Sherri Shepherd Honors Wendy Williams’ Legacy on ‘Watch What Happens Live’
Sherri Shepherd just landed her own syndicated talk show after being a ratings hit guest hosting on The Wendy Williams Show. The Sex Lives of College Girls actor will be taking over Wendy Williams‘ talk show following medical issues that have prevented her from returning to her purple chair. Shepherd is grateful for the opportunity that has been given to her and acknowledges the impact Williams has in the history of daytime talk shows.
Sherri Shepherd honors Wendy Williams
Following the big news that Shepherd was getting her own talk show and taking over the time slot left behind by Wendy Williams, Shepherd can’t help but honor the legacy Williams leaves behind. During an interview on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, the late-night host brought up the big news about Shepherd. Cohen said that Shepherd is one of the “most consistently funny guests” on the Bravo talk show and she’s great at everything she does.
Shepherd acknowledged that she has a long history on daytime TV as she was a co-host on The View for many years and had filled in for Williams on numerous occasions. The television personality also remembered that when she was a kid she used a toilet paper roll as her microphone and pretended that she hosted her own talk show.
“She made her own path. What Wendy does, nobody can recreate,” Shepherd said about Williams. “The spill the tea, you know, and she’d sit there and be like, ‘You know what I’m talking about.’ I love that and I love her fearlessness. And that is something that I want to emulate and keep going. She opened up a lot of doors and she’s up there with the greats.”
Sherri Shepherd breaks the news of her new talk show
It was on The Wendy Williams Show that Shepherd broke the news that she was getting her own talk show. Shepherd had been regularly guest hosting the daytime talk show in the absence of Williams. The Friends alum addressed that she would be hosting a new show and she was not replacing Williams as “no one can replace the queen.”
“I do wanna say there have been all of these crazy stories online about my replacing Wendy and I am here to tell you that, that is not true,” Shepherd said on the show. “No one can replace the queen, nobody. And trust me, I am not trying to at all. It is Wendy’s place to share her story with you but I do wanna give the queen her props. Wendy had a legendary career in radio and this show was specifically crafted for her. No one can do this format but Wendy.”
Shepherd also mentioned that hosting her own talkshow was a lifelong dream and she had manifested it years ago and it finally happened.
‘Hot Topics’ will follow Sherri Shepherd
Although Shepherd’s new show was going to have its own format that would fit the new host, the “Hot Topics” segment would be carried over from The Wendy Williams Show.
“Like our viewers, we have been impressed by the unique comedic twist Sherri puts on our daily live ‘Hot Topics’ segment, her creativity and interactions with our guests. Her love for the content and daytime fans is obvious, and we are excited to partner with her to create another long-term talk franchise,” Debmar-Mercury Co-Presidents Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein said in a statement shared by Deadline.
Shepherd’s show would premiere in the fall of 2022.
