Sherri Shepherd on why her new daytime show won't go near politics, and the advice she got from Barbara Walters

Sherri Shepherd talked with Yahoo Entertainment about why her new daytime show, Sherri, won't go near politics. And she also revealed some of the advice she got from Barbara Walters through the years of working with her.

Video Transcript

SHERRI SHEPHERD: I am so excited because this is the photo shoot for my new talk show, "Sherri." No, I don't feel I need to lean into politics because you have a plethora of shows that you can lean into to get your politics. Number one, my old stomping grounds, "The View." So if you want to lean into politics, and you want to get all of that, I'm your escape from the doom and gloom.

I'm your escape from-- sometimes we are hearing and seeing so much stuff from Instagram, from social media, from this network, from that one. Fear, desensiti- when you get desensitized. I'm couldn't say the whole word. And it's just like you sometimes you just want to escape. And you want to laugh. And you want permission to breathe and feel good. That's me.

She's done her job well to the level that she's gotten promoted. So to say I am so distracted by the size of your breasts, something you can't do anything about, offends me.

BARBARA WALTERS: OK. Can I say something? Because I'm offended. I think this is totally false.

SHERRI SHEPHERD: Barbara Walters. Oh, my goodness. You couldn't pay to have a better education on interviewing people. Barbara Walters would always say, be curious about people. Barbara Walters would say do not take no for an answer. Barbara Walters also said, why don't you read a book, dear? So even the way I started speaking when I started doing "The View," I was like, take a little time to enjoy the view. Barbara Walters taught me that people take you as a woman more seriously when your voice has a deepness to it. So I literally would stand in the mirror and go, take a little time to enjoy the view. Take a little time. Take a little time. Take a little time. So now my voice is very, very deep.

I heard warning. Intruder. Get out of the house. Warning. Intruder. And I jumped up, and I was looking for my wig because I couldn't find my wig. I relish the challenge. I have a great respect for comics who do talk shows. Because I think I've always said comics are underestimated. We create magic where there is none.

When I wanted my own talk show, and people will say, oh no, you need that. And you need this. And you don't-- maybe you can learn how to cook. And blah, blah, blah. Literally, I would go, but no. I'm a comic. This is what I bring. That magic of being able to look at things, and make people laugh. And have that joy.

So I'm really excited to bring my sense of humor to the audience today because I think it's needed. There's a big gap that needs to be filled with Ellen gone. With comics not being on shows anymore. And I think, yeah, I look forward to stepping in that pool.

I love the way Johnny Carson would break comics. Also Jay Leno. For me, if you could be on the "Jay Leno Show" and do stand up, that could make your career. You could get a sitcom from that. Your career could just be launched. Same thing with Johnny Carson. And I know stand up comedy is so personal to me-- I've been doing it all my life-- that I want to do that for other comics.

I want comics to come on the show to Sherri's Laugh Lounge, and be able to show what they got. And if I could introduce the world to a comic that they've never seen before, and make them laugh, and that world says, I want to see more of that comic, then man, how exciting is that?

Save the date. Set an alarm. Because Sherri's coming to daytime. Is that too like, I'm a stalker? That one it felt like it.