An end of an era. Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury announced Tuesday that the Wendy Williams Show is officially ending after 12 seasons and will be replaced with a show hosted by Sherri Shepherd.
The news comes after Williams’ prolonged absence from the show following serious health-related issues.
“This is also a bitter-sweet moment for us and our partners at Fox,” Debmar-Mercury Co-Presidents Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein said. “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.”
New syndicated talk show “Sherri” will debut on the Fox stations and broadcasters nationwide in fall 2022 during the time slots of Wendy.
“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,” Marcus and 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.”
Shepherd has been filling in for Wendy during her absence and reportedly brought in the highest ratings during her weeks as guest host. She will also serve as executive producer.
“OMG! I am so excited to have my dream come true and debut my very own talk show Sherri in the fall,” Shepherd said. “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.”
