Sherri Shepherd Gets Candid About Talk Show, Oprah, Kamala Harris & What’s Next

Let’s face it. The world can be a dark place. That’s why Sherri Shepherd has made it a point to bring the light by bringing the fun every weekday on her syndicated daytime talk show. The actress and comedian has carved out a place within the market as a result. Now in Season 3,  Sherri continues to build its viewership with more high-profile guests stopping by to spend some quality time with the welcoming host. 

For Shepherd, sharing her relatable takes and life anecdotes has also resonated. The chance to enter the homes through the television screen is not lost on the 57-year-old. An entertainer who was on the grind for decades working on shows such as Suddenly Susan. The Jamie Foxx Show, Everybody Loves Raymond, 30 Rock, and so many spots. 

Her gift of the gab led to a life-changing opportunity to sit at The View table alongside the legendary Barbara Walters and others. In recent years the Emmy-winner continued to build the talk resume through Dish Nation and filling in for The Wendy Williams Show. Shepherd will be the first to tell you everything she has done was prep for a dream realized with her own talk show. 

Here Shepherd reflects on some of the biggest guests to come on Sherri, the evolution of the show, and hopes for the future. 

There is surely a lot of pressure to deliver when you’re starting a talk show. What do you remember about how you were feeling going into that first season?  How does your mindset compare to now? 

Sherri Shepherd: I think I was feeling very nervous. Like when you throw a party and worry if anyone is ever going to come to your party. I think now, in Season 3, I feel like people know this is the hot party to come to. I leaned more into the comedy aspect of it and being really at ease in having fun with people. Our goal in Season 1 was we wanted celebrities to be our guests to stay and play and play a game with me. Just let go and have a little fun. 

The first season was very hard. You had people saying, “No, I’m not doing that.” Now Angela Bassett will have some fun with me. Quinta Brunson came yesterday. We played a game. Donnie Wahlberg, we’re flipping pizzas together. Niecy Nash was fresh off an Emmy. She is playing games with me. I love it. I love people who want to stay and play games and have a lot of fun. I just feel people feel really safe. I get the comments from many of them who say, “You know what? I’ve had to do so much press. This was the most fun that I’ve had doing all my press.” 

You came back on the scene after stepping in for Wendy Willams toward the end of her run. How was it going from that to making the initial transition that this was now your official show? 

That wasn’t difficult for me because I know who I am, and I’ve been in this business a long time. I think for other people who may have not known me thought talk shows were all I did. I’m an actress, hosted game shows, and co-hosted for seven years on The View. I had all that experience stepping in, and I’m a standup comic. I stand on stage for 90 minutes. In order for me to get paid, you must laugh for the 90 minutes. Me coming in, I just had to show them who I was. Now people get it. I’m very different. The Queen had her lane, and I have my lane, and we don’t cross. It has been really fun to show people all those different sides. 

Oprah Winfrey and Sherri Shepherd (Photo by Andrew Werner)

Speaking of queens, I think arguably Oprah Winfrey helped bring that legitimacy to the show. There were some nice moments shared between you too and personal touches. Even you wearing the same sweater you wore all those years ago when you were in the audience for her show. What did having her on mean to you? 

That was a big deal. That was really giving my show some credibility and legitimacy. When Oprah came on and played games with me was great. She wasn’t going to do it. When I asked her, she was like, “Nah, I have to do other shows to promote this movie.” Oprah was the one who taught me to advocate. I sent her all of my ratings and what I do on the show. She called me back and said, “You know what? They want me to come on with the other cast, but I’m coming by myself. We’re going to have some fun.”

Even Oprah knew what a big deal this was for her to come by herself. I couldn’t have done what I did if it was the entire cast of The Color Purple. Her being there really made people look at my show and go, “Oh!” There were other people coming on, too. Lenny Kravitz! He came to play. 

Your crush! 

My crush! He came to play on this show. I think back to Angela Bassett. I think Oprah started it and showed people this was a show to be reckoned with. We had John Lithgow. He is famous for making his limericks. He made one for The Real Housewives of Potomac. There was also Mary J. Blige. This season we have big names calling us saying they’d like to come on and play with Sherri. 

You also got a nice surprise from Janet Jackson last season. 

It was a cool moment. That was Jawn Murray, our executive producer. He was sick at the time so he wasn’t able to really see it after all the work he put into this. He really wheeled and dealed to get Janet because she is very private. She does very few interviews. Then to come on the show. She had a good time. It was so great. He worked so hard. When she stepped out from around the corner, I was floored. I’m hoping she comes back. Then another one was Vice President Kamala Harris. 

I was going to ask you about having her as a guest. What was the perspective you took on that one? Did you see it as a chance to expand your range of guests a bit? 

It was interesting. This show is not political. I didn’t want it to be. I feel you can get politics from so many other shows. I wanted this to be a respite. A resting place where you don’t have to worry about that. With Vice President Harris, I wasn’t sure about it Jawn said, “This is really a way to get to show the human side of Vice President Harris. It’s also inspiring to young girls who can see themselves in her. Southeast Pacific Asian girls. Little brown girls. It’s a way to showcase that.” He shifted my paradigm of thinking. So, when she came on we gave her two segments and got to have fun with her. So much fun she told me she would invite me to dinner because First Gentleman [Douglas] Emhoff knows some people to introduce me to. She had a good time. 

You so often tell the guests you have what they mean to you. How was it to have Quinta Brunson kind of turn the tables and express how your work in 30 Rock inspired her work on Abbott Elementary? 

It was pretty cool for her to tell me she watched everything I do because in the back of my mind I’m thinking, “This means I don’t have to audition, right? I don’t have to audition for Abbott Elementary because I’m an actress, and according to you, a very good actress.” It did mean a lot. I said it this morning, “It really shows me that representation matters. People need to see folks that look like them in order to be inspired.” It’s the same way I looked at Oprah. I said, “This lady looks like me. She has the same hair as me. We talk the same.” It inspired me to try to live my dream. The fact what I was doing,  there was a young girl named Quinta Brunson looking at me thinking, “I can do that too. I want to do that too.” Representation. It matters on the big screen, and on the small screen. 

What are your thoughts on the landscape of daytime today? There seems to be this shift where there is more of a focus on positivity. I think people are looking for that nowadays. 

I think people want joy. I have to say that for everybody. That’s what we bring. We bring it in different ways. Jennifer Hudson brings joy as soon as she opens her mouth and starts singing. Drew Barrymore brings joy in her way. Kelly Clarkson, same thing. I bring joy with laughter. I think that is what this landscape is. People are tired of all the bad news they are getting every time they turn on the TV. They are tired. They don’t like being desensitized. They just want to rest and have an escape. I always thank my audience for just hanging out and letting me be silly. If me being silly gives them a respite, I’ll be here for a while. 

Terry Crews and Sherri Shepherd (‘Sherr’)

Who is on your bucket list for guests for the show? 

I still haven’t gotten Cher. I really want to interview here. I need Meryl Streep in my life right now. I would love Jean Smart. Trevor Noah, he better come on and stop playing. I also wanted Sylvester Stallone, who came on the show. He doesn’t do many, so he came on the show. If I can get Sly, Al Pacino, and Mr. [Robert] De Niro, oh my gosh. 

The trifecta. 

I’m telling you! 

What’s to come this season? 

This season it’s never too late to try and dream bigger. In the season I’m in, I just want to share with women we have to stay healthy. In order for us to move forward with whatever our purpose is, we need our health to do it. I got people on now for our “Fit Over 50” because I want people to see it’s not too late to start working out. It’s not too late to be a bodybuilder. It’s never too late to try anything. Terry Crews and I were trying to tapdance. I’m trying to learn how to juggle. I just want my audience to know life is short. Grab the bull by the horns. 

I knew you were up for anything when I saw you in the WWE ring. 

Yeah with MVP! We love having our WWE people on. We’ve had Jade Cargill, Naomi, Montez Ford, and Bianca Belair. I did a monologue on MJF. He was mean to Jeffrey! He was mean to my son. 

Have you forgiven him? Are we going to see him on your show maybe? 

No! I forgive for me, but no. Not when he messes with my son. When he asked for a picture, and you tell him now? Unbelievable. No sir. 

What do you see in terms of the future of the show? What are some of the benchmarks you’re setting?

I hope we’re syndicated all across the country and globally. I think that would be rather nice. Of course, you want the highest ratings ever. I hit number two in syndication. I’d liek to be number one. I’d like to keep bringing the funny. I do a monologue every day. Nobody does that. Ellen [Degeneres] was the last person to do it. I’m doing it now. Nobody does a comedic monologue for 21 minutes, and I can do it every day. I want to keep doing it. 

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You pull from life stories, but I know that’s not easy to do in terms of formatting that. 

It’s fun. This morning I just talked for two or three minutes about the snafu we had trying to put my clothes on a minute before I walked out. It was too tight. I couldn’t unsnap anything, wig in the way. I made it funny. That’s what I do. The way I see it I bring the joy through the laughter. 

I feel like the Emmys and Oscars folks need to give you a call to host. 

You know what? I’m so open, and I would love to. I looked at Whoopi [Goldberg] doing that and said, “I want to do that.” 

Sherri, Weekdays, Syndication