Thursday, May 8, 2008    Text size: 

"I'm going to miss it terribly," Johanson told The Associated Press. "It's been part of my life, and I just love it. I'm going to miss writing scripts. I'm going to miss having to read books. I'm going to miss playing with sex toys."

"Talk Sex" was based on a Canadian radio program that began in 1984, offering practical advice and the information on sexually transmitted diseases. Host Johanson, a Toronto-based nurse, incongruously looked and sounded like a grandmother dispensing sex information. Now 77, Johanson said she had to recognize that 1 a.m. (when the show ends) is not her finest hour, and the call-in format requires the show to be live.

"I have been on television for 32 years," she said. "I think it's time. I figured if we haven't got it by now, we're not going to get it. We've got to make room for somebody else."

"Talk Sex" is currently Oxygen's most popular late-night show, and its ratings among young viewers this season were the best ever, according to network officials. Johanson has said she enjoyed working with Oxygen and wasn't pushed out. The only editing Oxygen ever did was to urge her not to use a particular slang word for penis.

Material from the show will continue to be available on the Oxygen website and on video-on-demand.

Johanson said she isn't retiring, and will continue to give lectures.

"I'm a ham," she said. "I love a large audience."

"Talk Sex" airs live on the Oxygen cable channel Sunday nights. Check local listings for time and channel.