Sherri Shepherd Talks Partnership With Hertz And Inspirations For Upcoming Show

Sherri Shepherd is shedding more light on her upcoming show "Sherri," scheduled to premiere in national syndication on September 12.

While recently speaking with PEOPLE on a new partnership for the series, Shepherd also teases fans on what to expect, including the inspiration behind the production and the exciting guests set to make appearances.  

Shepherd is certainly no newbie to the talk show business. As you may recall, she guest-hosted Wendy Williams' legendary talk show over the last several months during Williams' prolonged absence. Now, with the new "Sherri," she is getting the opportunity to host her second lone daytime series, and she could not hold back the list of guest stars she would love to be on the show.

The talented actress mentioned her interest in getting Michael B. Jordan on the program, whom she sympathized with given his recent split with Lori Harvey. She believed he needed "comforting" and said, "He needs somebody to talk to him about his next movie project, but to comfort him at the same time. So, I would love for him."

At the time, Shepherd also mentioned her partnership with Hertz and added more exciting celebrity faces she would like to see on her show. Since she is such a massive fan of "female energy," she wanted Meryl Streep, Michelle Obama, Lizzo, and "old school girl" Pat Benatar to make appearances.

The creative comedian admitted she would not mind if Michelle came along with her husband and former U.S. President Barack Obama, noting that their joint presence would be "awesome." As for Lizzo, she looked forward to talking to her on the program about "how she got her feeling of worth and what her journey has been," considering the songstress had had numerous rejections before getting accepted. While she planned on having discussions with Lizzo, she wanted a duet with Benatar, particularly on "Love Is a Battlefield."

Touching on what is to be expected from the broadcast, Shepherd explained, "I think if you picture the inspiration of Oprah [Winfrey], and the fun of Ellen [DeGeneres] and then that joy and laughter in between is all Sherri." Meanwhile, with the program's launch date drawing nearer, the former "The View" co-host admitted that "a lot of things were involved in launching a talk show."

There is the theme song, the segments included in the schedule, and topics she would talk about, all of which she was prepared for with her years of experience. Shepherd, who admittedly loves pop culture, then recalled some of her hosting duties, including "Dish Nation," where all they did was pop culture, and "The View," where she "learned to be curious about people to interview folks."

Speaking of her partnership with Hertz, she prepared for her show's imminent launch by going on a cross-country move from L.A. to NYC, which was a smooth transport thanks to Hertz. She also gave them a shout-out for providing her with their spacious trucks where she put all of her stuff that arrived in New York "intact, not broken, not bent,"

Their collaboration also included an event at the Hertz location in Manhattan where Shepherd gave out tons of free stuff from her L.A. home, letting go of the past and welcoming the new energy of the future.

Amid Shepherd's take-over of Wendy Williams' long-running show, The Blast reported that Williams planned on having a sit-down with the 55-year-old despite previously not being a fan of the replacement. The "Think Like A Man" actress once hinted that she would have preferred someone other than Shepherd to host the "Wendy Williams Show" in her absence, naming Remy Ma or Fat Joe as her ideal choices.

Although Williams liked the "The Jamie Foxx Show" star, she declared that she would not be watching her run her show as she was not taken with her hosting technique. Shepherd was not affected by the remarks as she later responded, saying she understood and was not "mad" at her predecessor but offered sympathy for her health struggles.  

While the duo may not have been on good terms, Williams eventually mentioned in a statement that she would love to have a conversation in person with her successor with "no ill will or intent."