Tyler's career in television took off in 2001 with jobs as the host of "Talk Soup" and the reality-dating series "The Fifth Wheel", although "Talk Soup" was canceled the following year and Tyler left "The Fifth Wheel" in 2002 to pursue other interests. Tyler has devoted a significant amount of her time to independent projects, including a role in the play "Moose Mating", for which she received an NAACP Image Award. She also wrote, directed, and starred in the independent short film "The Whipper". Moving into acting, Tyler featured in "Friends" as Dr. Charlie Wheeler, Joey's and then Ross' girlfriend, in the ninth and tenth seasons. She followed this up with guest spots on ' and "Nip/Tuck", as well as balancing season-long recurring roles on both ' and "24" during the 2004–2005 television season. She also filmed her own sitcom pilot for CBS, which was not picked up. She has guest-starred on "MADtv".