Sherri Shepherd On Her New Talk Show And Moving Back To New York For The Sake Of Her Son

Sherri Shepherd is undeniably a veteran in the entertainment business. She’s an actress, author, standup comic, and host who’s earned a Daytime Emmy Award from her work on The View. Now she’s combining all of those talents to bring to life her very own talk show, Sherri.

Having been in the industry for nearly 30 years and shared her testimony from being homeless to one of the brightest lights in Hollywood, Shepherd believes wholeheartedly that this is the right time for this venture.

“I was at Pastor A.R. Bernard’s church, Christian Cultural Center, this Sunday and he said ‘Sometimes you have this dream but God doesn’t let it happen because you don’t have the faith to support it if he blessed you with it when you want it,’ she tells ESSENCE. “He said, ‘Sometimes you have to mature into your dreams.’ So I’m so excited because my vision is so clear about what I want to do.”

And that vision? “I want people to laugh,” says the comedian who shared one element of her new show will be Sherri’s Laugh Lounge which will give up-and-coming comics, particularly Black women, at platform they might not have otherwise.

Taking advantage of this opportunity for herself required Shepherd to move from Los Angeles to New York, which she wasn’t initially thrilled about. Yet a message from a friend changed her perspective completely.

“I have to be honest, I did not want to move to New York because I had all my friends. But you know how you always have that one friend who hears from God more than everybody? She said, ‘Sherri, New York is not for you. New York is for Jeffrey to find his independence. You know my son has special needs. So you know I’m laid out on the floor but I have no problem with New York. If New York is where I’m supposed to be for my son to advance and go further and find his passion, I love the big apple.”

Check out our full interview with Sherri Shepherd in the video above.