“I want to be clear, I’m not ready to throw in the towel on this show just yet,” Shepherd said on Monday.

Sherri Shepherd breaks silence on her talk show’s cancellation: ‘I’m ready to address it’

"I want to be clear, I'm not ready to throw in the towel on this show just yet," Shepherd said on Monday.

By Sydney Bucksbaum

Sydney Bucksbaum

Sydney Bucksbaum is a staff writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2019 and is a published author. Her work has previously appeared in *TV Guide Magazine*, E! News/E! Online, *The Hollywood Reporter*, Mashable, Bustle, IGN, DCComics.com, Inverse, *The Daily Northwestern*, and more.

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February 9, 2026 3:37 p.m. ET

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Sherri Shepherd. Credit:

Paras Griffin/Getty

Sherri Shepherd is finally ready to talk about her eponymous talk show's cancellation.

On Monday, Shepherd returned to host *Sherri* for the first time since news broke that her syndicated series was going to end later this fall. The episode was also Shepherd's first time back as host since she got COVID-19 in early February.

"I know that you have seen the news, and I'm ready to address it," Shepherd began by telling the audience and viewers watching at home. "Our show has not been renewed for another season. I wanted to say to y'all, try not to faint or fall out, because healthcare is expensive and none of us have it anymore."

Sherri Shepherd addresses 'Sherri' cancelation.

Sherri Show TV/YouTube

She went on to express her gratitude for the "outpouring love" she's experienced since the news broke, "from the audience, to everybody on social media, to people who stop me in the store and still talk to me despite me not having a wig on, they still talk to me."

She also thanked everyone for welcoming her into their homes every single day.

"I want to thank you for laughing and crying with us," she said. "Thank you for supporting my unhealthy obsession with Lenny Kravitz. But I've got to tell you, when I first started, this show was built on one thing, and what I wanted it built on was joy. The intention of this show, always, was my prayer for you to leave happier than when you came. And you know this, I talked about this. It has been my dream to have a talk show, and I'm so grateful I had the chance to do it for four seasons."

Sherri Shepherd gets COVID 1 day after talk show cancellation

Sherri Shepherd's daytime talk show 'Sherri' canceled after 4 seasons

It was announced on Feb. 1 that *Sherri* had been canceled, and will end after the current fourth season finishes production. The show will continue filming at Chelsea Studios in New York City until the last episodes air this fall, and Shepherd promised that she's "not ready to throw in the towel on this show just yet."

"I'm not. I'm not," Shepherd said. "We're going to be airing episodes all through the fall. And we're going to continue to fight to keep this show alive in some way, shape, or form. If anybody knows me, they know I'm a fighter. I don't know exactly what it's going to look like, but I promise, I am going to continue to spread joy."

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She ended the episode's opening monologue by sharing a message to all the guests who will be on the remaining shows:  "Please don't be trying nothing crazy."

"I don't want you coming [and] talking about you, in solidarity, want to run across the stage naked," she added. "My supervisor and producer Norman Baker, he said he's got plans on streaking on the last day. I want security to watch Norman Baker because I don't want to see all of that. My best friend, Kym Whitley, said she's bringing an empty suitcase so she can steal stuff from the green room. She said she's got dibs on all of Whoopi's shoes in the room. Security, I need you to watch her, too."**

Watch Shepherd's full remarks in the video below:

Shepherd's longtime friend and fellow comedian Loni Love spoke out against *Sherri* production company Debmar-Mercury for announcing the show's cancellation in a press statement rather than having Shepherd announce it herself, "just like Kelly [Clarkson] got to announce her show’s end" earlier the same day that *Sherri'*s fate was revealed.

"Sherri should have been given the courtesy of announcing her show’s end instead of an article announcing it," Love wrote Tuesday on social media, after Debmar-Mercury co-presidents Ira Bernstein and Mort Marcus released a statement the day prior in response to media requests for information on reports that the show had been canceled.

Bernstein and Marcus said in a joint statement about *Sherri *that their "decision is driven by the evolving daytime television landscape and does not reflect on the strength of the show, its production — which has found strong creative momentum this season — or the incredibly talented Sherri Shepherd. We believe in this show and in Sherri and intend to explore alternatives for it on other platforms."

Since its premiere in September 2022, *Sherri* has earned six Daytime Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host for Shepherd. The show has also won two NAACP Image Awards, one for Outstanding Talk Series in 2023 and another for Outstanding Host in a Talk or News/Information (Series or Special) - Individual or Ensemble.

New episodes of *Sherri* will air through the fall in syndication. Check your local listings for showtimes in your area.

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