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The View Co-Host
Background:
“Stand-up will always be my first love. I enjoy writing my
own material and having my own voice onstage.” Sherri Shepherd
Emmy-nominated comedienne Sherri Shepherd began performing on the
west coast stand-up comedy circuit in the early '90s. She became more
popular to TV viewers in the late '90s when she played recurring
roles in such TV shows as "Suddenly Susan" (as Miranda
Charles; 1997-2000), "The Jamie Foxx Show" (as Sheila
Yarborough; 1999-2001), and "Everybody Loves Raymond" (as
Judy; 1998-2003).
Shepherd starred in the ABC sitcom "Less Than Perfect"
(2002-2006) and earned a BET Comedy Award nomination for Outstanding
Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. She also provided her voice to
the Disney Channel series “Kim Possible” (2004-2007) and
“Brandy and Mr. Whiskers” (2004-2006).
In 2007, Shepherd starred as Wedding Palace assistant Debbie Quill
in the short-lived series "The Wedding Bells" (2007). She
now serves as a co-host of ABC's Emmy Award-winning talk show "The
View," which handed her a Daytime Emmy nomination for
Outstanding Talk Show Host in 2008.
On the big screen, Shepherd could be seen in the films "Pauly
Shore Is Dead" (2003), "Cellular" (2004), "Guess
Who" (2005), "Beauty Shop" (2005), and "Who's
Your Caddy?" (2007). She will appear in the upcoming drama film
"Push" alongside Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe, Mo'Nique, Paula
Patton, and Lenny Kravitz.
This 5' 1" African-American comic was married to comedian
Jeff Tarpley from 2001 to 2006 and has one son with him.
Born-Again Christian
Childhood and Family:
“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.” Sherri Shepherd
Born in Chicago, Illinois, on April 22, 1970, Sherri Evonne
Shepherd moved with her parents to the all-white suburb of Hoffman
Estates in Chicago, where she spent most of her formative years
alongside her three younger sisters. Her father, Lawrence, was a food
service manager at Sambos Restaurant, and her mother, LaVerne,
cleaned houses.
“My father was and is a great father.” Sherri Shepherd
Shepherd attended Winston Churchill Elementary School, Eisenhower
Junior High School and Hoffman Estates High School. She relocated to
Los Angeles when she was in high school.
“If I didn't have God in my life, I'd be either in jail, on
drugs, or dead.” Sherri Shepherd
In 1993, Shepherd's mother was dying from complications of
diabetes and her sister was heavily involved in drugs.
“I believe that God and Christians were here before everyone
else.” Sherri Shepherd
Shepherd married comedian Jeff Tarpley on March 10, 2001, and they
welcomed their son, Jeffrey Charles Tarpley, on April 22, 2005, when
Sherri was only 25 weeks into her pregnancy. Shepherd and Tarpley
filed for divorce in 2006.
In her spare time, Shepherd enjoys singing karaoke, skiing,
skating and attending church related activities. She also likes to
play with her two retrievers, Angel and Shatzi.
“I let people know I’m a Christian. It comes up
naturally when I do things.” Sherri Shepherd
Less Than Perfect
Career:
A self-confessed class clown, Sherri Shepherd attended a trade
college and worked as a legal secretary while performing stand-up
comedy at night. She decided to move to Los Angeles in the early ‘90s
and began performing on the west coast stand-up comedy circuit.
During this time, she also performed at the Comedy Store. She also
provided the opening acts for such comedians as Richard Pryor, Martin
Lawrence and Sinbad.
In the mid '90s, Shepherd made her TV series debut in the WB
sitcom starring comedienne and former “Saturday Night Live”
cast member Ellen Cleghorne, “Cleghorne” (1995). After
the show was canceled, she worked again as a legal secretary for a
day job for another three years.
Shepherd scored her first recurring role in the NBC sitcom
starring Brooke Shields, “Suddenly Susan.” She was with
the series from 1997 to 2000. She was also seen on the CBS
Emmy-winning sitcom starring Ray Romano, “Everybody Loves
Raymond,” as Judy, and stayed on the show from 1998 to 2003.
She was also seen as Sheila Yarborough in several episodes of The WB
sitcom “The Jamie Foxx Show.”
In 2002, Shepherd landed a role on the ABC sitcom “Less Than
Perfect,” which ran until 2006, and earned her a BET Comedy
Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy
Series.
During this time, Sherri provided her voice to the Disney Channel
series “Kim Possible” (2004-2007) and “Brandy and
Mr. Whiskers” (2004-2006). She also had had a supporting role
in the feature film “Guess Who” (2004) and was cast in
the ensemble female comedy “Beauty Shop” (2005).
Following the demise of “Less Than Perfect,” Shepherd,
who became a popular guest on syndicated game shows and daytime talk
programs, began regularly filling in as a guest host on the ABC show
“The View” in 2007. In 2008, she received a Daytime Emmy
nomination for Outstanding Talk Show Host that she shared with
co-hosts Barbara Walters, Joy Behar, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, and Whoopi
Goldberg
Meanwhile, Shepherd played Wedding Palace assistant Debbie Quill,
who had a relationship with a wedding singer (played by Cleavant
Derricks), in the short-lived drama comedy series "The Wedding
Bells" (2007), and guest starred in multiple 2007 episodes of
NBC’s critically-acclaimed sitcom "30 Rock." She also
played Big Rhonda in the movie “Transformers” (2007), but
her scenes were only featured in the IMAX re-release version of the
film, and co-starred with Antwan "Big Boi" Patton, Lil
Wayne, Andy Milonakis, Faizon Love, Terry Crews, Tony Cox, and
Jeffrey Jones, in Don Michael Paul's comedy film "Who's Your
Caddy?" (2007). She is currently working on her upcoming film
project, "Push," a drama by Lee Daniels in which she will
co-star with Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe, Mo'Nique, Paula Patton, and
Lenny Kravitz.
Shepherd continues to perform stand-up at popular venues in Los
Angeles. She also released a self-produced performance DVD, which was
available through her web site.
“Why am I as successful as I am? I have no idea. I have no
idea what I’m doing.” Sherri Shepherd
Awards:
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