Sherri Shepherd breaks silence on her 'unfair' elimination from 'DWTS': 'I think I was...'

The Daytime Emmy Award-winning talk show host had competed on Season 14 of 'Dancing With the Stars' alongside Val Chmerkovskiy
PUBLISHED SEP 25, 2025
Sherri Shepherd attends Variety's 2023 Power of Women presented by Lifetime at The Grill (Cover Image Source: FilmMagic | Photo by Slaven Vlasic)
Sherri Shepherd attends Variety's 2023 Power of Women presented by Lifetime at The Grill (Cover Image Source: FilmMagic | Photo by Slaven Vlasic)

Sherri Shepherd is reflecting on her 'Dancing With The Stars' stint. While appearing on an episode of 'Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen,' which aired on September 22, the Daytime Emmy Award-winning talk show host, who participated in Season 14 of the ABC dance competition alongside her professional dance partner Val Chmerkovskiy, candidly spoke about her elimination in the fourth week. "I think I was unfairly eliminated. I got eliminated during the tango, and I love salsa, bachata, and tango," Shepherd said on the episode, according to E! News.

Later in the episode, the 'How I Met Your Mother' actress mentioned she would love to return to the ballroom. Shepherd said, "If they have a fan favorite, I would love to go back. I loved it. It was the best experience of my life." While shedding light on her 'DWTS' experience, Shepherd continued, "I loved being on the show because it's like such a family. I keep in touch with everybody." Notably, Donald Driver and Peta Murgatroyd went on to win the prestigious mirrorball trophy that season. 

Even during her elimination from 'Dancing With The Stars' in 2012, Shepherd gave an inspiring speech about facing her fears while expressing gratitude. Shepherd had said, "Thank you for letting me live a dream that I've always had. I still wanted to say to every person out there that thing that scares you the most, that makes you say, 'I don't know if I can do it, I'm scared,' run towards it because it's so amazing on the other side." 

When talk show host Andy Cohen asked Shepherd if she had an "affair" with her dance partner, Chmerkovskiy, 'The View' alum cheekily confessed to having the hots for the pro dancer. "I was married at the time. Val Chmerkovskiy was my partner. But believe you me, if I was single, I would have been a cougar with [him]," Shepherd shared. In case you're wondering, Shepherd was married to her second husband, Lamar Sally, when she competed on 'DWTS' Season 14, which premiered on March 19, 2012. The pair tied the knot in Chicago in August 2011. However, their marriage didn't stand the test of time as they went their separate ways in May 2014. Following their split, the former couple welcomed a son, Lamar Jr., via surrogacy in August 2014. Their divorce was finalized in 2015.

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