Sherri Shepherd was the top candidate to lead a new program out of all the guest hosts who appeared on “The Wendy Williams Show.”
Williams has had a difficult few months dealing with health and career issues. It was revealed why the guest host eventually got a chance to lead her own show after losing her program’s slot to Shepherd.
Alexandra Jewett, executive VP of programming at Debmar-Mercury, was quoted in The Hollywood Reporter. She said that Shepherd quickly blew everyone away when she began hosting the show.
She said:
“We’re always looking to see who’s out there and what they can bring to the table, and it was apparent from day one that Sherri had something special.”
Because of the program’s ratings, Shepherd was also hailed as the new talk show host. When it became clear that Williams would not return to the show, she was added to the list of potential hosts.
This echoed the sentiments expressed by Debmar-Mercury co-presidents Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein about the new host being the best fit. They allegedly considered who would be the best person to host in her or his own unique style.
They realized how well Shepherd performed the Williams’ format after seeing her. They thought she could do more with that.
Shepherd’s show, “Sherri,” will finally premiere on September 12. Even before she begins her assignment, the executives are aware that “she’s great at it.”
In addition to Shepherd, Michael Rapaport, Fat Joe, Remy Ma, Bevy Smith, and Terrence J hosted “The Wendy Williams Show.”
Despite the careful selection process, Williams has stated that she will not support her replacement.
The beleaguered host told Fat Joe that she never expected to be fired because she had always planned to return. Following her dismissal, she stated publicly that she would not watch “SHERRI” because Shepherd’s works are not her thing.
Meanwhile, Shepherd responded politely via Instagram Live, saying that Williams’ comments were fine. Instead of retaliating, she asked everyone to pray for her because she was suffering from heartbreaking health problems.
Williams’ show was officially canceled as a result of her absences due to Graves’ disease.