SHERRI SHEPHERD
WHY SHE’S MAKING AN EXCITING FRESH START IN LA
Inside her fresh start in LA after a child-support battle.
Sherri Shepherd is making big changes in her life, and she couldn’t be happier. After a contentious 2014 divorce and child support battle with her second husband, Lamar Sally, the former View co-host tells Closer, “it was time to hit the reset button and figure out what makes me smile.”
For Sherri, that meant moving back to LA and reconnecting with old friends, including fellow actresses Niecy Nash and Octavia Spencer. “I can’t survive without women in my life,” says Sherri, 49. “They’re how I’ve gotten to this point.”
Encouragement from her close pals has given Sherri strength to move on after losing her fight in 2015 to avoid paying child support to her ex for their 2-year-old son, born by surrogacy, and genetically related to Lamar but not Sherri. She recently launched her 2017 Lux Hair Wig Collection, and next month she’ll costar opposite John Lithgow in the NBC comedy Trial & Error. “Getting back into the swing of acting full-time has been an adjustment,” admits Sherri, who played Tracy Morgan’s wife on 30 Rock. “But LA’s fun. The first thing I bought when I moved back was a convertible.
I put the top down no matter if it’s raining or chilly.” Sherri’s sunny attitude is infectious. At home, she and her son from her first marriage, 11-year-old Jeffrey, start their days dancing. “In the morning we get up and play Pharrell Williams’ ‘Happy,’” Sherri says. “It sets the mood for the day.”
Things are going so well, is she looking for someone special to share it with? “I’m not even thinking about that right now,” Sherri stresses to Closer. “I don’t need to be in a relationship. It’s all about finding what I want and coming back stronger than ever.”
— Amy L. Hogan, with reporting by Jaclyn Roth
“You need to figure out who you are and what makes you happy.” — Sherri