Sherri Shepherd is in the final stages of a deal to permanently fill the role of host for The Wendy Williams Show. Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury, the show’s producer, has not officially commented. Shepherd started her duties as a lead guest host and Michael Rapaport at the beginning of Season 13. Due to Williams’ health issues, the substitute hosts gave her time to recover. Sherri Shepherd will be returning as full-time daytime since being a co-host on The View. The Wendy Williams Show will be renamed once Shepherd takes over. As of now, there are no plans for Wendy Williams to come back. Shepherd will continue her guest host duties in February, with Rapaport joined by Fat Joe and Remy Ma, and Bevy Smith. Wendy Williams has not yet released a statement on this update.
The Fall of Wendy Williams
The gossip queen has fallen. After a nearly three-decade-long career, her loquacious reign seems to be coming to an end. Wendy Williams started her career as a disc jockey for WVIS in the U.S. Virgin Islands. She went on to hop from radio station to radio station, growing a fanbase and increasing listeners in each place she worked. Fans loved how open she was about her personal life and her frankness. Her second husband (now ex) became her agent, and her career was only getting more successful. The Wendy Williams Show aired in 2008 with excellent ratings, and The New York Times remarked that The Wendy Williams Show created a “breakthrough in daytime.”
The drama of her personal life spilled into her professional life when news of her husband’s extracurricular activities became public. Even before the news of his infidelities made headlines, Williams’ health issues made her take breaks from her show. She has even fainted in front of her audience. Now Sherri Shepherd will step into her shoes, into the career she’s been building for decades. Wendy Williams has never been one to withhold her opinion, so she may release a statement regarding Sherri Shepherd taking her place in the near future.
