Sherri Shepherd announced Wednesday that she has tested positive for COVID-19 and will halt new episodes of “Sherri” Season 2 as a result. The series just returned to production on Monday.
“I am absolutely heartbroken that I cannot return to host my show this week,” Shepherd said in an Instagram post Wednesday, shared to the series’ account. “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.”
Elsewhere in the announcement, representatives for “Sherri” added that “the health of our host and entire staff is of the utmost importance.”
“The show will return with original episodes as soon as possible,” the post read. “For the remainder of this week, encore episodes from the beginning of the premiere week will air.”
Shepherd’s diagnosis came as “Sherri” premiered its second season amid the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Her return was under particular scrutiny as other talk shows like “The Drew Barrymore Show,” “The Jennifer Hudson Show,” and “The Talk” reversed course on their proposed returns to production, the distinction being that “Sherri” is not a WGA contracted series.
Shepherd defended her series’s Season 2 return on Monday, emphasizing, “We have never employed WGA writers, so us coming back to work is not crossing the picket line.”
The talk show host explained that as a comedian, she has always been the sole writer of “Sherri,” paired with assists from producers “who help me shape my words, which is why we don’t have WGA writers here.”
Shepherd also explained that while she has marched in support of both strikes and is herself a member of SAG-AFTRA, talk shows “fall under a different union contract code, so we’re allowed to come back — unless you’re a WGA show.”
The host did, however, lend her support to the striking laborers — and has previously been seen on the picket lines with stars like Niecy Nash-Betts and Viola Davis.
“My heart is breaking for all of the people that cannot work right now,” she said Monday, “and I hope our industry can get this strike resolved soon.”
