The Wendy Williams Show to End in June, Sherri Shepherd Taking Over Daytime Slot
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The Wendy Williams Show is ending and is set to be replaced by a new daytime syndicated show hosted by Sherri Shepherd.
The daytime show will end in June, after 14 seasons, according to an announcement from Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury, the producer-distributor of The Wendy Williams Show, which is also behind Shepherd’s upcoming show Sherri.
The news comes as Shepherd has been guest hosting for Wendy Williams while she deals with health-related issues — earning the highest ratings of the season.
Williams has been absent for the entire season of her due to multiple health concerns, including contracting Covid-19 as well as dealing with complications from Graves disease, an immune disorder.
While she gone, a rotating group of hosts, including Shepherd, Leah Remini, Michael Rapaport, Kym Whitley, and Finesse Mitchell have filled in.
Sherri, executive produced by Shepherd, Jawn Murray, and David Perler, will make a syndication debut on the Fox Television Stations and broadcasters nationwide in Fall 2022.
“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 in a statement.
“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.”
The co-presidents also called the moment “bitter-sweet,” highlighting their appreciation for Williams and clarifying that she is no longer available to host due to health concerns.
“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,” they said. “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.”
Shepherd released her own statement on the news, writing, “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,” she added. “I am thankful to Debmar-Mercury and Fox for partnering with me on this show and look forward to this new journey.”
Update — Feb. 22, 02:14 p.m. ET: A spokesperson for Williams addressed the ending of her show in a statement to People magazine.
“It’s been a challenging time for Wendy as she deals with her health issues. She is incredibly grateful to Debmar-Mercury, to Sherri and everybody else who has supported the show through this time,” Williams’ representative Howard Bragman told the outlet.
“She, more than anyone, understands the reality of syndicated television — you can’t go to the marketplace and sell a show that’s the ‘Maybe Wendy Show,'” he continued. “She understands why this decision was made from a business point of view, and she has been assured by Debmar-Mercury that should her health get to a point where she can host again and should her desire be that she hosts again that she would be back on TV at that time.”
