Working While Waiting w/Sherri Shepherd

00:00:00
Speaker 1: Coming up on Keep It Positive, Sweetie.

00:00:03
Speaker 2: I played Sheila on the Jamie Fox Show one of this, and we're best of friends because we worked together on Jamie Fox and somebody came on and they had done like a couple of lines. Now I was a recurring on the show because I made Jamie laugh.

00:00:18
Speaker 3: He kept bringing me.

00:00:19
Speaker 2: Back and she was comic and she said this to me. She said, girl, you know you good on here. But everybody talk and they said, you know, you must have slept with Jamie to be on this show, like you know, like they're trying to protect me, and it.

00:00:32
Speaker 3: Hurts feeling so bad because I was like, I worked for this.

00:01:01
Speaker 1: Hi, I'm christophernee Hazley, and this is the Keep It Positive, Sweetish show, a safe face to heal, laugh, grow, and love. Today's show has me all in my feelings and it's crazy. Guys, we're just getting started. I'm having a one on one with the one and only Sherry Shepherd. I'm so excited to grab some gems from the talk show queen, and I know it's going to be a really special time for us and for you as well, whether it be television or movies, comedy stages or daytime talk. Sherry Shepherd is the master of all mediums. Her journey through the entertainment industry has been anything but linear.

00:01:35
Speaker 3: And she's the epitome of waiting.

00:01:37
Speaker 1: Your turn, Well, her turn, and her time is now, and it's now time for us to get together and get the real of her journey up the entertainment ladder and much more. I'm here on my couch and she is checking in from her dressing room on set. Cherry, thank you so much for coming on today. How are you feeling?

00:01:56
Speaker 2: I am great. My grandmother I always said I lived seeing another day.

00:02:01
Speaker 1: An mar Ga might say, if the Lord will and the KRK don't rise, I'll see you tomorrow.

00:02:07
Speaker 2: See right now, that's too many words, but I agree with your grandmother.

00:02:11
Speaker 1: Yes, yes, well, I just want to first all say congratulations on your third season of the Sherry Shepherd Show. How does it feel?

00:02:19
Speaker 2: Oh my goodness, girl, I'm just like Jesus Lord, thank you so much. A third season like this is when when talk shows get canceled after the first season. To know that I'm connecting with people, to know that they're enjoying my brand of silliness and human crystal.

00:02:39
Speaker 3: When I tell you.

00:02:40
Speaker 2: I'm so thankful girl, I'd be wanting to go into a praise shout.

00:02:43
Speaker 1: I know that's right, Listen, I'm so proud of you, like you've gained so many accolades, denominations. Have you had time to just really sit in it? Because I know you're so busy. When do you find time to just be like, wow, this is my life right now.

00:02:57
Speaker 3: When I come out and sit in my chair, I the.

00:03:01
Speaker 2: Door opens and I see all of these faces that are clapping, that are smiling, and it's not because the DJ has prompted.

00:03:11
Speaker 3: You know, people to do it.

00:03:13
Speaker 1: I see what.

00:03:14
Speaker 2: God's assignment is when I'm walking out and I'm always walking out going lord wow, or when I walk down the hallways and see you know my name and I go, this is what I dreamed about. Or when you know, like people send me a picture like I'm on my pictures on the billboard outside and I go, oh my gosh, that's like that's mine, that's me. Yes, my boys get all high, that's Jerry. So that is when when I'm here and I see it, or when people come and tell me, you know, my husband he passed away and we used to watch it together or my mom and I watch it together, or you know, they just tell me what the show means to them, and I just go, thank you, Lord, and.

00:04:02
Speaker 3: Then I start crying.

00:04:05
Speaker 1: I love that. That's beautiful. I'm happy that you actually find time, because sometimes I can be so busy and pass us by. We look up and like, wait, I accomplished all these things, but I didn't really get to sit in it. So I'm happy that you daily can sit in it and find time to just be grateful. That's so beautiful.

00:04:21
Speaker 3: I love that.

00:04:22
Speaker 2: I don't know if I get to like you know it, take breaks or anything, but I guess it's just I wanted to dream for so long, so sitting in it and seeing that I was at Howard University yesterday when all of the young people kept coming up and hugging me, go, miss Sherry, I want my own talk show. I got to sit in it by seeing I'm a living embodiment of what you were dreaming about. So touch me, hug me, talk to me. And that's when I go, Lord, Oh my god, oh my god, oh you you helped you blessed me with this.

00:04:57
Speaker 1: Oh that is beautiful. Something that reads with me is your new series it's never too late. I was thirty eight when my career took off, and share it when I tell you, I looked around the room and I was like, everybody is either like ten years younger than me, twelve years younger than me. And there were so many moments where I felt like I was late to the party. And as I gained my footing, I realized, you know what, you're right on time because everything that I gained, the knowledge that I learned during the waiting period, it really like it just equips me for everything that I was stepping into. What did you do to maintain the waiting phase to like really get to where you wanted to get to?

00:05:40
Speaker 2: You know, it's so funny when I first met you, Crystal, and you came on the show and you told that story, I so is so resonated with me because it's like, now you go, You're right where you supposed to be at the time you were supposed to be there because you were ready. He could trust you with this assignment. And I remember I was at a church one time in the pastor said, some of us have not had our dream come true, but sometimes you have to mature into the reality of that dream because if something happens or there's a crash or burn, if you haven't matured into it, you're gonna crash and burn. You're not gonna know how to get back up. So I think a lot of times when people have this, you know, success too quickly, and they don't have anything up under them going. I can keep pushing because I know God hadn't done this for me when this happened.

00:06:29
Speaker 3: I know this has been happening.

00:06:31
Speaker 2: I know I have this experience, and you are right where you're supposed to be.

00:06:35
Speaker 1: An mmm.

00:06:36
Speaker 2: He has seasoned you up so that when you when you come out and people adore you and appreciate you, it's because they can relate to all that life experience you are bringing into your character.

00:06:51
Speaker 3: It is right when I.

00:06:53
Speaker 2: Tell you, girl, I sit on my couch and I mean my talk to your couch, and I'm like, Lord, why you gave me this talk show fifty four years?

00:07:00
Speaker 3: So you know I'm you know, I ain't got no stamina. Lord, who is this person sitting there?

00:07:04
Speaker 2: I'm gonna tell you that one time Lorenz Tate he came on the show and he was sitting across from me, and I said Okay, who is this? I know I know him, but his name slipped from my mind. Yes, Lorenz Tay, you you watching this. I know who you are, like everything he had ever done, old dog, you know, like everything. And I was like, but I can't remember his name. And we talking and I was like, and then God just gave it to me. I mean Janet Jackson came. I jumped up and I said, I think I didn't. I think I got to go to the bathroom.

00:07:37
Speaker 3: Like it's I go. Why you give it to me now?

00:07:39
Speaker 2: When I you know, I can't run out there and be dropping it like it's hide and running up and down the stairs.

00:07:45
Speaker 3: And cause He's like, cause I need you to be settled.

00:07:48
Speaker 1: That's why.

00:07:49
Speaker 2: Because if I gave it to you in your twenties, you be all out in the streets. You'd be going to these clubs. You wouldn't be home and getting sleep when you're supposed to.

00:07:57
Speaker 3: You wouldn't be.

00:07:58
Speaker 2: You'd be feeling yourself. Angels wouldn't be able to do nothing with you, because they like, she in the club, she had.

00:08:04
Speaker 3: Some kind of party.

00:08:05
Speaker 1: She ain't.

00:08:06
Speaker 3: So that's why we were supposed to be. I forgot what you asked me.

00:08:11
Speaker 1: No the insident. Yeah, Like I asked you, like, what did you do in that waiting phase in Yeah.

00:08:17
Speaker 3: Crystal, in the waiting phase. Everything that I.

00:08:20
Speaker 2: Did, I am able to use in this talk show space. I just, you know, when it didn't happen for me in the talk show round, I really got back to my stand up and stand up is what I do.

00:08:33
Speaker 3: When I first sit in my chair, I do stand up.

00:08:36
Speaker 2: I was you know, I'm able to talk for ninety minutes on the stage, so I can do, you know, nineteen twenty minutes in that chair. So that worked together. When I was on the view, I learned how to read a prompter. You know, I do that every day. When I was a co host on the show Dish Nation, I was by myself in the studio in La while De Brad and everybody in Headcrack were in Atlanta. So I had to pretend look in that camera and pretend like we were all together. So that's how I talk to my audience, even though I'm reading words on the prompter. I talked to them like We're all in the room together. So all of that experience that I had, I took it and.

00:09:15
Speaker 3: I used it for what I am doing right now. So it is you know, you got to look at everything you're doing. How is it?

00:09:22
Speaker 2: How are you going to be able to use it for what you are doing right now, which is what you were able to do.

00:09:27
Speaker 3: No?

00:09:27
Speaker 1: Absolutely, No, I'm hearing you talking. I'm like, it's a mirror of my journey. Literally, And there were so many times where I questioned. I like to question God, but there are so many moments I'm like, Lord, what am I doing? Why do you have me doing this? I just didn't understand the steps that he was ordering for me. And I always pray God order myselfs but then sometimes like, this is.

00:09:47
Speaker 2: Really the step you want me to take? Absolutely, but it makes sense. It's so funny when he it does make sense. When when I was a co host on The View, I'm like, Lord, I don't even know as much as these women.

00:09:59
Speaker 3: When I said, tell you how many times I fell on that show, fell and failed show going, I don't know. I thought I was gonna get up on that show like.

00:10:08
Speaker 2: One need to buy them and be given a deep word every day and explaining the people what politics is.

00:10:15
Speaker 3: I didn't know none of that.

00:10:16
Speaker 2: I made so many mistakes but I needed to in order for me to be who I am today, I needed to make a bunch of mistakes.

00:10:25
Speaker 3: And learn and learn how to course correct.

00:10:27
Speaker 2: I needed to learn how to deal with, you know, social media people when they get on their thing and they be hating on you. Now, don't bother me. He get on there, say whatever you want. I know how to swipe. I ain't even got to answer you back, you know, I know not to. I learned how not to give people my energy. I learned how to you know, know that when I open up my mouth, it's just people that's not gonna agree with me, and that's okay. So it's like everything what's that scripture Roman's a twenty eight All things to get All things work together for the good of them who loved the Lord and too the call to according to his purpose. So it's like, I know everything that I have done up until this point is working together for me to do this show.

00:11:05
Speaker 1: Yes, I love that. It is so good because I definitely resonate with you on that one thing that I noticed when I come to your show. I was telling my line producer this. I was like, every time I go to a serious show, I feel so seen. I love the way that you know, seriously, the way you come out and hug on us. And I remember one time you didn't see me before the show and you came to I didn't see you before, let me give you a hug. Like the fact that you even remembered, like I didn't see Crystal, and I was like, this woman has so much going on and to remember little o me, you know, it just meant so much. And every time I leave, the conversations that we have on your show just leave me so full, and I just feel so seen. I just want to thank you for that, because oh you don't it feels like just okay, interview next, you know, but you do not make me feel like that.

00:11:51
Speaker 3: Thank you so much. And I was looking for you all day.

00:11:53
Speaker 2: I was like, well, I saw everybody, and I said I got you to said Christal.

00:11:57
Speaker 3: Was coming, and I don't know where you were see you.

00:12:00
Speaker 2: When I walked in and I didn't get to come upstairs, but I was looking for you and then you were there and I was like, okay, you here. But I always knew how I wanted my show to be. I've been dreaming about a talk show since I saw Oprah Winfrey doing hers and I've been I've been a guest on a lot of talk shows, and I knew experiences that I liked that made me feel full and seen, and experiences that I didn't like. Crystal, and I loved it when the hosts would come and acknowledge me even if they had never met me before, and put me at ease about being on their show. And I said, I want to be able to do that. I want to be able to hug people.

00:12:41
Speaker 3: And really let them know this is a safe space.

00:12:44
Speaker 1: You are.

00:12:45
Speaker 2: I promise you we're gonna have fun. You have nothing to worry about with me.

00:12:49
Speaker 3: And that I know you. I've watched, you know, episodes of what you've done. I follow you. I'm I'm completely blessed that you're here. So thank you for that, girl.

00:13:00
Speaker 1: Yes, no, I'm telling you. I was like, I literally feel seeing every time I walk out. So thank you, because, like we both experienced, it can be the complete opposite sometimes, yes, and seeing that showed me how I need to move forward. I learned so much from so many people that I look up to, and that's definitely something I took away from you when I left your show.

00:13:19
Speaker 3: Thank you, girl, when you have yours, so.

00:13:22
Speaker 1: Then we thank you. You are so multi talented. You do comedy, you do movies, television, now you have your own talk show. You and I have something coming. We both haven't worked with the incomparable Tyler Perry. Listen, Honey, I gotta tell you. I got a sneak peek of Straw. Are you there, Cherry Cherry?

00:13:49
Speaker 3: My series going off going?

00:13:51
Speaker 1: Uh huh Baby. You embodied the character so beautifully. It was so grounded. The dance that you in Taraji did in your scenes. I was blown away. When the credits rolled, we were like, oh my gosh, and like Daval was there. It was so many people in the room and we were both like, Sherry killed it. And I just want to give you your flowers and ask you what was it like working with Tiller? Because I know what it's been like working with him and the amazing things that he has instilled in me as an actor, But what was that experience like for you?

00:14:26
Speaker 2: It was so funny because Tyler will text me and he'll say, Sherry, I had a screening and this was so good, and you know you were so good, or he'll text me like after the screening he'll say, you know, what did y'all think about Sherry Shepard? And he'll send me the video and then you can hear him go Okay, don't say nothing more because I don't want to get a big head, which makes me laugh. And we were talking about it, and I don't take come from very well. So he was telling me how much he liked me and how I was doing it, and I just totally skipped over. I said, I love what Taraji did and Tiyana and you know you and had sindbad and so he said.

00:15:02
Speaker 3: In all caps, he said, in all.

00:15:05
Speaker 2: Caps, accepted what I'm saying to you, and hold on cause I'm gonna get this right because I mean he said, he said, you did that all caps accepted.

00:15:19
Speaker 1: I said received.

00:15:20
Speaker 2: And I said, well, the movie was well done. You pulled on my heartstrings. And he said, why is you talking about the movie and not you?

00:15:28
Speaker 1: You killed it?

00:15:29
Speaker 3: He said, get off my phone to you accept their reality.

00:15:32
Speaker 2: That was a couple of weeks ago, and I said, well, I ain't gonna text you because it's hard for me to accept compliments. So we I guess we're gonna be talking for a minute. So why is it compliments. Why is that, you know, because it's just like, because I know, it's just not about.

00:15:48
Speaker 3: Me and I and I've worked so hard.

00:15:51
Speaker 2: I guess I've been disappointed so many times and had so many people say no. And I've had so many people tell me you're not good enough, you too you too this, you too that, you too short, you're not pretty enough, you too fat, you to this.

00:16:05
Speaker 3: I've heard that my entire career.

00:16:09
Speaker 2: It's almost like in a be an abused woman that when you finally do get a nice man, you don't know how to accept it. So I tend to gloss over the flowers. Yeah, you have to step back and say thank you. So when Tyler does it, it's too much. I'm thankful that I got to.

00:16:28
Speaker 3: Work with him. How was it working with him?

00:16:32
Speaker 1: Girl? Was?

00:16:33
Speaker 2: It was the most chaotic process I ever my dad gone life. I know, I ain't never worked like I said, I said, I've never worked like this before. I was clutching my pearls every y'all from the scene there was, you know, and I was like, we did one very emotional scene and he goes all right, And that's why you know she an't even talk show hosts and I was like.

00:16:56
Speaker 3: He was like, moving on, and I go, wait a minute.

00:16:59
Speaker 2: What we only did one time? Yes, I do it like twelve more times. He was like, no, I got what I need. I was like, but I didn't give you what I'm supposed to get. I'm supposed to break down into tears. And he said, I don't need all of that, and then he kept this is.

00:17:14
Speaker 3: What he kept doing.

00:17:15
Speaker 2: I'm trying to keep this is a drama. This movie with Tianna Taylor, Taraji Henson and me. It's a drama. So I don't get to do a lot of dramas, Chrystal, I do a lot of And he named my character number one Henrietta. So I said, hey, mister Perry, why everybody else got a young name? Why why am I Henrietta? When I take our bug that man every day? And he said, what do you want that. I don't give a damn Genisha Keing Taba, Teresa Nicoll.

00:17:50
Speaker 3: I can't do no Henrietta. I'm single. I'm gonna tell some man I'm playing Henrietta. So he let me.

00:17:58
Speaker 2: He let me change the name. But I was to do I was supposed to walk to the bank. I guess to do a scene where I open the door.

00:18:05
Speaker 3: He goes, cut, why are you walking like Beyonce?

00:18:10
Speaker 2: This was a pivotal scene. I got my emotions. I'm just like you know, cause I do a drum.

00:18:16
Speaker 3: I'm like this.

00:18:20
Speaker 2: And he goes what And then everybody started laughing. He's like, I don't need the sex. That's why I named Joe, asked Henrietta.

00:18:29
Speaker 3: And I said I'm not.

00:18:30
Speaker 2: And then there was one scene. Girl, what I had to say, I don't know. I had to say, Taraji, I want to go home. He goes cut, what's with the sexy talk?

00:18:40
Speaker 1: Oh my god?

00:18:41
Speaker 3: And I'm coxhausted.

00:18:42
Speaker 1: That was that whole situation was exhausting.

00:18:46
Speaker 2: When I tell you, I was like, what do you I'm not talking sexy, that's desperation and he goes, no, it's sexual.

00:18:58
Speaker 3: So working with Tyler, I loved it. And in the middle of it and let me Taraji is a beast of an actress, Yes, and she was.

00:19:06
Speaker 2: She was filming Fight Night at the same time with Kevin Hart and then in this movie.

00:19:11
Speaker 3: But in the middle of so she.

00:19:12
Speaker 2: Can cry at will Chris, I don't do dramas, I gotta talk.

00:19:16
Speaker 1: She was.

00:19:17
Speaker 3: I don't be. I don't have to cry all the time.

00:19:19
Speaker 2: It takes me three days to get into my crying and then I gotta hold on to it.

00:19:23
Speaker 3: Yes, right, you got so I'm in.

00:19:26
Speaker 2: The middle of crying and all of a sudden, Taraji goes, so, Tyler, how many times you've been on Share every show? I've been on Shavvy show twice. Then Tyler goes, well, I've been on once, but I'm going back and I go, what are you?

00:19:38
Speaker 1: How are y'all doing this?

00:19:39
Speaker 3: Stay in it. I clutched my pearls. I said, I never worked like this in my life.

00:19:44
Speaker 2: But you know what it's it's everybody's going to enjoy it.

00:19:48
Speaker 1: Yes they are.

00:19:49
Speaker 3: I love working with Tyler. He just he encourages me.

00:19:55
Speaker 2: He he just and you you know this, He's so uplifting. He will those calls when I have a question, when I'm down, when I need advice.

00:20:06
Speaker 3: He ain't gave me no money.

00:20:07
Speaker 2: Yet, He ain't gave me no car yet.

00:20:12
Speaker 3: Lists of people I know he didn't buy.

00:20:13
Speaker 2: Some cars for Yes, but you be mining cars for comics Lessen.

00:20:19
Speaker 1: Hello, Tyler, you have to get scarry a car?

00:20:26
Speaker 3: Car or can I just stay in a wing at his estate.

00:20:31
Speaker 1: Oh my goodness, Sherry, Why did I tell him? One day? I was like, I could just like live here, you would never know I was here. He was like no, I said, Or I could build on your land.

00:20:39
Speaker 3: You would never know I'm here.

00:20:40
Speaker 2: He was like no, Maybe I need to say something different because I was like, can I take my clothes off?

00:20:47
Speaker 3: And goes, He goes, He goes, why is everything about sex with you? And I said, Tyler, this house is calling for me to be naked. I'm supposed to run, but ass naked through this house. And I said, honey, honest. She was like, yeah, we gotta do this.

00:21:10
Speaker 2: And I was like, I'm telling you, like, I'm supposed to go swim in all these pools.

00:21:16
Speaker 3: Right, I need? I ran through that.

00:21:18
Speaker 2: I was like, it's just it costs for me to take my clothes off. I was the last one to leave, and I said, I thought we were spending the night. He said, you know you gotta go home.

00:21:27
Speaker 1: Listen, that's his favorite line. All right, so y'all ready, by y'all.

00:21:32
Speaker 3: He's standing on that stairs for a minute to see you through.

00:21:35
Speaker 2: And I was like, drop me off here because I'm about to go back I'm about to sneak back into this house till I found out that Tyler got wild boar and rafts and all kinds of stuff that will eat a black lady. Absolutely, yes, I got back into that car and I left.

00:21:52
Speaker 3: So there. I love Tyler.

00:21:55
Speaker 1: Oh my gosh. Everybody loves town. He's just amazing and I'm glad you got to experience. And one thing I do say after working with him, you look around, You're like, why is everybody moving so slow? Like, come on, let's move it because we know it's done faster. And I have to catch myself to kind of just slow down because I'm so used to running circles around everybody, because I worked with him from a pa all the way to an actor. Yes, so I've been used to that fast pace for so long that I have to even catch myself sometimes say okay, Chris, so slow down. You can breathe enjoy it for a little bit. But I know what you mean.

00:22:32
Speaker 2: His favorite saying is what is taking so long?

00:22:36
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, what is going on?

00:22:39
Speaker 2: Yep?

00:22:40
Speaker 1: That is his favorite line. I can hear it in my sleep. It's like it hants me sometimes, Oh my god.

00:22:46
Speaker 2: Sometimes he'd be like, because we'd have outside since he'd be like, Sherry, I can hear him on the megaphone, Sherry, what is taking so long? I'm like, because I'm getting into character and now you'd have took me out of character.

00:22:58
Speaker 1: Now I got it.

00:22:58
Speaker 3: I need ten minutes.

00:23:00
Speaker 1: Yes, No, seriously, what did you do to prepare for that role?

00:23:05
Speaker 2: It was literally I played astrae about a Taraji. I don't remember the name of her character, but she just she's just trying to make ends meet for her and her daughter, and she's trying to, you know, survive, and she gets caught up in more than she can handle and tries to go to the bank. And I'm the bank manager, Nicole, and I think that she is robbing.

00:23:28
Speaker 3: It's a bank robbery.

00:23:29
Speaker 2: Tiana Taylor is the hostage negotiator, and so the hostages in the bank and we all think that Taragi is robbing this bank, and how our relationship Taraji and I we get closer, and then we really get to see who she is, including Tiana and Taragi, and I memorized, this is something I wasn't used to, Crystal. I was thirty six scenes. I spoke in twenty three of them. I memorized it in three days, wow, three days. And there was one point with Tyana we it was so much going on, girl, and Tianna looks at me as a hostage negotiator cause I said, Taraji, I don't remember her character's name. She not coming out, and Taragi.

00:24:13
Speaker 1: Goes, do you what's my line? Do you know my line?

00:24:15
Speaker 2: I go your line? When I say no, I don't know your lie, and so we go back. She was like, well, I think I say this. It's not well, I don't know what you say. Because when you got to say your thing for me to.

00:24:27
Speaker 3: Say my thing, now here you go. What is what is going on? Back there? Sianna Sherry, what is going on?

00:24:35
Speaker 2: We jumped and I would do it all again.

00:24:42
Speaker 1: Yes, yes, I love it. Well, congratulations and I cannot wait for it to come out. I'm telling you the audience is gonna have the like our jaw is on the floor. So I'm excited for it. And congratulations again on that. Personally, you worked with some of your close friends. I work with some of my close friends. What is it like working with close friends? And then also setting boundaries because as you've climbed, you've taken people along with you. What is that journey.

00:25:11
Speaker 2: I love working with my close friends, and I become close friends from working with people that I just love and like Devo Oh my gosh, yes, oh my gosh.

00:25:22
Speaker 3: He and Kadeen.

00:25:23
Speaker 2: When I tell you for life, I keep saying to you, we got to get together because there's something about you my spirit just connect with.

00:25:31
Speaker 3: Like, we'll have a good time.

00:25:33
Speaker 2: Yeah, Shamas, if you invite me over to your house to spend the night live.

00:25:38
Speaker 3: I love about you. You you you, you showed the couch. I will have you on will yes, I love I will come on over.

00:25:44
Speaker 1: I got wine. That's the Jolas. We can watch movies. What's your favorite movie?

00:25:51
Speaker 3: Oh man, I really want to see Cooley High again? Like that's see.

00:25:55
Speaker 2: We can have a cooly high night like an old school night. And and and what's that one that Ryan Reynolds was in and he like?

00:26:03
Speaker 3: I like romantic? I love romantic.

00:26:06
Speaker 2: I don't want nothing scared with nobody breaking in the house and killing you and all of that. None of that. So just those kinds of movies. But so it's just like meeting people in my life, you know, newer people. I love connecting, but I love working with friends because you just got a chemistry. You got a chemistry that you can work with. And it shows when you have chemistry. The hardest thing is to work with somebody. And I have worked with people that I can't stand, can't dud you know when you have to manufacture that chemistry, so you know, so it's great, set the setting the boundaries. I have learned at this age. I can't take the weight of everybody on my shoulders.

00:26:46
Speaker 3: I just can't.

00:26:48
Speaker 2: It's too hard. Life is too short. I got to make sure my son is taken care of. He's on the spectrum, and I got to make sure you know he's taken care of. And you know a lot of people I've had to everybody can't go on the journey with you.

00:27:02
Speaker 3: And it's not usually you who changes, it's the way they look at you.

00:27:05
Speaker 2: Now, I can't buy all y'all Beyonce tickets.

00:27:10
Speaker 3: I had to buy my tickets.

00:27:11
Speaker 2: Not everybody mad at me because we ain't going to the Beyonce concert together. It's like you've learned to say no, yes that I can't be the support system for everybody because it's dragging me down and I'm having palpitations in my heart. So I have learned to Sometimes you have to distance yourself for your mental sanity, which I have learned to do. And so there's my boundaries, and I've learned to say no. I say no a lot, and it's no with a period.

00:27:45
Speaker 3: It's no. I wish I could, but I can't. I can't do it, yes, which really means I won't do it.

00:27:53
Speaker 1: Come on, that's my favorite word. No, my friends, you say no so easily.

00:27:59
Speaker 3: Yes, no, yes, no.

00:28:02
Speaker 2: Exactly because people read, they get on the internet and they start reading these dumb ass sights. How much is this celebrity worth? And if you go on that site, it looked like I'm making enough money to take.

00:28:12
Speaker 3: Care of the world. Right, I don't know what they're talking about.

00:28:17
Speaker 2: No, so a lot of As soon as I hear the phone, can you accept the collect call from this cousin?

00:28:23
Speaker 3: M No, ma'am, no, sir. Yeah.

00:28:27
Speaker 1: No money yeah, no.

00:28:29
Speaker 3: Money for books, putting on the books. Can't do it.

00:28:33
Speaker 2: Old boyfriends coming back, old friends coming back that I know when I was in second grade, and so second grade not second grade where we could just like shoot the breeze and talk about what we do and where we're at second grade?

00:28:48
Speaker 3: Will we shoot the breeze?

00:28:49
Speaker 2: And as I go, okay, what's good talking to you? Well, hold on, wait a minute, Sherry, you girl, you know, here we go.

00:28:58
Speaker 1: Here we go? Anything I learned to say no, yes. I love that you spoke on letting certain people go and like they can't everybody can't come along with you. What are some things that you've had to shed as you continue to ascend?

00:29:14
Speaker 2: What are some things that I've had to shed or people or things that you had to realize?

00:29:18
Speaker 1: I can't, this can't come with me.

00:29:21
Speaker 3: I realized because some people are not able to accept where you have gotten now, and they wanted to stay the same. And things don't stay the same. Things are constantly changing, things are constantly moving. And you know, those people who want to, you know, stay the same, it's hard to bring them along because you don't want to stay the same. You want to ascend.

00:29:44
Speaker 2: Like the prime example, Nisi Nash and I have been friends for close to thirty years. Wow, that's my ride or die. We there are times we've talked for three four hours. Early in the morning, she called me before I got to talk to show I can't talk there early and I'm in an the time zone.

00:30:05
Speaker 3: In the morning and we would just talk.

00:30:07
Speaker 2: I've been with her through the hard times. She's been with me through the hard times, and we celebrated things together. She's very busy right now. She's winning awards, she's at awards shows, She's doing a lot of stuff.

00:30:19
Speaker 3: I'm very busy.

00:30:20
Speaker 2: But she's now in the company of people that we can only dream about meeting. She's in those rooms now, and those people she's got that personality.

00:30:29
Speaker 3: They love her, and so now.

00:30:31
Speaker 2: She's doing things with people who are I've never even met them, you know, But I'm not jealous.

00:30:39
Speaker 3: I'm so happy to see her in those spaces now. She can't invite me to.

00:30:45
Speaker 2: The super Bowl with Travis or whatever Kelsey she working with on her show. It's the same way Taylor Swift invited Ice Spice. She gonna be over there with Taylor Swift and all of the Kelsey family. I want that inventire. I know she's taken and taking her her husband, but it's like, when I look at her, I'm so happy that you're in front of these people, and I don't expect you to be I'm never in there going.

00:31:10
Speaker 3: With telling them like me, I'm an actress too. Why don't you talk to so and so and tell them I'm looking.

00:31:14
Speaker 2: I don't do that. I don't put that pressure on her. Go be because I know where I'm at in her life. When you need the real deal and you gotta talk and you gotta get that girl. Are we gonna go over to uh? You know when she says me, we're gonna go over to his house and we're gonna freaking break a window. She gonna call Sherry when she got to talk about the deep stuff and the stuff that's just like behind the smile, behind the red carpet stuff, that's Sherry. Yeah, you know, so I And that's the one thing I thought of. It's like our friendship has endured because I'm when you know, NISI got three pilots to do a talk show, and I was on a guest on her pilots because I have one thing I know how to be a guests on a pilot. You think that was hard for me because I wanted that, but my friend was getting the blessing and I kept saying, well, if she get a talk show, that opened up the room for.

00:32:10
Speaker 1: Me, that's so good.

00:32:12
Speaker 3: And she's that way with me, like she can cheer me on even when she's not working. There was a period of time Nisi wasn't working and.

00:32:19
Speaker 2: I was booking all the jobs, you know, And so we've just had this enduring friendship where we know it doesn't matter who is in our life. It doesn't matter that you know, somebody recognizes one. Sometimes people recognize Nissi, they don't even know who I am. But then sometimes we somewhere and they recognize me. They don't know who Nissi is. And then one time we was in New York, we got lost. They thought Nissi was Nini Leaks and they thought I was Star Jones. They recognize me one of us, So it's it's and we.

00:32:49
Speaker 3: Laughed all night.

00:32:51
Speaker 1: Oh I love that.

00:32:53
Speaker 2: So you have to be around people I feel who are secure, who know oh you know, who know who they are in your life. You have to And Tyler said this to me, Because I said, Tyler, I asked him about boundaries, and he said, here, you got to be friends with people that if you don't talk to them for six months, you can pick that phone back up and y'all can carry on where you left off.

00:33:17
Speaker 3: They ain't going you won't never call me. Why you don't invite me to nothing? That's what I was dealing with. Why can't go here with you? How come you telling them you not?

00:33:25
Speaker 1: I couldn't.

00:33:25
Speaker 2: I was going, and so I started having to go, Okay, you're you're not a person I can take with me m place. I have to put you on the in the outer.

00:33:36
Speaker 1: Yes, that's it. I've dealt with the same thing as I've gained fame and just navigating friendships. So it's good to know that you were able to like find good people like Needcy that you could do life with. And it's something part I have friends like that too, where I can call her six months. It's never like hmm, you didn't acting brand new, nothing like that. It's like, hey, let's catch up, like literally didn't skip a Beat's.

00:34:04
Speaker 2: Not acting, not acting brand new, but knowing you're busy. Yes, you're busy, and I understand you're busy, but it's not going to affect our friendship because I'm gonna be here so I can tell you what's going on in my life and you can tell me and well, and then.

00:34:18
Speaker 3: I understand you can't talk for hours like you used to.

00:34:21
Speaker 2: Yeah, you gotta go having people in your life, because I have other people in my life that I talk to and they're busy, you know, they got to be on a set or they got to go and do something, and I.

00:34:31
Speaker 3: Go, okay, but I know you know I love you.

00:34:34
Speaker 2: And I know you love me, and it's just a very quick but we check in with each other. So the people in my life, they don't resent, and I'm grateful for that.

00:34:45
Speaker 1: That's beautiful. I love that you touched on mental health. What are some things Do you have a therapist? What are some things that you do to really just keep your mental health strong with everything that you have going on? So I know, for me, I dealt with my first anxiety attack last year, just the waiting of it all and worried about how I'm I supposed to keep all this up, and what if it doesn't last, what the show gets canceled, all these different thoughts. Crept in and literally had my first panic attack. And that's when I really got a therapist and really started talking through things and realized that if I'm grounded in my faith, what am I worried about? Yeh flipping ins four and six, but I wanted to know what are some practices that you do just to really keep your mental health strong.

00:35:28
Speaker 2: I hate that you went through that. If you ever go through that, call me girl, because I'm good.

00:35:31
Speaker 1: I'm a good listener and.

00:35:32
Speaker 2: I'm a good you know, having gone through that, having attacks of I'm not worthy?

00:35:39
Speaker 3: Why do I have it?

00:35:40
Speaker 2: And other people I feel a more talent to me why they don't have it? And I'll be in tears, can't breathe, you know, just like what if they find out I'm a fraud that I can't do this? Do I deserve it? Because I don't have the degree that they have. You know that this came to me. Somebody said why I didn't when I used to play Sheila on the Jamie Fox show.

00:36:03
Speaker 1: One of this.

00:36:05
Speaker 2: And we're best of friends because we worked together on Jamie Fox. And somebody came on and they had done like a couple of lines. Now I was a recurring on the show because I made Jamie laugh. He kept bringing me back and she was comic and she said this to me. She said, girl, you know you good on here. But everybody talk and they said, you know, you must have slept with Jamie to be on this show like you know, like they're trying to protect me.

00:36:29
Speaker 3: And it hurts feeling so bad because I was like I worked for this. I mean, you know you good, but you ain't that good.

00:36:40
Speaker 2: And it just really hurt my feelings and I would go to these panic attacks like I don't deserve this because there's people funnier than me. Why I'm I on the view, it's people who have more knowledge than me. It just in this season of my life, like maybe before the talk show, I realized, you know what, if God gave you the assignment, it's something that you have that he wants to use to touch people and whatever he gave, Like when I walk through that, when that door opens and it says, welcome, Cherry Shepherd. After I pray where I am weak, you are strong, fresh mercy, fresh grace, fresh energy, and fresh jokes. I already know, walk into what God has already written. And God wrote it for this to be Cherry show. And I know you got to know who you are to crystal everything that He's given to you, all of the gifts he's using, and who I am. You could take me off this show and you could try to put somebody in my place who is.

00:37:43
Speaker 3: Really good but they're not gonna give you what I give you. We are all unique and.

00:37:47
Speaker 2: Have our own gifting that is so different from somebody else. I cannot I watch Taraji and straw love to be at that level that she is. I gotta do the work that girl could hold her head, she'd be every time I looked around, she was crying, yes, and laughing and crying.

00:38:06
Speaker 3: And I can't go to the bathroom Tyler start to crying. I'm on the floor.

00:38:13
Speaker 2: Gotta do a whole hour of storytelling in my mind to get the tears. But I said, God is calling to Raji to do what Touraji does, but he's calling me to do what nobody can do. I'm the one that I'll have Tyler on the floor cracking up when we talk. I'm the one that he comes to far to feel good and be able to let go and laugh.

00:38:39
Speaker 3: That's what I do trying to be that person. I'm not trying to be Oprah. I'm not you know.

00:38:45
Speaker 2: I want to emulate, but I am myself and I think you have to be cool with who God made you to be. I don't want anybody other I don't want anybody's.

00:38:54
Speaker 3: Path but mine. As if I want to walk in.

00:38:58
Speaker 2: Your shoes, Crystal, I gotta go through what you'd have been through, and that may be a little bit.

00:39:01
Speaker 3: Too overwhelming for me.

00:39:03
Speaker 2: Yeah, and I'm gonna definitely tell you if you want my blessings.

00:39:07
Speaker 1: What come on? I try to tell people that I'm like, be careful what you asked for, careful what you asked for?

00:39:13
Speaker 2: But I I have Yeah, I definitely therapy. You must if you are able to get therapy. I think it's so important to be able to talk to a person who's impartial, who can help you course correct and help you realize what is it that is blocking that flow?

00:39:31
Speaker 3: Yes, how do I let go?

00:39:34
Speaker 2: How do I you know, I'm definitely I missed my therapy upoint me yesterday.

00:39:37
Speaker 3: I'm in a position.

00:39:41
Speaker 1: Listen. I know I have to stay on top of that because it's so important. Thank you for sharing that.

00:39:47
Speaker 2: But you are doing you know what you were doing at the level you're doing it, Chrystal. You have to be at peace. You have to because you know to whom much is given, much is required. Yes, So in every nobody has something that they're supposed to do to change the world.

00:40:02
Speaker 3: I believe that.

00:40:04
Speaker 2: But sometimes there are some people who are out there in public and have to deal with a lot of different things, and for you to be able to deal with it, it can get overwhelming. Like you're you're a star, so that can be so overwhelming. Then you get people who just they don't like you because they're scared to try to do what you do. It's a lot of fear, and that's whe they're coming from. Fear and resentment because they don't have enough courage to step out of their comfort zone and do what you do. Ask they don't have enough, you know, they don't they want to be you, but they don't want to do the work of what it takes to be.

00:40:40
Speaker 3: It takes to be you.

00:40:41
Speaker 2: And so I always also I ask God, show me that person the way you see them, because you love everybody, but show me that person the way you see them. And God shows me a lot people on social media. They're hurting, they're you know, they are lonely, they're living vicariously through and they're resentful because they are scared. And it gives me a different kind of compassion with like I'm not even gonna answer you back, I'm not gonna get mad, I'm gonna just swipe and delete and pray that God will touch you and give you the courage to step out of your comfort zone. Yes, I find myself praying for people more. And then it makes me laugh. They come in me, you think you cute, that's what you think you cute? You ain't cute, you ain't And I go, oh, cour God, God bless you, bless them.

00:41:29
Speaker 1: Yep, that's it. That makes me like, wait what they start to feeling. Then they start looking and we're like, wait, am iver, Yes, you need to stop doing that.

00:41:41
Speaker 2: Seriously, I'm gonna just pray for you. If you don't like the show, why you so loud?

00:41:47
Speaker 3: Why you do this?

00:41:48
Speaker 2: Why you totally If that's all you got from my show, God bless you. Yeah, something else is better for you. And I said, but go support the other black women who have a show, because maybe they exactly.

00:42:01
Speaker 1: Maybe you can get some what you need from somewhere else.

00:42:03
Speaker 2: But that's for me and my household. Jeffrey's fine, Jeffrey's laughing.

00:42:07
Speaker 3: I'm good. Share you act so thirsty all the time with these men? Why you act so thirsty? I'm good.

00:42:13
Speaker 2: If you can't get a joke right, well, God blessed me and mine. I'm good over here. He waiting, he waiting.

00:42:21
Speaker 1: I ain't thirsty. I know that's right, me and mine. I love that. Speaking of your son, how do you balance motherhood and everything else you have going on? Because I can imagine that's a lot. And you spoke on him being autistic? How is that managing that?

00:42:39
Speaker 3: I always have to go God, I give you everything.

00:42:42
Speaker 2: I give you my career, my relationships or a relationship that I would like to be in. I give you, you know, Jeffrey, give me back what you want me to have. So I've already given it to him, and so he gives me that. If I'm not able, I say no to a lot of stuff. Movie role come up, and it's just like, no, I know I can't do that. I've done a talk show all, you know for eight months, these four I got. I cannot go and do a movie, you know, So I have to say no. But I know God will give it back to me in some other way. So that's my prayer in the mornings. And also, somebody once told me there's gonna be a lot of spinning wheels in your life. Make sure Jeffrey's not one of them. So he's definitely priority, and if it affects him, then I go. My first assignment is.

00:43:31
Speaker 3: I'm a mother.

00:43:32
Speaker 2: Yeah, I can't be out if you know, I come out to out there with you are Chrystal, and You're like, we're gonna go here, We're gonna go there. I'm like, no, cause I gotta called Jeffrey. I I got a parent teacher conference. Zoom, I gotta do. I can't go out with you. So he's priority, and then everything else goes after that. So you gotta know what your priorities are, and you have to know if you're fulfilling the first assignment God gave you, he gonna bring everything back around. So for people thinking, you know, oh I got it, I'm gonna lose out on mcause he said he calls you to take care of that.

00:44:03
Speaker 3: Which he gave to you.

00:44:05
Speaker 2: So if you're a mother and he gave you a child and you feel like I'm missing out, my time is going by, they gonna see me. Oh yeah, if you're doing that first assignment, he gonna bring it back around.

00:44:15
Speaker 1: Yeah that's good. I love that. Something that you and I both connected over was our fitness journeys and you have a girl fifty and I'm fit over forty.

00:44:30
Speaker 3: There we gonna fit over the decades that.

00:44:32
Speaker 1: Over, yes, And you know I feel like after that forty hit, it got hard. We talked about this on your show. It was hard and harder to get the weight off. What really pushed you to like start this fitness journey? And you're on it, like you're so committed, and there's days I fall off and I see you know, I'm like, let me get up.

00:44:51
Speaker 2: We all fall off, girl, this say no, you know you get to this age, Crystal, and you know this. It's like when we were in our twenties, we could eat a bunch of cheese burger.

00:45:00
Speaker 3: Stomach still be like lil you know, but now.

00:45:04
Speaker 2: You see that cheeseburger you ate you Perry menopause and menopause.

00:45:09
Speaker 3: I'm bloating all the time, you know.

00:45:13
Speaker 2: But I have to say what started me to working out was Jeffrey because he's on the spectrum. I'm like, I what I can do to control my weight, I'm going to do and I want to be here. I want to be here when my son, you know, gets married, if he chooses to get married. I want to be here for those pivotal times in his life. I want to be here for him to be able to filter out what's coming to him, win an election season where it's crazy, and you know, trying to help my son navigate through this.

00:45:45
Speaker 3: I need to be here and I need to be healthy.

00:45:48
Speaker 2: That's what really It changes as you as you get to a certain age. You know, it's trying to fit into a bikini or booty shorts.

00:45:57
Speaker 3: Now I'm trying to be healthy. That other stuff comes.

00:46:00
Speaker 1: Yeah, for sure.

00:46:01
Speaker 2: That's what really got me into weight training and you know, eating right because I live an amazing life. The second chapter of my life. Because I'm in the second chapter of my life, I want to I want to be healthy.

00:46:15
Speaker 1: Yes, it's so important. It is. They say the health is wealth, but it really is. Oh my god, we put wealth in so many different categories and we overlook the health part.

00:46:27
Speaker 2: That is like one of the main things. Absolutely, And that's the thing. Somebody said, you either gonna be spend a bunch of money trying to get better because you sick, or you're gonna spend the money trying to be ahead of it so that you don't get sick, which is the way your energy gonna flow because and that's what I think about too a lot.

00:46:47
Speaker 3: I'm like, Sherry, what's it gonna look like if you got sick? You know?

00:46:52
Speaker 2: And so that's what keeps me, that's what keeps me on that track of Okay, I'm gonna get up and work out.

00:46:59
Speaker 3: Yeah, going to benefit me in that long run.

00:47:02
Speaker 1: Absolutely, Yes, I love that and keep going because you're not only inspiring so many other people, you're inspiring me too. So thank you for doing that and putting it out there because we need to see that, especially in our community. There's so many health issues that they need to see people like us who are on TV in their homes every day saying oh this is important, Oh let me do that. If it's working for Shared, it's working for Crystal, this is something we can practice as well. So yeah, Keith, that us says, I'm proud of you.

00:47:28
Speaker 3: Yeah, I'm proud of you. Tube girl, Thank you.

00:47:30
Speaker 1: Thank you so much. Before we close, you know that I also aspire one day to have my own talk show. What is one thing that you, as an accomplished talk show host, would give advice to me? Just someone who wants to do that one.

00:47:47
Speaker 2: Day, You're doing it you are doing it, so you are preparing yourself so that when that opportunity comes.

00:47:55
Speaker 3: You are there.

00:47:56
Speaker 2: You're ready and you're ready to walk into it. It's the faith with out works is dead, so you are operating in it now. You said for me, I couldn't get a talk show, and somebody says, start a podcast. Stop asking for permission to get a talk show from them. And I started a podcast to NAACP Image Awards later and then the talk show came. So I slipped out on faith and did my own thing.

00:48:20
Speaker 3: That is how you do it.

00:48:22
Speaker 2: The advice I will give you, keep doing what you're doing and show people what you do, and that person is going to so that you feel completely prepared when that opportunity comes, because it will.

00:48:34
Speaker 1: Yes, thank you so much, all right, girl, it was an honor. I'm telling you, I haven't. I had Tyler on this couch and I wasn't as nervous as when I knew I was interviewing you today. I said, girl Shepherd, I was like, Oh, we're.

00:48:48
Speaker 3: Gonna have a good time when you invite video house. I can't wait for you.

00:48:52
Speaker 1: I can't wait to have you over when you're in Atlanta. Please let me know. So I went together to have a good girl's night and watch Coolie High.

00:48:59
Speaker 2: I will, girl, I sure will. I love you girl, have a good day.

00:49:03
Speaker 1: I love you.

00:49:04
Speaker 3: Bye bye bye.

00:49:10
Speaker 1: My conversation with Cherry was everything I needed and everything I hope for much more. We unpacked so much, but what really resonated with me was what you do in the meantime while you're waiting for your dream to come to pass. A Lot of times, I know for me, I felt like I was behind the mark or I was late to the party. But what I realized as I gained footing and living out my passion and my dreams was that I was right on time and everything I was learning along the way equipped me to handle where I am today. So just remember, no matter where you are in your journey, make sure you pay attention and learn all the lessons that you need to learn for when you get to where you're going. Thank you all so much for spending time with me today, and a huge thank you to Sherry Shepherd for all she poured into this show and me. I hope my conversation with Sherry inspires you and encourages you to keep pushing towards your dreams. Guys. You can follow me on all social media platforms at love Chris Orinee, and you can also follow our show at keep It Positive Sweetie. If you want to write into our Positive Outcomes listener letter, you can send us an email at keep it Positive Sweete at gmail dot com. In the meantime, in between time you know what to do. Keep it Positive, Sweetie. See you guys next time.