Sherri Shepherd Show's Top Exec Dies Amid Financial Investigation

Sherri Shepherd's talk show's top executive, Matt Uzzle, was found deceased at his New York residence on February 13, 2024. 

According to new reports, Uzzle had not been in contact with anyone for an extended period, prompting a welfare check by law enforcement, who discovered his body.

The news of the incident comes amid the longtime associate of the daytime talk show "Sherri" reportedly being investigated by the production company Debmar-Mercury.

Although the police department has not provided additional information regarding Uzzle's death, sources indicate that he is suspected to have died from an apparent suicide.

Onlookers have already started speculating that his death is connected to the investigation initiated after Debmar-Mercury discovered that multiple departments associated with "Sherri" were purportedly facing financial difficulties.

It was also revealed that approximately six months' rent was overdue at the Chelsea Studios, where the show was being filmed. A source allegedly close to the situation stated that crew members were so concerned about the potential cancellation of the show that "Debmar had to step in."

Reportedly, Uzzle was approached by senior members of the show regarding these issues, to which he requested more time to review the paperwork. However, as per Page Six, another insider claimed that "Sherri" has not been affected and that Debmar-Mercury has continued production of the show.

Even though a representative for Debmar-Mercury declined to disclose details regarding Uzzle's death or any personnel issues, they stated, "We have retained [law firm] Morgan Lewis to help us investigate the matter and, pending the outcome of that investigation, we'll have no further comment."

As the situation continues to unfold, it is worth noting that Uzzle's death has been largely contained, with only small news sites covering it. These sites described Uzzle, whose primary responsibility was to manage production and oversee the budget at "Sherri," as "a respected production manager known for his outstanding contributions to "The Wendy Williams Show" and several other significant projects," without mentioning his work on "Sherri." 

Despite that, "Sherri" paid tribute to the 50-year-old with an in-memoriam segment on its February 15 episode. At the same time, management has allegedly enlisted grief counselors to support staff members in coping with the loss.

The last time "Sherri" made headlines, it was for its host, Shepherd, making the decision not to join in the months-long Writer's Guild of America [WGA] strike.

Instead of halting production of her talk show as her Hollywood counterparts like Drew Barrymore and Bill Maher did, Shepherd launched the second season of "Sherri" on Monday, September 18.

During the premiere, she assured viewers that reopening the talk show did not breach the rules of the WGA strike. The comedian noted that some of Hollywood's prominent stars and actors had actively participated in picket lines during the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes. 

"Well, I'm a SAG-AFTRA actress, and I actually marched with some of my colleagues while in Los Angeles recently. That's me with Viola Davis, Niecy Nash," she said while displaying a photograph. 

Shepherd then disclosed that, unlike other shows, she has never hired WGA writers because she belonged to a different guild; thus, "coming back to work isn't crossing the picket line."

The "Less Than Perfect" star elaborated that talk shows typically operate under a different union contract code, allowing all productions except WGA-affiliated shows to resume airing.

Shepherd emphasized that she writes her own jokes, attributing the comedic headlines viewers see to her creative prowess before adding:

"I stand in solidarity with my union. One of the things that we're fighting for is better residuals […] residuals during times that I was not working kept the lights on. My residual payments helped me care for Jeffrey when he was born at 25 weeks. So good residual payments are important to actors."