Kriti Mehrotra
Sherri Shepherd is a name we’ve all come to learn, love, and respect over the past two decades, particularly owing to her incredible work on several sitcoms and as a daytime talk show host. She’s even an author and comedian, with added appearances on productions such as ‘The Masked Singer‘ and ‘Dancing with the Stars.’ However, today, Sherri is in the headlines because she is back to the program that first made her a true household name, ABC’s ‘The View.’ Now, if you’re curious to know all the details of her initial departure and return, we’ve got you covered!
Why Did Sherri Shepherd Originally Leave The View?
Before Sherri Shepherd landed roles on ‘Mr. Iglesias,’ ‘K.C. Undercover,’ and ‘How I Met Your Mother,’ she joined the panel of ABC’s ‘The View,’ starting her stint on the show about the same time as moderator Whoopi Goldberg (‘Sister Act’). Sherri served as a co-host from 2007 to 2014, announcing her decision to leave by simply stating, “It has been seven wonderful years on The View and after careful consideration, it is time for me to move on.” Her choice also led Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg to say farewell following just one season. “If Sherri goes… I go too. #sisters,” she tweeted.
ABC’s statement regarding this issue read, in part, “‘The View’ will be moving in an exciting new direction next season, and ABC has made decisions to evolve the show creatively.” Of course, this intimates that it is possible the executives fired Sherri Shepherd and Jenny McCarthy due to personality conflicts and low series ratings, according to TMZ. Moreover, a long-time producer also announced that they would not be returning to the daytime talk show for the subsequent seasons. In other words, except for Whoopi Goldberg, every co-host departed from ‘The View’ around 2014.
Why is Sherri Shepherd Back on The View?
After another seven years, Sherri Shepherd is back on ‘The View,’ but only for a week to serve as a guest host for season 25 — from October 11 to October 15, 2021 (Monday to Friday). Meghan McCain elected not to be a panel member after season 24, sparking a myriad of television and entertainment personalities stepping in to fill her seat for extremely short stints, and that’s what Sherri is doing as well. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like her return is permanent. But since the network is taking its time to find the replacement co-host, if Sherri does well and agrees, maybe we’ll see more of her.
Having said that, we also recognize that we ordinarily see former co-hosts of ‘The View’ only on ‘Flashback Friday’ specials, so this is a treat in itself. We should enjoy it for as long as it lasts; other alternate panelists will soon take the mantle. After all, Caitlyn Jenner, Mario Cantone, Mary Katharine Ham, Alyssa Farah, and once permanent co-host Star Jones have already been guest anchors. Therefore, we will just have to wait and see who ‘The View’ would pick as its un-changing replacement for Meghan McCain. It is a significant post and would probably influence the viewership, so ABC does not want to get it wrong under any circumstances.
Read More: Is Whoopi Goldberg Leaving The View?
