She may be testing the waters for a new show by appearing on the upcoming season of "Dancing With The Stars" on ABC as a contestant starting in September.
An extended guest shot on a prime time show can often re-introduce you to a potential audience that hasn't seen you in a while (and she's been off TV for a few years now). If she clicks this time around as a contestant, that could jump start her exploratory moves to get a new syndication deal for a revived, revamped "Ricki Lake Show", which started in a low-key way last year but hasn't yet reached the pilot stage. And now that Katie Couric has signed with ABC for a launch this coming winter, other syndicators who didn't sign Couric are free and looking to launch a competitive offering--which may mean Ricki gets more nibbles from outfits like CBS and Fox.