Photo: Lars Niki/Getty Images; Amy Sussman/Getty Images
Sherri Shepherdis honoring her predecessor,Wendy Williams, shortly after news broke that she will host a new daytime talk show in Williams' place.
“She made her own path. What Wendy does, nobody can recreate — none of the guest hosts. That is specific, Wendy created that,” Shepherd said. “The ‘spill the tea,’ and she’d sit there and be like, ‘You know what I’m talkin’ about.' "
She added, “So I love that, and I love her fearlessness, and that is something that I want to emulate and keep going. She opened up a lot of doors, and she’s up there with the greats.”
Shepherd, who previously guest-hostedTheWendy WilliamsShowand co-hostedThe Viewfor years, told Cohen, 53, she has always dreamed of having her own talk show.
“I used to be like five years old with like a toilet paper roll [microphone] and all my teddy bears, talking to my teddy bears,” she said.
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
Williams is ending her namesake talk show after 13 seasons amidst ongoing health struggles. After contractinga breakthrough COVID-19 caseand recovering, she continued to experience complications tied toher Graves' disease, which prevented her from hosting the most recent season of her show.
With Williams unable to host, guests likeLeah Remini,Michael Rapaport,Whitney Cummings,Jerry Springer, and Shepherd stepped in to helm episodes in her place. Shepherd emerged as the most popular star to guest hostThe Wendy Willams Showandbrought in season-high ratingswhen she took over in November.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Williams' rep, Howard Bragman, shared a statement with PEOPLE Tuesday after it was announced Williams' show would be coming to an end. Bragman stated that Williams “understands” why her show would not continue for another season.
“It’s been a challenging time for Wendy as she deals with her health issues. She is incredibly grateful to Debmar-Mercury, to Sherri and everybody else who has supported the show through this time,” Bragman said.
source: people.com
