewis performed the song live on "American Idol," explaining what the performance meant to her.

Hall brought her son to Walt Disney World for the first time during this trip. "My son, he loves music. He just turned five. This is his first ride ever, his first visit. I don't know how we can top it. We took the dive into the splash, and then music pops in and all of the fears just go away. But it is the culture, you said it perfectly," Hall told Lewis.

The splash also left a lasting impact on Lewis. "The animatronic of Mama Odie is so human-like and she's the last voice you hear before you splash down in the water! That just freaked me out. I was just so happy," she said. Lewis described the ride as "beyond bliss."

Hall and Lewis go way back. "Tamron interviewed me, after I had the fall in Africa. When I experience things like today, it's just part of how I feel about having lived through the fall. I had earned more moments of bliss that I hadn't lived yet, and today was one of those," Lewis explained. "I'll be long gone, and that ride will be there," she went on to say, before Hall exclaimed, "Okay we're ending this whole thing right now!"

Catch all-new episodes of "Tamron Hall Show" weekdays in syndication when season seven premieres in September. Find your time and channel at TamonHallShow.com.

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