It’s been a whirlwind year for comedian/actress Sherri Shepherd. The former co-host of The View was one of many to step in last year to guest host when Wendy Williams found herself too beset with health problems to host her beloved, eponymous daytime talker, and soon became a favorite with viewers. Now that Sherri has taken over the timeslot previously owned by the “How you doin’” host’s show, though, there’s reported drama behind the scenes with some of Williams’ former employees.
What’s Going On With Sherri Shepherd’s Show And Wendy Williams’ Former Staffers?
When it became clear that the frequently controversial daytime host wouldn’t be able to return for Season 13 of her show at all, and there was also no word on whether or not she’d be up for a potential Season 14, Williams’ show was canceled and Sherri was set in its place. That new series hit the airwaves early this week, but according to The U.S. Sun, there are those who came to the freshman talker from The Wendy Williams Show who now worry they’ll be replaced. An anonymous source told the outlet:
Staffers for Sherri have been in her ear saying there should be some sort of loyalty test from The Wendy Williams Show holdovers. Norman and Suzanne want to believe they'll stick around but sooner or later I'm sure they are going to get pushed out. There's no real place for them now.
If you’re wondering why supervising producer Norman Baker and co-executive producer Suzanne Bass were simply referred to by their first names in the above comment, it’s because fans of their former show knew the two well. For much of the time Williams was on the air, as long as Baker and Bass were present for a taping, both were seen on camera during episodes, with them usually interacting with the host either during the Hot Topics segment (Baker) or during the opening moments (Bass).
However, when Sherri debuted, neither producer was seen on the series, which left fans missing them, and has possibly led to those staffers, especially, not feeling very secure in their positions with the new show.
Obviously, there were a lot of moving pieces and quite a bit of confusion that surrounded the creation of this show, which could lead to a divide between new staffers and those who transferred from the previous series. Prior to her missing the final season, there had been increasing controversies over her on-camera behavior and rumors about how she acted behind the scenes. An executive behind the show even admitted recently that when they’d survey the audience about the host, they’d note that they watched daily, but also that Williams was “so mean to people.”
It makes sense that Shepherd would want to separate herself from Williams, particularly with regard to what viewers see on her show, but only time will tell if she continues to employ those who worked on the series she’s now replaced.
