Why Some Wendy Williams Fans are Shading Sherri Shepherd Over Her Show Cancelation

Fans of talk show host Wendy Williams are not being shy about how they feel about the news that Sherri Shepherd’s show has been cancelled.

After four years of sharing celebrity interviews and hot Hollywood gossip, comedian and actress Sherri Shepherd’s nationally syndicated daytime talk show will be going off the air in the fall 2026. While many are mourning the end of Shepherd’s show, there’s one demo that’s full of schadenfreude about it.

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On Feb. 2, leadership at production company Debmar-Mercury issued a statement about the end of the show, while leaving the door open for opportunities on other platforms.

“This decision is driven by the evolving daytime television landscape and does not reflect on the strength of the show, its production – which has found strong creative momentum this season – or the incredibly talented Sherri Shepherd. We believe in this show and in Sherri and intend to explore alternatives for it on other platforms,” said co-presidents Ira Bernstein and Mort Marcus.

Shepherd hasn’t spoken publicly about the news yet, but the internet is doing plenty of talking for her. While some of the online reactions to the news include people who are upset that a Black woman is losing such a prominent position on television, others aren’t exactly sad about it and are reminding us how the former co-host of “The View” stepped into the time slot in the first place.

In case you forgot, Shepherd was one of a series of guest hosts who kept Wendy Williams’ purple chair warm while she dealt with personal and health issues. In February 2022, Debmar-Mercury announced that Williams’ show was coming to an end after 14 seasons, putting Shepherd’s show in its place.

TikToker @khiculture said he still hasn’t gotten over how Shepherd got the job.

“It kind of left a nasty taste in my mouth how she took Wendy’s place,” he said.

Others on the app agreed and felt the move was disrespectful to Williams’ contributions over the years.

“I’m glad Sherri’s show is cancelled. It never sat right with me HOW Wendy’s show ended without any acknowledgement of what she brought to the show over the years,” wrote someone else.

TikToker @pineappleth3if is relishing the news.

It’s a great week to be a Hater. 🤣🤣🤣,” they captioned a post, adding the hashtags #WendyWilliams and #FreeWendy.

Another fan joked that Williams is somewhere doing a happy dance at the news that Shepherd’s show is ending, posting a clip of Wendy two-stepping with the with caption “Sherri Show Cancelled!!”

While there were a lot of great ones, we found one comment that perfectly sums up the way OG Wendy Williams fans are feeling today.

“Until they do right by Wendy, ain’t nobody show gonna succeed,” wrote a fan on TikTok.

Straight From The Root

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