Flashback: Sherri Shepherd leans on her faith in old journal entry exposing fears about joining ‘The View’
Article By Stephanie Hamilton // Inspirational News // EEW Magazine Online
A Christian former daytime talk show star is opening up about battling fear and insecurity when she was first invited to be a permanent fixture on a popular program.
Sherri Shepherd, former co-host of “The View,” shared a deeply personal journal entry from July 2007, written approximately two months before accepting her new role and being formally introduced to millions of viewers.
Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sherri Shepherd, Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Barbara Walters on The View
Credit: Heidi Gutman/Getty
“Purging & found an old journal entry from July 2007,” tweeted the 53-year-old who left the show in 2017, seven years after joining.
“When I was asked to join ‘The View,’ every insecurity I had slapped me in the face. Amazing to read this terror I had 13 years ago & how far God has brought me! Thankful God didn’t believe the negative stuff I put on myself!” she said.
In two uploaded photographs of the Chicago-born actress-comedian’s heartfelt, handwritten sentiments dated July 27, she wrote, “Gosh, where do I start? Proverbs 16:3. Depend on the Lord in whatever I do, and my plans will succeed. “
Sherri shares! The former talk show host got personal by uploading actual photographs of her handwritten journal entries publishing her fears and feelings of not being good enough.
Credit: Twitter/sherrieshepherd
She continued, “I’m feeling overwhelmed, excited, scared (I know – I know the Bible says God didn’t give me the spirit of fear, but it’s coming from somewhere!) The View called yesterday and made an offer for me to be a permanent co-host on their show! In my wildest dreams I never imagined being asked to be a co-host on The View.”
At the time, Shepherd had served as a guest host on the show more than a dozen times, including several times over the summer while auditioning for the slot left empty after Star Jones Reynolds departed in the summer of 2006.
“Lord, do you really think I’ll be able to handle this?” Shepherd continued. “For 2 years, I’ve been telling The View ‘no’ to coming on the show permanently. Doing this show scared me on so many levels. It brought out (& still does) all my insecurities – not being smart enough … not informed politically… not being able to debate…not being able to effectively articulate my thoughts.”
Despite her fear of failure and feelings of inadequacy, and a rocky start with a few bumps in the road on the journey, Shepherd fit perfectly at the table with show creator Barbara Walters and fellow co-hosts Joy Behar, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, and Whoopi Goldberg for the show’s 11th season. Behar and Goldberg are the only current remaining co-hosts from the season Shepherd signed on.
Though the transparent star has since moved on to other things and found success in acting and other entrepreneurial endeavors, looking back gives Shepherd a greater sense of gratitude for where she is now versus where she was back then.
In her 2007 journal entry, she noted that even with all her internal turmoil and trepidation, “Yet this is the very area in which I believe God is calling me. Looks like he doesn’t care about all of the above!”
Followers and supporters of the entertainer thanked her for sharing, with one follower named Teresa writing on social media in Shepherd’s Twitter comment section, “Thank you for sharing that. There are probably a lot of people afraid to step up to new challenges, but you are a great example of the importance of putting fears and insecurities aside to accomplish goals.”
Well said, Teresa. Well said indeed.
Watch footage of the day Shepherd officially said her emotional goodbye to the show that made her a household name among millions.