Wendy Williams Is Telling Famous Friends To BOYCOTT Sherri Shepherd’s Show?!
Wendy Williams is fighting to hold her ground!
With her replacement Sherri Shepherd set to premiere her new talk show next month — filling the time slot previously held by The Wendy Williams Show — the 58-year-old is reportedly trying to get all her famous friends to boycott the new series! According to a source close to the former talk show host who spoke with The Sun on Tuesday, Wendy has been asking her pals — from reality stars to actors — NOT to go onto Sherri’s talk show whatsoever. Obviously, she’s thinking she can tank the series by making it more difficult for the producers to book big names.
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The insider explained the complicated sitch, saying:
“Wendy has been calling her friends and saying don’t go on the f show and don’t promote it.”
Apparently, the former radio DJ is pointing to Nick Cannon as an example. The Wild ‘N Out star already took a stand in support of Wendy claiming he “won’t support Sherri,” so Wendy wants all her other besties to do the same. The source continued:
“[She thinks since he said] he won’t support Sherri no one else should either, but the thing is — Nick doesn’t have his talk show anymore, so it’s no skin off his nose to distance himself.”
She’s going after some pretty hot names, too! The source noted:
“She is calling all her favorite Real Housewives friends too.”
Unfortunately, it doesn’t sound like Wendy’s plan is going to work in her favor. The insider seems pretty sure all the big stars are going to flood Sherri’s talk show regardless of what the mother of one wants — press is press, after all! The confidant noted:
“The thing is Wendy thinks she has this loyalty, but at the end of the day – no one is going to turn Sherri down.”
We’d think if Wendy really wanted to get payback, she’d be better to just book up all her friends for her upcoming podcast, The Wendy Experience. Though, of course, she needs to be in the right state of mind and health to start that venture — and it’s hard to know when her podcast will get off the ground. Sherri is set to begin on September 12, so we see why the broadcaster is trying to rally a boycott first! Time is ticking!
Meanwhile, production on Sherri is just starting to ramp up. The stand-up comedian’s staff has already been seen working in the New York City studio as of Monday. In a new interview with DailyMail.com on Friday, Sherri, who was tapped to take over The Wendy William Show in the host’s absence during the OG’s final season, didn’t hesitate to throw some shade at her predecessor.
Insisting her show will be a much more “friendly” environment for guests on and off camera, she shared:
“Let’s be clear, I’m not a mean person at all! I’m all about positive energy. I’m about joy. I’m about kindness and laughter. Anyone that knows me will tell you just that.”
The 55-year-old actress also promised not to throw any mean jabs at her guests, adding:
“As a celebrity myself, I know what it’s like to not feel safe appearing on a show or hoping a host doesn’t try to have a gotcha-moment with you. It will be a celebrity-friendly zone on Sherri.”
Yeesh! Seems like she’s calling out Wendy for the way she handled her set! Except that’s exactly what made Wendy a hit…
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As Perezcious readers know, the feud between these women has been going on for the past year, ever since the one-time radio DJ took a backseat on her own series while battling various health issues, including Graves’ disease and hyperthyroidism. She’s also been allegedly facing struggles with addiction — a disease that plagued her while she was still the face of her show, too!
According to a new report by The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday, production staffers questioned her sobriety before going on air “at least 25” separate occasions. Execs even stopped a pre-taped episode from airing after fearing she acted too “inebriated.” Staff also reportedly found “bottles [of alcohol] up in the ceiling tiles and other weird places in the office.” Just so sad.
This combined with the strange behavior she’s displayed in recent interviews, including claiming she got married to an NYPD officer named Henry earlier this month, seems to prove she needs some extra support. We sincerely hope she’s getting that before she starts any new projects! Her well-being is the most important thing right now.
Despite taking over for an icon amid some very unusual circumstances, Sherri isn’t worried about any comparisons, she told DailyMail.com:
“I only feel pressure to go out there and be authentically Sherri.”
She continued:
“I put pressure on myself to make sure I’m bringing my best self each time I step onto that set. Making sure I can offer people one-hour of joy, laughter and inspiration is the only thing I’m worried about.”
Hopefully, she can do that without too much backlash from her predecessor! Thoughts, Perezcious readers? Let us know (below)!
[Image via WENN/Instar & Sherri Shepherd/Instagram]