Sherri Shepherd reveals she heard her former “View” boss Barbara Walters slept with Richard Pryor

Sherri Shepherd has revealed that a famous comedian told her that her former View boss Barbara Walters slept with Richard Pryor.

During a mini View reunion with Joy Behar on Wednesday's episode of the Sherri show, Shepherd admitted that she was "scared" of Walters after first joining the long-running ABC series because of the veteran journalist's "formidable" persona.

"The thing about it is, I would tell you stuff and then you would go and tell it," Shepherd said. "I never told this before, but I'm going to tell it. I told Joy that I had run into Paul Mooney, and Paul Mooney had said that he caught Barbara Walters with Richard Pryor."

When Behar confirmed that she meant the View creator and Pryor had sex, Shepherd continued.

"Yes, that's what Paul Mooney said. And I came back and I was like, 'Joy, guess what?' When you talk like that, you know, don't tell nobody!" Shepherd said. "He walked in, that's what he said. He looked through the door. Don't act like you don't remember. It was just me and Joy, and I said, 'Don't tell nobody.' The next day Barbara walks in and you go, 'So...'"

Behar laughed as she remembered not telling Walters that Shepherd was the one who spilled the beans, though it didn't seem to matter.

"No, you didn't, but [you] said something like, 'So, you're schlepping Richard Pryor, huh?'" Shepherd recalled. "She turned around and, you know, Barbara's head would swivel like that, and she goes, 'Who told you that?' And I'm sitting there, and I just got this job, and, Joy, you do that because you're not scared of Barbara."

Bettmann Archive/Getty Images; Bob Riha Jr/WireImage Barbara Walters; Richard Pryor

Behar laughed as she quipped that "Barbara liked a brother," which Shepherd corroborated.

"You always said Barbara loved a chocolate man," Shepherd said. "Colin Powell was her crush."

Walters worked with both Behar and Shepherd on The View for years, with Behar helping Walters launch the show as one of the original cohosts back in 1997. Shepherd joined in 2007 before departing in 2014 — the same year Walters stepped away from her seat.

Shepherd has regularly appeared on The View since her exit, including in January, when she paid tribute to Walters after the broadcast icon died in December 2022 at the age of 93.

Watch Shepherd and Behar discuss Walters in the video above.

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Related content:

• The View cohost Ana Navarro says Jada Pinkett Smith revealed Will Smith separation 'to sell books'

• Sherri Shepherd returns to the table as The View emotionally honors 'cranky and really funny' Bill Geddie

• Joy Behar playfully shades past View cohosts: 'Who knows what they're doing'