Yesterday, unconfirmed reports began flying around online that 57-year-old Wendy Williams' talk show will be coming to an end this summer, with Sherri Shepherd slated to replace her. After the internet reacted to the rumours in a mixed way, we can officially expect to see the Chicago-born actress on daytime TV later this year.
"Anyone who knows me knows that I am a woman of faith," Shepherd began as she announced the news today before breaking down into emotion. "2004 to 2022. The answer, when you feel in life that you have been forgotten, when you're feeling like people say 'no,' it might not be 'no."
Wendy Williams">Michael Stewart/Getty Images
She continued, "God may be saying, 'It's not time!' And when God says, 'Do you trust me?' he don't need a lot of faith – just a little bit. And when God says it's so, it will be. Thank you," before sobbing, clearly grateful at the amazing opportunity that's been given to her.
As PEOPLE reports, the Precious actress has also sent out a statement in celebration of her new role. "OMG! I am so excited to have my dream come true and debut my very own talk show SHERRI in the fall," she wrote. "I can't wait until I return to NY to host the show and merge everything I love…pop culture, talk, entertainment and comedy."
The 54-year-old's forthcoming series will take over Williams' time slot a few months after her long-running show comes to an end in June. Shepherd will be executive producing alongside Jawn Murray and David Perler, who was on board in a similar role for 12/13 seasons of The Wendy Williams Show.
Debmar-Mercury Co-Presidents Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein said in a statement, "Sherri is a natural who proved her hosting skills for many years as a panellist on The View, on FOX's Dish Nation and again this season as a popular guest host of Wendy."
"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."
Marcus and Bernstein concluded with, "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."
Check back in with HNHH for any future updates on Sherri Shepherd and Wendy Williams.
[Via]