Sherri Shepherd’s daytime talk series “Sherri” is coming to an end, four years after the program was tapped to replace “The Wendy Williams Show.”
Syndication company Debmar-Mercury, owned by Lionsgate Television, confirmed to The Times that “Sherri” will continue production on its fourth season as planned and will air its final episode in the fall. A representative for Shepherd did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
In a statement shared with The Times, Debmar-Mercury co-presidents Ira Bernstein and Mort Marcus attributed the cancellation to “the evolving daytime television landscape.” The decision “does not reflect the strength of the show, its production — which has found strong creative momentum this season — or the incredibly talented Sherri Shepherd,” they added.
While “Sherri” will go off-air after this season, the Debmar-Mercury execs said they “believe in this show” and its eponymous host and will seek to “explore alternatives for it on other platforms.”
Debmar-Mercury tapped Shepherd to front her own series in 2022 as a replacement for Wendy Williams’ long-running talk show. “The Wendy Williams Show” came to an end after 13 seasons as its host battled Graves’ disease, a thyroid-related autoimmune condition.
Before launching “Sherri,” former “The View” co-host Shepherd was among the guest hosts filling in during Williams’ health-related absence.
Shepherd, ahead of her show’s premiere in September 2022, told Yahoo Entertainment that she hopes viewers can see her series as “your escape from the doom and gloom.”
“We’re hearing and seeing so much stuff from Instagram, social media, this network, that one,” she said at the time. “Fear … sometimes you just want to escape and you want to laugh and you want permission to breathe and feel good. That’s me.”
Since then, “Sherri” has hosted guests including Danny DeVito, Michelle Obama, Geena Davis, Misty Copeland, Quinta Brunson and Andy Cohen. The talk series has earned several Daytime Emmy nominations and won two NAACP Image Awards.
In November, Shepherd received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a milestone she celebrated on her talk show as a “rite of passage.”
“I just love it ‘cause my star’s right there. People are gonna walk on me, they gonna sleep on me — oh my gosh, maybe even twerk on me,” she joked. “But that’s OK as long as they know my name!”
She added: “When they step on my star, they’re stepping on survival, struggle, divorce and a whole lotta hustle.”
Just before news of “Sherri’s” cancellation spread, pop star Kelly Clarkson announced Monday that she would be ending her talk show after seven seasons.
She said in a statement she intends to prioritize her two children, whom she shared with late ex-husband and music executive Brandon Blackstock.Though her series is ending, Clarkson ensured fans she will still work on music, performing and other TV commitments.
“You never know where I might show up next,” Clarkson said.
The post Sherri Shepherd’s daytime talk series to end this fall after four seasons appeared first on Los Angeles Times.
