There has been controversy around Sherri Shepherd’s upcoming daytime TV talk show. Shepherd’s show will be airing in the same time slot as the former “Wendy Williams Show,” and this hasn’t been sitting well with loyal Willams fans and reportedly Williams herself.
“The Wendy Williams Show” was canceled after 13 seasons when Williams was able to return as the host after a series of personal issues, including a high-profile divorce, a return stint in drug rehab, and health issues due to Graves’ disease. Her show, instead, was being helmed by a series of celebrity guest hosts, one being Shepherd. Ultimately, Shepherd was offered her own show, “Sherri.”
“Sherri” will debut on Sept. 12 on Fox Television stations.
Despite the pushback Shepherd has gotten from Williams fans, she’s been reflecting on career and financial advice she’s gotten from other celebrities.
Pay It Forward From Whoopi
EGOT winner Whoopi Goldberg gave her one gem that has not only helped her career but helped her to realize the value of paying it forward, Shepherd revealed during an interview with HollywoodLife. Shepherd and Goldberg had been co-hosts on “The View.” Shepherd was on “The View” from 2007 to 2014.
“One of the big things that I learned at ‘The View’ is paying it forward,” Shepherd explained.
“When I came from L.A., all I had was a Gap miniskirt and a tank top. Whoopi took me around after I went on Bill O’Reilly with that tank top and that miniskirt. Whoopi said, ‘We got to get you some clothes.’ She took me to Anne Fisher. She got all these clothes for me, which were costly,” Shepherd remembered.
In the midst of a stressful and expensive divorce, Shepherd said she couldn’t afford to pay for clothes. Her divorce process dragged out for a number of years, continuing even after she left “The View.” In 2020, a judge in the child support case for Shepherd and her ex-husband Lamar Sally ruled she had to pay $4,100 in financial support each month. Shepherd and Sally had one child, a son, Lamar Jr., through surrogate in August 2014 while the couple split in May 2014. They had married in 2011.
Shepherd is now worth an estimated $10 million, but when she first joined “The View,” she was counting every cent.
But, Goldberg helped her out.
“I said, ‘I can’t afford these clothes; my card is going to be declined.’ I figured I would pay for the clothes and take them back and get my money back. I was going through a divorce. I just was broke,” she recalled.
“The sales clerk, when I gave them the card, said, ‘Ms. Goldberg paid for these clothes.’ I broke down crying, and Whoopi hugged me and Whoopi said, ‘Pay it forward.’… Whoopi taught me to pay it forward, which is what I have been doing for my entire career,” Shepherd said of her friend and mentor.
Winning ‘Energy’ Tops Ratings
Now she says she plans to pay it forward with “Sherri” by the guests she highlights. She also plans to put into use advice she got from the former Queen of Daytime TV herself, Oprah.
Shepherd also recalled to EW advice she got from Oprah: “One thing I took from Oprah is, she said, ‘Sherri, the show is not about the ratings, it’s about the energy. You put out the energy, and it will come back in direct proportion to you from the audience. It’s your responsibility. You’re in charge of the energy that is on your show.’ I felt that, because I was like, damn, I just wanted to show some viral videos and make people laugh. But it’s true, it’s the energy you give off, which is why we love Oprah.”
