After guest hosting on The Wendy Williams Show since last November, actress/comedian Sherri Shepherd is expected to host her own talk show on FOX.
As reported by PEOPLE, the new daytime show titled Sherri will “inherit” the time slot of The Wendy Williams Show on Fox owned-and-operated stations, producer and distributor Debmar-Mercury said.
“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,” company co-presidents Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein said in a statement on Tuesday.
“We hope to be able to work with Wendy again in the future, and continue to wish her a speedy and full recovery,” they said.
Shepherd shared her own joy over the announcement.
“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,” PEOPLE reported Shepherd said in a statement.
Shepherd will serve as executive producer on her new talk show along with her producing partner Jawn Murray and executive producer and showrunner David Perler, who worked on The Wendy Williams Show for 12 seasons.
The current 13th season, which will be the last, has rotated a slew of celebrity guests hosts since last fall including rappers Fat Joe and Remy Ma, Jerry Springer, Michael Rapaport, Bevy Smith, and Terrence J.
“Shepherd proved the most popular sub for Williams, Debmar-Mercury said, and the show’s ratings held up during her appearances,” per The Associated Press.
The show will continue through the 13th season with rotating hosts, including Shepherd who will guest host The Wendy Williams Show all this week.
“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,” said co-presidents Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein in a statement, AP reports.
“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,” they said.
“This is also a bitter-sweet moment for us and our partners at FOX. 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,” Marcus and Bernstein added.
Shepherd previously told PEOPLE in 2020 that hosting her own show was “one of my dreams,” adding, “When I got to host The Wendy Williams Show by myself, it was like a dream.”
Williams last taped her show when season 12 wrapped in July 2021. Her absence since has been attributed to a slew of ongoing medical issues, including Graves’ disease, along with a “breakthrough” case of COVID-19 late last year.
Williams will remain out for the “rest of” season 13 amid rumors that she is wheelchair-bound with dementia.
“Wendy won’t be returning to the show for the rest of this season. Her healing is going slower than everyone had hoped. She continues to deal with a number of medical issues, including Graves’ disease, and she and her team are taking it one day at a time,” a source close to the situation told PEOPLE earlier this month.
“But reports of a stroke, drugs or addiction issues or a dementia diagnosis are all false. Whether Wendy can return in the fall will depend on how her healing goes over the summer. Her health is the most important thing,” the source added.
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