Sherri Evonne Shepherd (born c. 1966-1967) is an American comedienne, author, businesswoman, actress, and television personality. She headlined her own sitcom, Sherri, on Lifetime television. Shepherd hosts Nickelodeon channel's "NickMom Night Out" television program.
Shepherd appeared on Broadway in Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical Cinderella. In 2014, Shepherd played an ex-girlfriend of Chris Rock's character in Rock's film Top Five.
Early life
Shepherd was born in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of LaVerne (d. 1991) and Lawrence A. Shepherd (born c. 1947), a church deacon. She is the eldest of three sisters.
Careers
Businesswoman
As of 2015, a project includes a line of wigs and hair add-ins.
Acting
In 2009, she starred for one season in Lifetime Television's Sherri, a sitcom about Shepherd's life.
Shepherd has appeared as a special guest host of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.
Television Personality
In 2006, Shepherd was a frequent guest co-host on ABC's The View. She was a permanent co-host from 2007 to 2014. She received several awards for her work on the show.
She co-hosted the 35th Daytime Emmy Awards on June 20, 2008.
On-Camera Flubs
Shepherd was criticized after one 2007 broadcast of The View. The show was often filmed "live", with little or no editing. She stated that she didn't "believe in evolution. Period." Co-host Whoopi Goldberg asked her, "Is the world flat?" She first responded, "I don't know," and expanded that she "never thought about it". Shepherd continued that it was more important to her that she thought about how she was "going to feed [her] child". Barbara Walters replied by pointing out, "You can do both." However, Shepherd then went on to quote Scripture. Shepherd later referred to her statement as a "brain fart" brought on by nerves. Barbara Walters and Shepherd talked after that episode: Walters said, "Dear, the Earth is round", and Shepherd responded with: "Barbara, I know that!"
Similar criticism erupted after the December 4, 2007, broadcast of The View when, during a discussion initiated by Joy Behar about Epicurus, Shepherd attempted to assert that Christians existed in classical Greece, and that the Greeks threw them to the lions. When confronted on this point, she further claimed that "Jesus came first" (before Greeks and Romans) and stated, "I don't think anything predated Christians", to which Joy Behar responded: "The Jews."
Shepherd garnered ridicule after admitting to never voting partly due to her upbringing as a strict Jehovah's Witness. She was quoted as saying that she just "never knew the dates or anything"; she stated, "I've never voted for anything in my life." In January 2008, Sherri referred to Gospel singer Shirley Caesar as "the black Patti LaBelle." LaBelle, like Caesar, is black.
Sherri said, "I was taught not to confront and interrupt people, but that's what I do every day on The View."
Author
Shepherd wrote the book Permission Slips: Every Woman's Guide to Giving Herself a Break, published in October 2009. Chapter Two is ironically titled "Permission to Date, Love, Marry and Divorce the Wrong Guy."
Shepherd also has a co-author credit on Plan D: How to Lose Weight and Beat Diabetes. That book was published by Harper Collins in 2013.
Dancing with the Stars
In March 2012, Shepherd participated as a celebrity contestant on the fourteenth season of ABC's Dancing with the Stars. Her dance partner was Val Chmerkovskiy. The dancing team lasted several weeks.
Charity
Sherri raises funds for the YAI Sherri Shepherd "Believe in Abilities" Fund.
YAI organization encourages autistic and developmentally challenged children to participate in life.
Fundraising efforts include asking members to donate unused AMEX Membership Rewards points.
Personal life
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Shepherd was previously married to Jeff Tarpley. Their twin daughter was stillborn. The surviving twin, a son, Jeffrey, was delivered prematurely.
TV writer Lamar Sally proposed to Shepherd on December 26, 2010. They married in August 2011 at the Fairmont Hotel in Chicago, and in September 2012, Shepherd said the couple was searching for a surrogate in order to have a child. Saly filed for separation on May 2, 2014, and Shepherd filed for divorce days later. In July 2014, Sally petitioned a Los Angeles court for full legal and physical custody of the child expected via surrogacy, who was born in August 2014. On April 21, 2015, a Pennsylvania court ruled Shepherd is the legal parent of a child born from a surrogate mother. The child has no DNA link to Shepherd.
Shepherd has type 2 diabetes after having had pre-diabetes for years.
A devout Christian, Shepherd discussed the role God has played in her life and career, stating "If I didn't have God, I would have been dead."
Filmography
Film
Television
Theatre
Awards and nominations
Daytime Emmy Award and Nominations
- 2008 Nomination for Outstanding Talk Show Host(s) (The View)
- 2009 Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host(s) (The View)
- 2010 Nomination for Outstanding Talk Show Host(s) (The View)
- 2011 Nomination for Outstanding Talk Show Host(s) (The View)
- 2012 Nomination for Outstanding Talk Show Host(s) (The View)
- 2013 Nomination for Outstanding Talk Show Host(s) (The View)
- 2014 Nomination for Outstanding Talk Show Host(s) (The View)
People's Choice Award Nomination
- 2013 Nomination for Outstanding Talk Show Host(s) (The View)
Screen Actors Guild Award Nomination
- 2010 Nomination for Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture Precious (Shared with rest of cast)
Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Award Nomination
- 2009 Nomination for Best Ensemble, Precious (Shared with all cast members)
Boston Society of Film Critics Award
- 2009 Award for Best Ensemble Cast (Precious)
Broadcast Film Critics Association Award Nomination
- 2010 Nomination for Best Acting Ensemble, Precious (Shared with rest of cast)
Black Reel Award Nomination
- 2010 Nomination for Best Ensemble Cast, Precious (Shared with rest of cast)
BET Comedy Award Nomination
- 2005 Nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Less than Perfect)
NAACP Image Awards and Nominations
- 2009 Award for Outstanding Talk Series (The View)
- 2010 Nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series (Sherri)
- 2010 Nomination for Outstanding Talk Series (The View)
- 2011 Award for Outstanding Talk Series (The View)
Gracie Award
- 2010 Award for Leading Actress in a Comedy Series (Sherri)
Braveheart Award
- 2010 Powerful Women in Hollywood Award
References
External links
- Sherri's book http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Books/sherri-shepherd-permission-slips-womans-guide-giving-break/story?id=8712092
- YAI website http://www.yai.org/
- official website
- Sherri Shepherd at the Internet Movie Database
- Sherri Shepherd at the Internet Broadway Database