September 22nd 2023.
Sherri Shepherd has had a tumultuous start to her talk show's season premiere. Just two days into production, the host tested positive for COVID-19, forcing the show to air reruns as she recovers.
The Sherri show officially announced the matter on Sept. 20, sharing that Shepherd is “heartbroken” that she has to halt production for the week. On Instagram, the show shared a direct statement from Shepherd:
“I am absolutely heartbroken that I cannot return to host my show this week. As soon as I get the all-clear from my doctor, I look forward to coming back strong to deliver the fun, laughter and a real good time.”
Shepherd was returning to her hosting duties amidst a growing controversy of talk show production restarting despite the writers’ strike. According to Variety, the 56-year-old addressed how her show isn’t part of the strike during its season premiere, explaining that her team is not part of the union.
“This summer, you all may have seen your favorite actors and Hollywood stars have been on the picket lines with the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes,” Shepherd said, displaying photos of her protesting with fellow actresses Viola Davis and Niecy Nash. “There has been so much confusion about who can work and who can’t work. Well, I’m a SAG-AFTRA actress, and I actually marched with some of my colleagues while in Los Angeles recently.”
Shepherd went on to explain that her show is under a different union contract and, thus, not scabbing. “But here’s the thing, talk shows, in general, fall under a different union contract code, so we’re allowed to come back unless you’re a WGA show. The Sherri show is not a WGA show, and we have never employed WGA writers, so us coming back to work isn’t crossing the picket line.”
Although Shepherd has chosen to continue production on her show, other hosts including Jennifer Hudson and Drew Barrymore have reversed their decisions to run new episodes. The Sherri show anticipates a return next week.
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