By EEW Magazine Entertainment Editors // Daytime TV

Look at God, making dreams come true.

A formal announcement has been made that former The View co-host, Sherri Shepherd—also an outspoken Christian— is getting her own syndicated daytime talk show, Sherri, to replace The Wendy Williams Show, which will be officially canceled after the current season ends.

“OMG! I am so excited to have my dream come true and debut my very own talk show Sherri in the fall,” Shepherd said in response to the big news.

“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.

Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury, the producer-distributor of Wendy, is fully behind Sherri, which will make a syndication debut on the Fox Television Stations and broadcasters nationwide in fall 2022 in the Wendy timeslot.

Shepherd, 54, who was recently announced as the permanent interim replacement for Wendy Williams, 57, will keep the same executive producer and showrunner, David Perler, who has been in that role for the past 12 of Wendy’s 13 seasons. Additionally, Shepherd will act as executive producer alongside her producing partner, media personality and producer, Jawn Murray.

“When I started in this business, I have always wanted to do a talk show,” said Shepherd to her studio audience Tuesday. “Even before I joined The View in 2007, when I was like 3, I had a microphone and my teddy bears and a chair, and I just came out of my mother’s womb talking.”

Shepherd said that she had previously shot a pilot for a talk show “that never saw the light of day”—but that rejection didn’t stop her from praying about it.

“About four years ago, I started telling God, I said, ‘Lord, I want a talk show. I want my own talk show. And you know how God works. Turn to your neighbor on your right and say, ‘Won’t He do it?’ Turn to the neighbor on your left and say, ‘Won’t He will?’”

Oh, yes, He will!

According to Deadline, the popular “Hot Topics” segment will remain on Sherri, with the actor-comedian, author and TV personality putting her own spin on it.

“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. “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 Wendy Williams Show will continue through the end of this season with rotating guest hosts, including Shepherd, as Williams has been dealing with health issues for the entire season.

Even though Sherri is the replacement for Wendy, Debmar-Mercury said it is keeping the door open for Williams to resume her show if or when she fully recovers and expresses interest in doing so.

“This is also a bitter-sweet moment for us and our partners at Fox,” Marcus and 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.”

The Wendy Williams Show, which launched in the summer of 2008, was one of Debmar-Mercury’s first original syndicated programs and among its longest-running and most successful ones—something Shepherd was sure to highlight when sharing her happy news.

“When you talk about the greatest talk shows of all time—Oprah Winfrey, Phil Donahue, Ricki Lake, The View, Montell Williams—you have got to mention, The Wendy Williams Show,” noted Shepherd, drawing applause from the audience.

While the humble host made certain to give Williams, whom she called “The Queen,” her flowers, Frank Cicha, EVP, Programming, Fox Television Stations, gave Shepherd a few flowers of her own. “Sherri is the perfect choice for this,” he said. “Her appeal to our audience is clear, plus she’s already a member of the FTS family as host of Dish Nation.”

Shepherd has delivered the highest ratings of the season during her guest weeks, according to Debmar-Mercury, and is hoping that her appeal will carry over to her new show.

“I am thankful to Debmar-Mercury and Fox for partnering with me on this show and look forward to this new journey,” Shepherd said.