Sherri Shepherd says that she went to jail over unpaid speeding tickets and now she credits the experience as a reason for paying her bills on time. The daytime talk show host opened up about this life-changing experience during an interview with Page Six.
Shepherd says she served eight days in jail after she racked up $10,000 in unpaid speeding tickets in the 1990s.
“Yeah, I went to jail for not paying my tickets. At the time I did not think being in jail was a good moment, but looking back I learned to pay all my bills,” she said. “Jail, that was a classroom… it was a life lesson, and now I pay my bills on time.”
The “Sherri” host recalled the experience while noting that it happened at the beginning of her career, and one of her fellow inmates seemed to predict her future.
“One of the girls in jail said, ‘Leave Sherri alone because she’s gonna be somebody and we are going to be here for the rest of our lives.’ Literally that’s what she used to say,” Shepherd said. “Her name was Shelby and she came to both my weddings when I got out. But sometimes people see things in you that you don’t see yourself, and when she said those words, ‘Sherri is gonna be somebody,’ I never thought that for myself. So I just knew that something was going to happen.”
Turns out, Shelby was correct. Shepherd went on to work as a comedian before landing a job as a co-host on “The View” on ABC in 2007. She remained on the show until 2014, before landing a guest hosting gig on “The Wendy Williams Show” in 2021, amid Williams’ health issues. Shepherd’s guest hosting skills impressed executives and she was offered her own show, “Sherri,” after Williams’ show was canceled last June.
Shepherd’s talk show recently celebrated its 100th episode with guests Tisha Campbell and Wanda Sykes. “Sherri” airs weekdays on FOX.
