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Fans tuning into the Monday (Dec. 13) episode of The Wendy Williams Show were greeted not by the sight of Sherri Shepherd but of Michael Rapaport. “Right, so Sherri was supposed to host today,” said Michael, 51, before revealing what caused Sherri, 54, to miss out. “Unfortunately, she had appendicitis. Okay? She’s fine. She is fine. She had to go to the hospital last night for some emergency surgery. She’s feeling fine today, and she is resting. Get. Well. Soon. Sherri. We love you.” While Michael – a friend of The Wendy Williams Show – is a good substitute, it’s sad to see Sherri miss her turn in the hosting seat.
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Sherri herself was disappointed. “If you watched the @WendyWilliams how today, you saw the news about my emergency surgery,” the former View co-host tweeted. “Thanks to @MichaelRapaport for stepping in for me at the last minute! And while I’m mad I didn’t meet @NaomiWWE in person yet, Jeffrey [Tarpley, Jr., her son] did!” Sherri’s publicist also issued a statement that echoed her and Michael said. “Due to appendicitis, Sherri Shepherd underwent an emergency surgery yesterday. The procedure was successful, and Ms. Shepherd is doing fine and resting,” her rep told Deadline.
If you watched the @WendyWilliams show today, you saw the news about my emergency surgery. Thanks to @MichaelRapaport for stepping in for me at the last minute! And while I’m mad I didn’t meet @NaomiWWE in person yet, Jeffrey did!
I’ll share more later… https://t.co/eGceVqr6rG
— Sherri Shepherd (@sherrieshepherd) December 13, 2021
“She is absolutely devastated that she will not be able to guest host The Wendy Williams Show today, but she is following doctors orders and expected to make a full recovery. Thank you all for understanding and respecting her privacy,” added the publicist. A spokesperson for The Wendy Williams Show confirmed that Michael Rapaport will be filling in, and that Sherri hopes to be back on the show later in the week.
Sherri, Michael, and a handful of others have been taking turns hosting while Wendy Williams recovers from complications of Graves disease, an immune system disorder she’s been battling since 1999. Wendy, 57, has dealt with a handful of illnesses over the years in addition to her Graves disease. She famously passed out during the 2017 Halloween episode. That was later attributed to a case of dehydration. Plus, the Season 13 premiere, initially scheduled for Sept. 20, was delayed for weeks after Wendy tested positive for a breakthrough case of COVID-19.
Wendy gave a brief health update at the start of December. While she was leaving a Miami wellness center, a member of the paparazzi asked, “Are you doing okay?” Wendy cracked a smile and said, “Wendy is doing fabulous,” before teasing that there is more “Wendy stuff” on the way in the future.