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What began as temporary, while Wendy Williams was mysteriously absent from her daytime show, morphed into a new, bona fide hit, which will now continue through the 2024-25 season.
By Lacey Rose
Executive Editor, Television
Sherri Shepherd’s eponymous talk show will live on.
Fox Television Stations announced Wednesday that they’d be renewing Sherri for two more years, taking the series from Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury through the 2024-25 season.
Shepherd’s path to this place was hardly ordinary, with the actress, comedian and former The View co-host initially asked to step in as a temporary fill-in during predecessor Wendy Williams’ prolonged absence. Proving an instant hit with the daytime audience, Shepherd kept being invited back — until it became clear that Williams would not be returning to her long-running show, and Shepherd was formally tapped to succeed her.
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Shepherd’s iteration, retitled Sherri, launched this fall and quickly became an asset for its distributor. In fact, Sherri is being trumpeted as the No. 1 new nationally syndicated daytime talk show.
“In success, the hour leading out of AM news can act as a springboard for a station’s entire daytime, and it’s not easy to find the right fit,” Frank Cicha, executive vp program for the Fox TV Stations, noted in a statement. “Sherri’s mix of professionalism and competitive strength has been a great fit for us, so we’re happy to be bringing her program back.”
For several months now, Sherri has been filming in front of a live studio audience in New York’s Chelsea neighborhood, just as The Wendy Williams Show had for more than a decade. Much of the Wendy staff and crew, who continued to produce a daily show without its beloved host for an entire season, stayed on as well. Despite all of that, Shepherd has made the show decidedly her own.
Heading into the new season, Debmar-Mercury co-presidents Ira Bernstein and Mort Marcus, who once bet their houses on Williams, were similarly optimistic about Shepherd. “We initially sold Sherri for one year based on our strong belief that this extraordinarily talented host would be successful, and her show would become a long-term talk franchise,” they said, adding: “Our thanks go to our good friends and longtime partners at FOX, who shared in our enthusiasm and have renewed their faith in Sherri with this long-term commitment.”
Shepherd, who’s gone out of her way to praise Williams at every turn, used the opportunity Wednesday to thank those that took the chance on her. “I launched this show with the mission to give daytime viewers a ‘good time,’ just like my theme song says,” she said. “I am so appreciative that Fox and Debmar-Mercury have partnered with me to continue bringing more laughter, joy and inspiration to my audience.”
Meanwhile, Williams has kept a low profile since Shepherd’s launch. In fact, shortly after Sherri’s September premiere, Williams’ publicist, Shawn Zanotti, revealed that Williams had entered a wellness facility. “She is taking some time to focus on her health and wellness as she prepares for a major comeback for the next level in her career with The Wendy Experience Podcast,” Zanotti told THR. The podcast is yet to make its debut.
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