As the 2026 TV schedule pushes on, we’ve reached the point in the year in which show renewals and cancellations begin to come down the pipeline, and Sherri Shepherd’s series has just been hit with the latter. Sherri, the daytime talk show Shepherd has hosted for several years now, has officially been canceled after four seasons. Fans subsequently spoke out online to share their support for the talk show and its eponymous host. Shepherd herself has since broken her silence with a response I didn’t exactly see coming.
Shepherd saw the various messages of support she received from fans and shared some of them in a post shared to Instagram. That response came a couple of days after the cancellation news came down. In the caption of her post, Shepherd admitted she hadn’t posted right away, because she had been “struggling” over the past few days. However, the reason for those struggles isn’t what fans are likely assuming:
Wow! I am completely overwhelmed by the outpouring of love for me and [Sherri. You might’ve noticed that yesterday and today I was struggling because I wasn’t feeling up to speed. Well it turns out I have Covid. As soon as I feel better and return to the show, I will address all of the news that has come out. Until then, I am truly grateful that SHERRI has made such an impact on you! See ya soon.
I’m both surprised and sorry to hear the Less Than Perfect alum has been dealing with COVID over the past few days. Considering Shepherd’s health at the moment, it’s even more meaningful that she took some time to shout out her fans in the aftermath of her show’s cancellation. After sharing her response, she also received even more well wishes, including a shoutout from her longtime pal, actress Niecy Nash-Betts:
Not over! Not over! Friend, you lived your dream and I’m so proud of you! Now let’s do it on your own terms WITH ownership!
The cancellation of Sherri was announced this past Monday by Debmar-Mercury, with the decision being attributed not to the quality of the show itself but to the changing daytime TV landscape. Coincidentally, this week, Kelly Clarkson confirmed the end of her talk show, which she reportedly chose to step away from to prioritize her children. Like Clarkson’s show, Shepherd’s is set to air its final episodes near the end of this year. It’s also said that execs are going to look at ways to utilize Shepherd’s series on other platforms.
Sherri Shepherd’s show debuted in 2022 as a replacement for the canceled Wendy Williams Show. At the time, there was a bit of a daytime TV vacuum, given the end of Williams’ series as well as Ellen DeGeneres’ talk show, and Shepherd spoke about filling the “void.” Early on, Kelly Clarkson also shared positive thoughts on Shepherd getting her own show and also praised Jennifer Hudson, whose own talk show premiered in 2022 as well.
Even before landing her own self-titled show, Shepherd was no novice when it came to hosting. From 2006 to 2014, she served as a regular co-host on The View (where she was mentored by Barbara Walters) and won a Daytime Emmy Award in 2009. Shepherd also served as a key host on Dish Nation from 2019 to 2022, with the back half of her tenure coinciding with production on her early episodes of Sherri.
