Sherri Shepherd is getting rid of Wendy Williams’ former producers for Season 2 of her daytime talk show.
via Page Six:
Shepherd inherited Williams’ longtime executive producers David Perler and Suzanne Bass — who also appeared with Williams on camera daily — as EPs for her show when it premiered last fall.
Sources told Page Six they got the axe this week, as Season 1 of “Sherri” comes to a close at the end of this month.
We’re told Shepherd naturally wanted “fresh energy” for her new season.
The decision doesn’t come as a surprise for Perler, we hear, since he stayed on “to help get through the hump of launching a new show,” according to one source.
Bass was more of a “sidekick and buffer” to Williams’ former “Hot Topics” act, which isn’t as useful for Shepherd, who is also a comedian and actress, we’re told.
“Suzanne was on camera for a decade with Wendy,” another source said.
But Shepherd’s producer bestie, Jawn Murray — a TV commentator who is new to executive producing — partially took on that role when Shepherd brought him in.
A spokesperson for Debmar-Mercury — the production company behind both the Williams and Shepherd shows — told us, “we will announce a new executive producer for the second season to serve alongside [Murray].”
The statement further said that Perler and Bass “have been integral to Debmar-Mercury’s success in daytime syndication for many years and have helped launch ‘Sherri’… Debmar Mercury wishes them all the best on future endeavors and hopes to work with them in the future.”
You know what they say — a second season can either solidify a show as a hit or expose its flaws. We wish everyone the best!
