The Wendy Williams Show is coming to an end. Sherri Shepherd has been a guest host on the syndicated talk show several times this season and her own show, Sherri, will take over Williams’ timeslot in many markets. Williams has been off her show recovering from Grave’s Disease and a thyroid condition for several months.
Debmar-Mercury Co-Presidents Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein said the following about Shepherd’s new series, per Deadline:
“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. 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. 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.”
As for Williams, she released her own statement through her spokesperson Howard Bragman, per Deadline:
“It’s been a challenging time for Wendy as she deals with her health issues. She is incredibly grateful to Debmar-Mercury, to Sherri and everybody else who has supported the show through this time. She, more than anyone, understands the reality of syndicated television — you can’t go to the marketplace and sell a show that’s The Maybe Wendy Show. She understands why this decision was made from a business point of view, and she has been assured by Debmar-Mercury that should her health get to a point where she can host again and should her desire be that she hosts again that she would be back on TV at that time.”
A premiere date for Sherri will be announced at a later date. The Wendy Williams Show will finish out this season with more guest hosts, including Shepherd.
What do you think? Are you sad to see The Wendy Williams Show end? Do you plan to watch Sherri this fall?