Sherri Shepherd has been the gracing the stages of stand-up comedy clubs and television screens for decades.
Whether you know her best as Principal Paula Madison on the Netflix seriesMr.
We went out in field service every Saturday."
She even revealed in a 2021 interview onThe Kelly Clarkson Showthat she ran track in high school.
Shepherd was told she wasn’t allowed to speak to him, even at home.
Years later, when she was around 19, Shepherd attended a Black Pentecostal church service and was saved.
Since then, she told Faris, she turns it all over to God and is a devout Christian.
So Shepherd started taking comedy lessons and doing stand-up, but times were tough.
“Well, I got evicted from my apartment and my car got repossessed,” she revealed.
“I took some acting classes and I never looked back,” she added.
“My mom passed away at 41 from diabetic complications,” Shepherd toldEssence.
That’s when Shepherd knew she needed to make a change.
But that scary realization was what Shepherd needed to turn her life around.
“Diabetes saved my life,” she added.
From there, Shepherd’s bookPermission Slips: Every Woman’s Guide to Giving Herself a Breakwas born.
Talk about turning something dark into an opportunity.
As a result, he suffers fromdevelopmental delays.
Fortunately, that changed thanks toYAI, a non-profit that offers services for children and adults with special needs.
Though she was considereda fan favorite, Shepherd and her partner Val Chmerkovskiywere eliminatedin the fourth week.
“I know the struggle of changing your eating habits and making exercise part of your life.
I wanted to inspire people to turn their lives around and feel good.”
According toShepherd’s website, the book hit #13 on theNew York TimesBest Seller list.
According toQueen Latifah, Shepherd was the first African-American woman to play the role on Broadway.
The caption of the photo revealed Shepherd was following theketo diet, helping her lose over 25 pounds.
“The doctor said to me, ‘You’re not even prediabetic, what did you do?'”
“I know it’s because I’ve been off sugar since March 2018.”
“Life is all about readjustment.
As long as I can readjust, I’m good.”
In an interview withEntertainment Tonight, Shepherd said she was having the time of her life.
In a follow-up interview onAccess, Shepherd opened up about the experience.
“I said yes ‘cause it scared me,” she confessed.
“To get out there and sing, I was so scared.”
And at the end of the day, McCarthynailed it.
But that didn’t stop Sherri Shepherd!
“I jumped at the opportunity because we are in a pandemic,” She toldTV Insider.
“It wasn’t like I was going to make a movie with Forest Whitaker right now.”
“For three years she said no to me about a podcast,” Shepherd said about Whitley.
“I guess during the pandemic she had a lot of free time.
Now she loves it.”
Shepherd also scored a recurring role (viaDeadline) on ABC’sCall Your Mother, which premiered in January 2021.
We’ve certainly not seen the end of Sherri Shepherd.
In fact, it seems like she’s just getting started.
