Sherri Shepherd Affirms Faith in 'The View' Farewell; Says 'You Can Be a Christian and Have Balance Too'
Sherri Shepherd bid farewell to "The View" this week after seven years as a co-host and applauded the hit show for allowing her to openly discuss her Christian faith.
The comedian, 47, appeared for the last time in an episode which aired Monday and was joined by her usual co-hosts as well as late-night talk show host Arsenio Hall. Gospel music superstars Yolanda Adams, Kirk Franklin and Donnie McClurkin also appeared and performed a special song for Shepherd, who referenced her faith in her final goodbye.
"I was able to talk about my faith on national TV, thank you Jesus … and [I] got to show people that you can be a Christian and have balance too," an emotional Shepherd told the audience.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
In a recent tweet the single Mom personally thanked the show's creator Barbara Walters for allowing her to share her faith.
"ThankU @BarbaraJWalters 4 letting me share my Christian faith for seven years...even though they bleeped out #Jesus you still let me say it!" she tweeted on July 30.
Shepherd was a Jehovah's Witness before converting to Christianity. She once acknowledged that it is challenging being "taken to task" about her Christian faith.
"Oh sometimes I say, 'Lord, Juanita Bynum or Joyce Myers (evangelists) would be so good at this table. They could lay hands on Barbara Walters and get her saved. I ask the Lord, 'Why am I here?' I have to trust God when He says, 'Because I said so,'" she told Precious Times.
Shepherd, who once won an Emmy award for "Best Talk Show Host," has been at the center of a surrogate baby scandal in recent weeks. Her estranged husband, Lamar Sally, claims she abandoned the newborn baby despite previously entering into an agreement to act as the child's mother; however, sources insist there is actually more to the story.
The baby was conceived using Sally's sperm but not Shepherd's egg.
The couple separated in May and Shepherd touched on her ongoing divorce during her goodbye speech.
"When I joined 'The View' seven years ago, Jeffrey was two-years-old and I was going through a very public divorce," she said. "Now my son is nine-years-old and I'm going through another very public divorce. Let's just say I'm happy that Barbara Walters and Bill Getty were better at picking co-hosts for the show than I was at picking a husband."
The Christian mom-of-one described her seven year co-host gig at "The View" as a "dream come true for me," however, she revealed that she is excited about her future. On Sept. 9 she will make her Broadway debut as the evil stepmother in Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella."
