Former "The View" co-host Sherri Shepherd has many irons in the fire. In addition to an upcoming appearance on "The Talk", she spoke to UPTOWN about her two divorces, raising a special needs child and even reunited with former colleague Elizabeth Hasslebeck. More inside...
You can't keep a good woman down. Since leaving "The View", Sherri Shepherd has played The Evil Stepmother in "Cinderella On Broadway", landed a role in Chris Rock's buzz-worthy flick Top Five and booked a 10-episode arc on TV Land's "Soul Man".
She even found the time to drop in on former co-worker Elizabeth Hasslebeck this week over at "Fox and Friends" (above), who recently revealed to PEOPLE that she had a tumor removed from her abdomen. In addition to all those moves, Sherri will appear as a guest on CBS' "The Talk" on December 1st.
Clearly, Sherri has bounced back. In fact, she even had a Diana Ross moment on Instagram saying"Everybody has to have a #DianaRoss 'Mahogany' moment combined w a Glory Hallelujah time! Wish I could always have this pose #doublechinnomore."
In the latest issue of UPTOWN, Sherri opens up about leaving her 7-year-gig at "The View", her HIGHLY publicized divorce(s), raising her special needs son Jeffrey and her crush on Idris Elba. Peep the highlights...
Having a special needs child…made me more compassionate, more patient. I put him on a track team this year to work on his socialization skills. Jeffrey found me in the sea of parents and screamed “Mommy, I’m scared but I’m going to be brave.” Through tears I saw my baby run. He finished last, but he held his fingers up in the victory sign. He taught me that if I fall, as long as I get back up and finish, I am a winner.
The hardest lesson to learn…
is that I don’t have to take the weight of the world on my shoulders. I can’t take the weight of Christians, African Americans and of women. Being on The View, I would frequently have people who vehemently disagreed with my stance and would take to social media and fire vicious rants at me. I had to learn that I only have to please an audience of one: God.
My dream job…
is an uber successful sitcom. I’d love to be a chocolate Melissa McCarthy and the go-to girl for funny. And if all else fails, being a legal secretary wasn’t that bad.
Being single again…
I wonder, ‘Oh Lord, where do I start? How did I get back to this place?’ Now I’m back at all the singles ministries in church. When I got married, I got to sit in church and enjoy all the sermons. Now, [I’m] ushering and teaching Sunday School. Now I’m expected to do clean-up because all the married folks figure I have nothing better to do.
Leaving The View…
was bittersweet, exciting and scary. Seven years I was there and the cast and crew became a family to me. They embraced me when I moved to New York City not knowing anyone. Barbara Walters pushed me past my limits and challenged me. Every single day for about three years, I would go into my dressing room and cry because I felt I did not belong at that table. But her pushing me brought out a confidence where I could sit at that table and say ‘No. Let me finish.’ Barbara came to respect me, and if you ask her she will say, ‘Sherri always did her research, was always prepared and was the co-host who’d grown the most.’
I would tell my 21-year-old self…
to say ‘no’ often. A no can be turned into a yes but it’s harder to turn a yes into a no. And if you’re a female comic, don’t sleep with the other comics because it’ll take you at least 10 years to get your reputation back!
The lessons that two divorces have taught me…
are to get a chair, sit down somewhere and take the time to heal. Don’t make decisions out of fear. It’s okay to be alone. And make sure that the pre-nup is airtight, baby!
The biggest misconception about me…
is that I’m judgmental. People got mad at me because I gave such strong opinions on The View but that’s what I got paid to do. If I sat at The View table and didn’t give an opinion I would have been fired. In my personal life, I keep my opinions to myself. I don’t give advice about relationships unless you ask me, and then you’d still be wise to get a second opinion, because really, what do I know?
My celebrity crush…
Idris… Idris… Idris… where the hell is Idris Elba?!
Congrats to Sherri! SIDEBAR: A recent ratings dip at "The View" has generated buzz that the execs may invite her back on the show. But we're hearing Sherri is NOT here for that.
Photos via Sherri Shepherd Instagram/Getty
