'The Wendy Williams Show' Ending, Sherri Shepherd Taking Over
The Wendy Williams Show is coming to an end for now as a new daytime talk show hosted by Sherri Shepherd launches in its place come fall 2022. The new series, titled Sherri, will take over The Wendy Williams Show's time slots as Wendy Williams continues to recover from the health-related issues that have caused her to take an extended hiatus from her show.
"OMG! I am so excited to have my dream come true and debut my very own talk show SHERRI in the fall. I can't wait until I return to NY to host the show and merge everything I love...pop culture, talk, entertainment and comedy. I am thankful to Debmar-Mercury and FOX for partnering with me on this show and look forward to this new journey," Shepherd, who has been guest hosting for Williams recently, said in a statement.
Sherri will be executive produced by Shepherd and her producing partner Jawn Murray as well as executive producer and showrunner David Perler, who held a similar position for the majority of The Wendy Williams Show. Williams' representative previously confirmed that she would not be returning to her show this season as she recovers from complications related to Graves' disease and thyroid issues. "Wendy's show will not be on the air this fall and its future is up in the air and uncertain," an insider told Variety of a potential return to TV for Williams in the future. "When Wendy is back to herself, and if she wants to do the show again, Debmar-Mercury is open to it."
"Sherri is a natural who proved her hosting skills for many years as a panelist on The View, on Fox's Dish Nation and again this season as a popular guest host of Wendy," Debmar-Mercury co-presidents Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein said in a statement, as per Variety. "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."
"This is also a bitter-sweet moment for us and our partners at Fox," continued Marcus and Bernstein. "We all have a great love and affinity for Wendy, who grew into a true icon during her 12 incredible seasons as the solo host of a live, daily talk show dishing on 'Hot Topics' and interviewing celebrities. Since Wendy is still not available to host the show as she continues on her road to recovery, we believe it is best for our fans, stations and advertising partners to start making this transition now. We hope to be able to work with Wendy again in the future, and continue to wish her a speedy and full recovery."