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Sherri Shepherd‘s new talk show SHERRI is set to premiere on Sept. 12, and she could not be any more excited! In an EXCLUSIVE video interview with HollywoodLife, the 55-year-old comedian revealed that prior to co-hosting The View, which she started on in 2007, her former co-host Whoopi Goldberg, 66, gave her some solid career advice that she still lives by today.

“One of the big things that I learned at The View is paying it forward,” Sherri recounted of Whoopi’s words of wisdom in her honest and heartfelt response. Sherri started back back on the talk show circuit in 2021 when she filled in for her predacessor, Wendy Williams, 58, on The Wendy Williams Show. Of course, she’s a seasoned daytime vet after her run on The View, where started in 2007 and earned a Daytime Emmy Award just two years in.

“When I came from L.A., all I had was a GAP miniskirt and a tank top. Whoopi was taking me around after I went on Bill O’Reilly with that tank top and that miniskirt. Whoopi said, ‘We got to get you some clothes.’ She took me to Anne Fisher. She got all of these clothes for me, and they were very expensive,” Sherri told HL. “I said, ‘I can’t afford these clothes my card is going to be declined.’ I figured I would pay for the clothes and take them back and get my money back. I was going through a divorce. I just was broke.”

“The sales clerk, when I gave them the card, said ‘Ms. Goldberg paid for these clothes.’ I broke down crying and Whoopi hugged me, and Whoopi said, ‘Pay it forward.’ Whoopi will contribute to charities and not even put her name on it. She will take care of folks if they need something and not even put her name on the check they don’t know who that angel was, but it was Whoopi,” Sherri said of her dear friend and mentor.  “Whoopi taught me to pay it forward, which is what I have been doing for my entire career.”

So how is she going to apply Whoopi’s sound advice to her talk show, SHERRI? “For this talk show, Sherri, paying it forward means that I am going to show you regular people, heroes who need some exposure, I want to show you some comics who are amazing,” Sherri told added. “We got the cast of characters that we always see on talk shows. I want to show you some new folks with new voices and pay it forward because they need exposure too. I needed it and somebody’s going to help them. But it’s all going to be good. I am not going to be putting people in front of you that you are going to be like, ‘who is this?’ You are going to go, ‘WHO IS THIS!?!’”