The news that Sherri Shepherd’s beloved daytime talk show “Sherri” is ending after four seasons has given some fans time to grieve and celebrate what Shepherd accomplished. In comedian Loni Love’s eyes, Shepherd deserved better than finding out her show was canceled via trade publications.
Love took to Twitter on Tuesday (Feb. 3) to voice her displeasure with how everything went down, pointing out that fellow daytime host Kelly Clarkson got the agency to at least inform people that her show was ending after its current season, which received a much softer landing.
“Sherri should have been given the courtesy of announcing her show’s end instead of an article announcing it (Just like Kelly got to announce her show’s end.),” she began. “It’s not like The Real, which was a panel show, but this was a solo-hosted show. Or the production company could have at least made a joint announcement as a producer and host.”
She added, “Seeing “cancelled” stamped all over your picture is depressing, especially when the show was having good ratings. Only onward and upward from this, @sherrieshepherd.”
Deadline revealed on Monday (Feb. 2) that Shepherd’s show was ending at Fox after four seasons, despite having stellar ratings. Its producer-distributor, Debmar-Mercury, cited the evolving daytime TV landscape as the reason for ending the show on broadcast networks and is exploring a move to digital platforms.
“This decision is driven by the evolving daytime television landscape and does not reflect on the strength of the show, its production – which has found strong creative momentum this season – or the incredibly talented Sherri Shepherd,” Debmar-Mercury co-presidents Ira Bernstein and Mort Marcus said in a statement today. “We believe in this show and in Sherri and intend to explore alternatives for it on other platforms.”
On the same day, Clarkson announced that she would be ending her long-running talk show after seven seasons, saying the decision was hers alone.
“This was not an easy decision, but this season will be my last hosting ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show,’” Clarkson said in a statement. “Stepping away from the daily schedule will allow me to prioritize my kids, which feels necessary and right for this next chapter of our lives. This isn’t goodbye. I’ll still be making music, playing shows here and there and you may catch me on ‘The Voice’ from time to time … you never know where I might show up next. But for now, I want to thank y’all so much for allowing our show to be a part of your lives, and for believing in us and hanging with us for seven incredible years.”
Shepherd has yet to comment on the end of her show publicly.
