PREVIEW CLIPS: SHERRI SHEPHERD ON BARBARA WALTER’S IMPACT ON HER CAREER AND THE PIECE OF WISDOM OPRAH GAVE HER FOR HER SHOW

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AIR DATE: TUESDAY, JANUARY 31^st     

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Photo/Video Credit: Rachael Ray Show

PREVIEW CLIP 1: SHERRI SAYS BARBARA WALTER’S TOUGH ATTITUDE PREPARED HER TO HAVE HER OWN TALK SHOW 

Rachael Ray: Can we talk about Barbara Walters, your thoughts about Barbara? I mean how lucky we all are to have known her at all and be influenced by her. This was a tough, smart, badass woman. An incredible forerunner of a person. She was a scrapper and just so amazing in so many ways, and broke so many barriers. I, of course, did not have the experience with her that you did. Give us some of your reflection on that.

Sherri Shepherd: I think that Barbara, to any female journalist, or any journalist, but specifically women, that we see now on the air, have to credit Barbara Walters. To leave a legacy behind, the way Barbara did, I am in awe. And now I see why she was so tough on me. I tell everybody, the first three years I cried every day. She would be so tough on me, but now I completely understand it, and the reason why I have my talk show, is because she literally prepared me for it. 

Rachael Ray: Right. I only guested there a couple of times, and I left there shaking. Like wow, she’s a tough lady, but it’s with purpose. I remember the day we premiered, she said, ‘I would have never used spinach.’ There was a spinach recall or something at the grocery store on the day our show premiered 17 years ago. How would we know that? We had filmed it so many days before that. But boy, she was straightforward, and she said, ‘I would never have allowed that to happen.’ And I’m like, ‘Well, good point!’

PREVIEW CLIP 2: SHERRI SHARES WHAT OPRAH SAID TO HER ABOUT HAVING HER OWN TV SHOW

Rachael Ray: Is there anything out of this phase of your life that has surprised you so far, or are you so experienced in so many ways that nothing has surprised you? 

Sherri Shepherd: I think Rachael, probably, I’m not used to working at this level. Like when Oprah sent me flowers, I called her back to say thank you, and I said, ‘But they’re so big I can’t get them home.’ And she said, ‘I sent them to your place of business for a reason, because you will never be home.’ And she proceeded to tell me how, when she had her show, she was always at the studio. And Rachael, that’s so true, I’m always here. Like I walk out of my dressing room, and the lights will be off. It’s like, ‘Is Freddy Kreuger here? Who’s here?’