'Wendy Williams Show' Guest Host Sherri Shepherd Undergoes Emergency Surgery

By Daniel S. Levine

The Wendy Williams Show had another scare over the weekend as guest host Sherri Shepherd was rushed to the hospital for emergency appendicitis surgery. Comedian Michael Rapaport was picked to replace the former The View co-host for Monday's show. Williams has yet to host an episode of her eponymous show this season, and she will continue to miss episodes into 2022 as she recovers from complications of Graves' disease.

"Due to appendicitis, Sherri Shepherd underwent an emergency surgery yesterday," Shepard's publicist told Deadline Monday morning. "The procedure was successful, and Ms. Shepherd is doing fine and resting. She is absolutely devastated that she will not be able to guest host The Wendy Williams Show today, but she is following doctors' orders and is expected to make a full recovery. Thank you all for understanding and respecting her privacy."

A Wendy Williams spokesperson said they hope Shepherd can return before the end of the week and Rapaport will host in the meantime. Shepard also commented on the situation on Twitter, thanking Rapaport for stepping in on such short notice. Shepard and Rapaport have both hosted episodes of Wendy Williams this season. Shepard's episodes have been among the highest-rated of the season, while Rapaport's saw the lowest ratings of the year, reports The Wrap.

The Wendy Williams Show Season 13 premiere was delayed in September due to Williams' health concerns and did not premiere until Oct. 13, with guest hosts filling in. Williams has continued to battle with Graves' disease and a thyroid condition. She also had a breakthrough case of COVID-19 in September. In late November, Williams told a photographer she was "doing fabulous" as she left a Miami health facility. Her younger brother, Tommy Williams, recently told The Sun that rumors his sister has dementia are not true.

"We haven't had any alerts like that and I haven't seen anything like that or have had conversations with her that would lead me to believe that," Tommy said in November. "We routinely go up and check on Wendy even though we're all down here in Florida. I try to make it up there and my dad speaks with Wendy frequently. So no, we don't have any concerns concerning her mental state. It's all physical."

Williams will not be back until at least February. Producers already announced the guest host line-up for January 2022. Rappers Fat Joe and Remy Ma will host the first week of January, while Rapaport will handle the second week. Kym Whitley and Finesse Williams will host the third week. Shepard will host the last week of January.

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