For months it has been speculated that Wendy Williams‘ time in her purple chair would soon come to an official end on her nationally syndicated talk show. Now the word is official, as Debmar-Mercury, the show’s distributor, made the announcement on Tuesday.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Debmar-Mercury co-presidents Mort Marcus and Ira Bernsteinn announced the news and said, “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.”
They also spoke about Sherri Shepherd and added, “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. 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.”
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David Perler, who is the showrunner at “The Wendy Williams Show,” will fulfill the same position over on Sherri’s new show. He’ll also executive produce alongside Sherri and Jawn Murray.
On Tuesday, Sherri officially announced the news of her new show to viewers, and she made it clear that she is not replacing Wendy.
“I am here to tell you that is not true,” she said. “Because no one can replace the queen, and trust me I am not trying to at all. It is Wendy’s place to share her story with you. I do want to give the queen her props and her flowers because Wendy had a legendary career in radio, and this show was specifically crafted for her.”
Congrats to Sherri Shepherd on her new talk show!
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TSR STAFF: Jade Ashley @Jade_Ashley94
