Lake became known to audiences when she played the main character of the John Waters film Hairspray. Her role as the overweight USO volunteer in the television series China Beach gave her a larger audience, and she was eventually chosen to host the talk show which bears her name. At the same time, she went on a public weight loss regimen, and wound up losing about 125 pounds.
She has also appeared in The King of Queens and Mrs. Winterbourne .