Carson Daly Celebrates 25 Years Since ‘TRL’ Premiere: ‘Some of the Best Years of My Life’

Carson Daly still looks back on it Total request live (TRL) with love a quarter century after the debut of the culture-shaping MTV series.

Thursday morning, Today host, 50, reflected on the early days of his career in an Instagram post, including a throwback video from his time hosting the MTV music show.

“25 years ago today, before Instagram, TikTok and Facebook existed TRL“, he wrote. “TV’s first truly interactive, fan-driven show. It was my home for some of the best years of my life.”

Carson Daly Throwback Photos from TRL Days

Daly offered respect and hope for his own TRL guests, as well as those who made the show happen. “I’ve had the privilege of presenting so much to so many,” he continued. “Music, movies, celebrities, world events and more. All live, every day. I am so grateful for that time and for all of you who have allowed me (and my T-Mobile SideKick) to be a part of your lives. I hope you will be happy and healthy 25 years later.”

He also added a joke about one fan who appeared “annoyed” on screen – and included a video. “Hey, I wonder if that Backstreet Boys fan who yelled at me is still mad? Lol…Good times.”

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Comments on the post followed by applause TRL as a staple in the late 1990s and thanked Daly.

The host also mentioned his weather TRL while hosting Today on Thursday. Daly said he was actually the reason the hit series became known for its acronym. “A quarter of a century since the premiere Total request live — which one day I jokingly called ‘Oh, that’s right TRL in short, if you’re one of the cool kids, call it TRL.’ No one had… and then it actually became a thing. That was 25 years ago.”

He also shared a hilarious look at his celebrity interactions — and the technology at hand. “Artists would come over, we had a Motorola Sidekick, and you’d run into Sidekicks and you’d exchange your information,” he said. “And it would be like, ‘Yo JAY, you wanna be at the club tonight?’ ‘Yes, go through’. It was a really fun time.”

Jennifer Lopez talks to Carson Daly on MTV’s TRL.

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TRL aired new episodes every weekday on MTV from 1998 to 2008, welcoming the biggest music and entertainment acts of the day live in a studio in Times Square as Daly and other hosts counted down the top 10 videos as voted by fans.

Daly summed up its cultural importance Today: “Before there was TikTok, before there was Facebook or Instagram or Twitter, there was this show. You know where your celebrities are eating for dinner now. We watched TRL every day after school to bring it in.”

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Source: HIS Education