Sherri Shepherd

Sherri Shepherd – Life, Career & Memorable Quotes


A full biography of Sherri Shepherd: from her early struggles and rise in comedy and TV, to her work as host and actress, her beliefs, and her most memorable quotes.

Introduction

Sherri Shepherd (born April 22, 1967) is an American actress, comedian, television host, author, and media personality. She is best known for her time as a co-host on The View, her sitcom roles, and her own daytime talk show Sherri. With humor, transparency, and resilience, she has built a career marked by both entertainment and personal candor.

Early Life and Family

  • Birth & upbringing: Sherri Evonne Shepherd was born on April 22, 1967, in Chicago, Illinois.

  • Family and faith: She is the eldest of three daughters of LaVerne (1941–1991) and Lawrence A. Shepherd (born c. 1947).

  • Loss & challenges: Her mother passed away in 1991.

These early experiences of faith, loss, and hardship shaped her worldview and later public openness about struggles.

Education & Early Career

  • Before her entertainment career fully took off, Sherri worked as a legal secretary by day while doing stand-up comedy at night.

  • Her first television acting job came in 1995 in the sitcom Cleghorne!, which had a brief run.

  • As she continued auditioning, she took guest roles in shows like Friends, Suddenly Susan, Everybody Loves Raymond, and Less Than Perfect.

Her persistence during those lean years—balancing day jobs, auditions, and performance—laid the foundation for her later success.

Career and Major Achievements

Breakthrough in Television & Comedy

  • Sitcom roles: Sherri gained wider recognition in Less Than Perfect (2002–2006), playing Ramona Platt. The Jamie Foxx Show, 30 Rock (as Angie Jordan), Trial & Error, and others.

  • The View (2007–2014): Shepherd became a co-host of The View, a high-profile daytime talk show, starting in 2007. The View raised her public profile but also exposed her to intense scrutiny and debate.

  • Own talk show — Sherri: In 2022, she launched her own syndicated daytime talk show, Sherri, which continues to air.

  • Other ventures: She has authored books (e.g. Permission Slips: Every Woman’s Guide to Giving Herself a Break), served as a podcast host, and appeared in films and stage works (including Broadway).

Her career spans acting, hosting, writing, and advocacy, showing her versatility in the entertainment industry.

Personal Life, Beliefs & Struggles

Relationships & Family

  • Sherri was married to Jeff Tarpley from 2001 to 2010; they had one son together, Jeffrey (born 2005).

  • She later married Lamar Sally in 2011; they separated in 2014. The couple welcomed a son via surrogacy (Lamar Jr.), but the relationship and parentage became legally contested.

Health & Faith

  • She has been open about her diagnosis with type 2 diabetes, having had pre-diabetes earlier.

  • Though raised Jehovah’s Witness, she later identified as an evangelical Christian and speaks frequently about faith, forgiveness, and spiritual struggle.

Public Controversies & Honesty

  • On The View, she made headlines for expressing confusion about the shape of the Earth (“I don’t care if the Earth is round or flat”) and for saying she doesn’t “know” about evolution.

  • She has admitted to never having voted—citing her strict religious upbringing and lack of familiarity with electoral dates.

  • She has also spoken candidly about past abortions and the emotional impact thereof.

Her willingness to publicly address mistakes, beliefs, and contradictions has become a significant part of her persona.

Selected Quotes

Below are notable quotes by Sherri Shepherd that reflect her humor, faith, vulnerability, and worldview:

  • “I believe in Jesus Christ as my Lord and savior. I believe that Jesus died for my sins, and rose again … I still don’t know what ‘Christian’ means. I’m a follower of Christ, but I keep making a whole bunch of mistakes. And I thank God for forgiveness.”

  • “Run towards that very thing that you fear, because there’s amazing blessings on the other side.”

  • “I was homeless for a little bit. I was on people’s couches, but it was an amazing journey. I got to make people laugh all the way.”

  • “It’s not the mistakes you make, it’s how you recover from them.”

  • “When I planned my wedding the first time … I rented a wedding gown; the reception hall smelled like feet.”

These quotes capture her resilience, self-awareness, belief in redemption, and capacity for humor even in hardship.

Lessons & Legacy

  1. Vulnerability as strength
    Shepherd’s openness about failure, faith, and mistakes resonates with audiences who valuate authenticity.

  2. Persistence through adversity
    Her trajectory—from working day jobs, being homeless, to becoming a major television personality—shows how perseverance matters in creative fields.

  3. Reinvention and adaptation
    She’s moved between sitcoms, talk shows, writing, and producing. Her ability to wear many hats keeps her career dynamic.

  4. Speaking out on difficult topics
    From abortion, mental health, faith, to voting and political beliefs, she doesn’t shy away from controversy—she often uses it to spark conversation.

  5. Faith + imperfection
    She balances her Christian beliefs with the acceptance that she will err, and frames forgiveness as central to her journey.

Sherri Shepherd’s legacy is still in formation, but she is already a notable example of a public figure who blends laughter, honesty, struggle, and faith.

Articles by the author

I believe in Jesus Christ as my Lord and savior. I believe that Jesus died for my sins, and rose again, and that's my belief. I still don't know what 'Christian' means. I'm a follower of Christ, but I keep making a whole bunch of mistakes. And I thank God for forgiveness.

Sherri Shepherd

My mom passed away at 41 from diabetes. And I'm 42, thank you. I didn't want to do that to my son. So any time I was at the gym, that thing that helped me do that last squat was my son calling some other woman mommy. And that would just give me that extra oomph to do that last squat. I want to be around for him.

Sherri Shepherd

My husband, Sal, and I put date nights on the calendar once a week. I know that doesn't sound romantic, but otherwise it won't get done.

Sherri Shepherd

I am trying to inspire people to just take control of their oral health, because if we don't take care of our oral health, it affects so many different aspects of our lives. If your smile and mouth is not together, it affects your relationship, your self-esteem, your health.

Sherri Shepherd

I get along very well with the cast of '30 Rock.' I guess I bring a certain quirkiness to the show as well. I'm just thankful they keep asking me. I didn't think I was going to be asked back so every time they say, 'We want you back,' I'm screaming. I'm jumping up and down and screaming.

Sherri Shepherd

Once I accepted Christ I immediately had peace. I still didn't have a place to live, I still didn't have a car, but I had peace.

Sherri Shepherd

For my first wedding, I cried all the way down the aisle. My fake eyelash came off. My nose was red. My eyes were swollen. I'm not one of those pretty criers.

Sherri Shepherd

When I planned my wedding the first time, my ex-husband and I, we were both struggling comics. I had a TV show that had gotten cancelled. Basically, I rented a wedding gown; the reception hall smelled like feet.

Sherri Shepherd