Sherri Shepherd has closed a deal to return to “The View” as a lead contributor for the upcoming 19th season. I hear she is expected to appear in about 50 episodes.
The addition of Shepherd is part of “The View” overhaul this summer as ABC News is looking to reignite the veteran daytime talk show to its former ratings glory after a turbulent 18th season, the first without co-creator Barbara Walters.
Shepherd was among the most popular “View” co-hosts of the past decade. She spent seven seasons on the show, sharing a hosting Emmy Award. She left last August after failing to agree on contract terms with ABC. Two months ago, Shepherd returned for the first time as a guest co-host.
Next season, “The View” will return to a five-host format after opting for four co-hosts this season. Confirmed for three of the chairs are Whoopi Goldberg, the only returning host; Raven-Symone; and Michelle Collins; to be joined by Candace Cameron Bure and Paula Faris. Shepherd is expected to lead a group of a half dozen or so contributors that also would include Stacey London and Molly Sims, among others.
In the 11 months since leaving “The View,” Shepherd make her Broadway debut in “Roger And Hammerstein’s Cinderella” as the first black actress to play the Evil Stepmother, joined the cast of the TV Land comedy “The Soul Man” and filmed co-starring roles in the upcoming films “Ride Along 2″ and “Woodlawn.” She also stars in and executive produces “Holy And Hungry,” a new series for The Cooking Channel that premieres August 23.
Shepherd, who also has been traveling the country doing standup while working on a new book about love and life after divorce, a topic that has been a tabloid fodder for the past year. She is repped by ICM Partners and manager Darris Hatch.
