Sherri Shepherd is ready to premiere her talk show next month after receiving advice from one of her idols, Oprah Winfrey.
The comedian says Oprah called her after she sent her texts requesting tutoring from the 19-time Emmy award winner.
“I took 15 pages of notes until my fingers cramped up,” the former co-host of The View told Entertainment Weekly. “I took a potassium pill because my fingers were cramped and I couldn’t write anymore. I said, ‘Hold on, I have to commit this to memory,’ because nobody will believe that I’m talking to and laughing with Oprah.”
“One thing I took from Oprah is, she said, ‘Sherri, the show is not about the ratings, it’s about the energy,’” Shepherd continued. “You put out the energy, and it will come back in direct proportion to you from the audience. It’s your responsibility. You’re in charge of the energy that is on your show.”
Sherri says she embraced those words of wisdom.
“I felt that, because I was like, damn, I just wanted to show some viral videos and make people laugh,” she added. “But it’s true, it’s the energy you give off, which is why we love Oprah.”
Oprah hosted her iconic talk show from 1986 to 2011. Now as Shepherd looks forward to her debut in less than two weeks, she says Winfrey’s advice is precious.
“I’m literally going to frame the 15 pages of notes,” Shepherd shares. “I’m not even throwing them away. Those will be in my memoirs, my biopic, the notes will be on the wall. If I could’ve recorded Oprah, I would’ve, because I said that nobody is going to believe this.”
After filling in as a guest host on The Wendy Williams Show, Shepherd’s own show, simply titled Sherri, premieres September 12.
Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.