In a revealing new interview with People, Sherri Shepard, former co-host of The View, opens up about her time on the hit morning talk show.
Shepherd appeared on the show from 2007 to 2014 before she was released from her contract following backlash over antigay remarks she had made on the air.
Looking back on the whole experience, Shepherd has mixed emotions.
“It was the most painful experience that I’ve ever gone through,” the 53-year-old says, “but it was the best experience.”
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Part of what made it hard was–surprise, surprise–working with Barbara Walters.
Recalls Shepherd: “Barbara was so hard on me. I cried for three years in my dressing room because she was so hard on me, but she did it out of love.”
At one point, Shepherd remembers the legendary journalist telling her, “I love you. I just need you to read a book, dear.”
Meow.
While dealing with Walters was challenging, Shepherd says it was actually the response to her remarks about Christianity and the LGBTQ community that proved to be the hardest thing for her to deal with.
Over the years, Shepherd made several insensitive and blatantly homophobic comments about LGBTQ people, including blaming gay men for spreading HIV to heterosexual black women, and frequently using the “love the sinner, hate the sin” argument when talking about homosexuality, in general.
Recalls Shepherd, “When people wanted to cancel me and take out full-page ads on me and take it outside The View, I would cry. Because I would go, ‘If you knew my heart.’ I came from doing standup and making people laugh and doing sitcoms.”
She continues, “I wish we were a culture of loving and going, ‘Let’s just see, hold on before we go, click, your entire life is done, your livelihood. You can never come back from this.’”
Shepherd says she has evolved since then and no longer holds her homophobic views or judges LGBTQ people.
“You love who you love,” she says today. “I’ve evolved. Look, my best friend, my best friend Tommy Borden, he’s been married to his husband, Jimmy, for the last 17 years. I couldn’t even make two marriages work past six years. Who am I to be judging anybody?”
Later in the interview, Shepherd gives credit to Rosie O’Donnell for sticking up for her when she was offered pennies on the dollar to the other co-hosts, which is an unfair reality for many Black women in America, who, on average, make 38% less than white men and 21% less than white women.
“I thank Rosie O’Donnell to this day,” says Shepherd, “because when I was being asked to join The View, they offered me less than Elisabeth Hasselbeck, who had only done Survivor and worked for Puma, making the tennis shoes.”
“There was no way I should have been offered less than Elisabeth Hasselbeck with my credits,” she continues.
“Rosie O’Donnell called me and she said, ‘This is what I make. This is what Joy makes. This is what Elizabeth makes. This is what you should ask for.’ She helped me negotiate through the entire process.”
Shepherd recently made an appearance on The Masked Singer, and last year she started hosting the game show Best Ever Trivia Show on the Game Show Network.
Related: Sherri Shepard On Her Antigay Comments: “I Embrace Everybody Who Has Love In Their Hearts”
dhmonarch89
the pay difference isn’t all about paying a man 38 cents more for the same job….the ratio factors in the types of jobs people do- you need a specific college degree to get the 10 highest paid jobs in this country- of the people majoring in those subjects, only about 25% are women.
Cam
“While dealing with Walters was challenging, Shepherd says it was actually the response to her remarks about Christianity and the LGBTQ community that proved to be the hardest thing for her to deal with.”
Except she wasn’t the victim, the people she was bigoted towards were.
ShaunNJ
Shepherd wasn’t cancelled – her employer decided it reflects badly upon them to feature someone who needs to read a few books, makes statements which encourages homophobia and who isn’t sure if the earth is round. I do agree she should have been given equal salary to Elizabeth Hasselbeck based upon experience; though to Hasselbeck’s credit, she does have a degree from Boston College.
People like Shepherd, who are fortunate enough to achieve fame, fortune and a broad platform, really need to spend some of their money on quality education (no Trump, Liberty or University of Phoenix). If you’re going to put yourself in the public eye and have an influential voice, have the responsibility to ensure you aren’t spreading BS. Many people (including Black women) don’t have her opportunity. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but not a platform to spread falsehoods.
trsxyz
Totally agree! Well said.
James
WHO CARES ABOUT THAT HOMOPHOBE.
amanwithanedge
PLUS, SHE MARRIED A GAY MAN. BUH BYE.
Kangol2
@amanwithanedge, are you confusing her with Star Jones, who did marry an allegedly gay man, Al Reynolds? Not all Black women look alike!
ronniebs
She was also raised a Jehovah’s Witness & I think that played a part in her homophobia. I was raised Catholic so I know it can take a while to ‘evolve’ from the bigotry of your church. So kudos to her.
winemaker
Big deal, ABC decided they wanted to go in another direction so they let sheri shepard go. Surprisingly she didn’t pull the ‘race card’ when this happened. Really rime to get over it and move on to bigger and better things. That’s what most rational adults do when let go from a job. Most of us have financial obligations and need to work. As far as many are concerned this waste of an hour of time and intelligence should have been canceled years ago. Really, who still watches this ‘bitch fest’ anyway.? When it began some 25 years ago it was interesting and different and the hosts were civil and treated the guests with respect even if they had different ‘views’. Over the years it’s become an only one ‘view’, the ultra liberal ‘view’ run buy big mouthed ‘joyless’ joy behar. and God forbid if your opinion differs from their ‘view.’ And so what if sheri shepard is a devout Christian, that’s her belief and she’s entitled to it. BTW: she should thank God she made the millions she made, whether she earned them or not. Lots of black women never attain the wealth and fame she’s accumulated, Time to be grateful for what you got. Enough ‘oh woe is me’ stories like this. Really who among us cares as we all have more important things to deal with, like real life.
Cam
It’s funny, when I saw your comment, I was wondering how many words in it would take before you started crying and playing conservative victim.
So let’s see, the show is “Ultra Liberal”.
Hmmm, that would explain why they’ve had Abby Huntsman, Meghan McCain, Elizabeth Hasselbeck, etc. on the show.
Too bad Republican tears don’t run cars, we wouldn’t need to import any oil.
mailliw110
You sure did a lot of writing just to say you don’t care!
Joshooeerr
She’s “evolved” in the hope of clawing her way back into a TV job. Big deal.
ScottOnEarth
This asshole has always been homophobic and she also thought that the world is flat. Probably still does.
EricNYCity
I had a personal experience with this homophobe. I was a massage therapist and she came in for a session back in 2004 when she had just moved to NYC and was just starting on the View. She loved my work and was excited to have found someone that she could come to on a weekly basis. Towards the end of the session, I told her I was gay and her whole attitude changed. She suddenly had an excuse as to why she couldn’t make a follow-up appointment.