‘The Wendy Williams Show’ will officially end after 13 seasons and be replaced by Sherri Shepherd’s new talk show that premieres in fall 2022.
The Wendy Williams Show is coming to an end. Sherri Shepherd, 54, will be getting her own talk show, titled Sherri, that will replace Wendy Williams‘ long-running show after 13 seasons, as Wendy, 57, continues her extended hiatus from TV due to health issues. Sherri will premiere in Fall 2022 and will air on the same channel and time slot as The Wendy Williams Show. The new show will also be produced by Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury with showrunner David Perler of Wendy’s show, according to Variety.
“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,” Debmar-Mercury Co-Presidents Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein said. “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.”
They added, “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.”
Sherri said in a statement, “OMG! I am so excited to have my dream come true and debut my very own talk show SHERRI in the fall. I can’t wait until I return to NY to host the show and merge everything I love…pop culture, talk, entertainment and comedy. I am thankful to Debmar-Mercury and FOX for partnering with me on this show and look forward to this new journey.”
Wendy Williams (Photo: Mediapunch/Shutterstock)Wendy hasn’t hosted a single episode of her show this season, due to ongoing health issues stemming from Graves’ Disease and hyperthyroidism. In Wendy’s absence, fill-ins for her show like Sherri, Michael Rappaport, Leah Remini, and others have helmed the ship. The New Jersey native has also been in a legal battle against Wells Fargo, after her bank accounts were frozen. Wendy’s attorney had filed an emergency petition, claiming that the bank had frozen her accounts for two weeks, because her longtime financial advisor had said she was of “unsound mind.”
Although Wendy’s stayed quiet during her work hiatus, she did address her supportive fans in a video posted to Instagram on Feb. 16. The star walked along a Florida beach with her son Kevin Hunter, Jr. and said she was returning to TV “stronger” than before. She added, “I want to be all I can be and then get back to New York, and get on down to The Wendy Williams Show.”
