Sherri Shepherd Fires Wendy Williams Producers

Things will look a lot different at Sherri, at least behind the scenes. The daytime talk show took over Wendy Williams’ former highly coveted time slot in 2022. Since then, the show’s ratings have been through the roof and another season is coming. Upon the show’s announcement, the former The View co-host was ushered in by a few of Williams’ former staffers. But she’s making some changes ahead of Sherri Shepherd’s second season, and Williams’ former staffers have gotten the axe. Page Six reports two producers, David Perler and Suzanne Bass, will not return in Season 2. But the change is reportedly not surprising.

Perler was kept on for Sherri to assist in the transition and “to help get through the hump of launching a new show,” one source told the publication. Bass appeared on camera with Williams during her popular “Hot Topics” segment and was considered to be a “sidekick and buffer,” which Shepherd doesn’t need. “Suzanne was on camera for a decade with Wendy,” another source said. Shepherd has her own EP, Jawn Murray, who also her best friend, and is an integral part of the show and helps her deliver pop culture news and beyond in the first half of the show.

A spokesperson for Debmar-Mercury, the production company behind both Williams’ former show and Shepherd’s current one, said in a statement to Page Six: “We will announce a new executive producer for the second season to serve alongside [Murray].”

The statement continues, adding, “[Perler and Bass] have been integral to Debmar-Mercury’s success in daytime syndication for many years and have helped launch ‘Sherri’… Debmar Mercury wishes them all the best on future endeavors and hopes to work with them in the future.”

Per The Wrap, Shepherd’s talk show makes up an estimated 1 million viewers daily. The show has been renewed through the 2024-2025 season due to its first season’s success.