Photo: The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — “The Wendy Williams Show” will soon come to an end with Wendy Williams’ prolonged health-related absence. This fall, viewers can look forward to Sherri Shepherd as the host of “Sherri.”
Fox has announced that they will be replacing “The Wendy Williams Show” with a new daytime talk show called “Sherri,” said producer and distributor Debmar-Mercury. Fox-owned-and-operated stations have aired Williams’ talk show since 2008.
The company’s co-presidents, Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein, said in a statement: “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.”
The two executives added, “We hope to be able to work with Wendy again in the future, and continue to wish her a speedy and full recovery.” They also said they have “great love and affinity for Wendy” and admire her success.
On Williams’ recent health issues, the company declined to comment. Williams’ health is a topic that even she has not discussed outside of general information.
Williams is grateful to Debmar-Mercury, Shepherd and everyone who has supported her show, spokesman Howard Bragman said in a statement. He added that it has been a “challenging time” for the host as she handles her health.
Bragman further explained that he understands Williams’ decision from a “business point of view.” According to him, Williams knows “the reality of syndicated television — you can’t go to the marketplace and sell a show that’s the ‘Maybe Wendy Show.”
Bragman also stated that Williams has been assured to be “back on TV” if her health recovers.
Daytime TV is changing, says Debmar-Mercury, and Shepherd will provide stability as she takes over Williams’ time slot. It will also help fill the gap left by “The Ellen Degeneres Show,” which is ending this season. It’s also expected that Drew Barrymore and Kelly Clarkson may host a show. Jennifer Hudson is also set to lead another daytime TV program.
Shepherd’s new talk show will be a combination of her love for “pop culture, talk, entertainment and comedy,” the actor-comedian said in a statement. The former “The View” co-host added that it is her “dream come true” to have her own talk show.
“The Wendy Williams Show” has been a success for Lionsgate-owned Debmar-Mercury, and it has relied on the brash radio host Williams as its lead. Shepherd also took over as a guest host of the show when it began to rely on a string of guest hosts at the beginning of its 13th year.
When Shepherd’s appearances on “The Wendy Williams Show” received high ratings, Debmar-Mercury deemed her fit to take over as a host of her own show. The production of “The Wendy Williams Show” will continue through this season and it will feature Shepherd and other rotating fill-in hosts.
An executive vice president of Fox Television stations, Frank Cicha, announced that they have chosen Shepherd to lead a new show, saying she is the “perfect choice” as she has already proven her appeal to the Fox audience. Additionally, he thanked Debmar-Mercury for surviving “an extremely trying situation.”
Shepherd will remain a fixture of Fox TV stations’ “Dish Nation.” She first appeared on “The View” in 2007 before becoming its co-host at the end of her time on the show in 2014. She has also acted in movies like “Beauty Shop” and “Who’s Your Caddy?” and television programs such as “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “30 Rock,” and, recently, “The Sex Lives of College Girls.”
“Sherri” will be co-produced by Jawn Murray, David Perler, and Shepherd herself. All but one season of “The Wendy Williams Show” was also produced by Perler.
Williams takes a ‘break from New York’
Williams last filmed her show with the end of season 12 in July 2021. Production was delayed in September with the current season because of the media personality’s “breakthrough” case of COVID-19. However, the show did not explain her continuing absence.
Williams’ health had not been an issue for years before it took a toll on her television work. She fainted during one episode in 2017 and took three weeks off. Then, in 2018, Williams announced that she had previously been diagnosed with an autoimmune condition affecting the thyroid called Graves’ disease.
Williams bluntly explained that her long-time cocaine use that began in college turned her into a “functioning addict” before she managed to stop the drug. However, on a March 2019 episode of “The Wendy Williams Show,” she gave a tearful revelation that she was living “in a sober house” and had a constant sobriety coach with her. She also did not specify why.
In a video posted last week, Williams is seen strolling on a beach in Florida. She answers questions from her “interviewer,” identified as her son Kevin Hunter Jr. Hunter asks her how she’s doing and what her plans are, including going to the gym.
In the video, Williams replies she’s taking “a break from New York” – the filming site for the show – but she will be coming back “stronger.” There were also vague references to “things that happen to you” at about age 40 and that “they go on from there.”
Williams’ references in the clip were a cause for concern, such as being 56 when she is 57. However, her spokeswoman clarified that she only misspoke.
