Statement: ‘The Wendy Show’ Sidelined In Preparation For ‘Sherri’ Premiere, Janai Norman Promoted at ‘GMA’ & Hulu Highlights The 2022 Essence Festival of Culture
Sherri - Debmar-Mercury
Broadcast: Throughout 13 seasons, The Wendy Williams Show—nominated for multiple Emmy awards and watched by millions–aired its final episode last month with tribute but no live appearance from the head host herself. The finale wrapped up in a touching moment with the show staff and crew bidding adieu to their watchers with Wendy's signature catchphrase, "How You Doin'?" A few weeks after the series finale, Variety reported the show's online presence vanished over Independence Day weekend. The program's long-running YouTube Channel, the official website, and social media handles are deactivated.
The daytime talk show premiered in 2008 and focused primarily on celebrity news and tabloid topics. Wendy Williams left the series in 2021 due to reported health problems, and several celebrity guests, including The View's Sherri Shephard, handled the show's hosting duties during its final months. In February, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the show's executives announced their plans to move forward with a new talk show hosted by Shephard titled Sherri. The new series will inherit the former's time slot, executive producers, and format segments like "Hot Topics"— made famous by Williams. Sherri thanked Williams during the finale for her contribution to the world of daytime talk.
ABC News President Kim Godwin announces Janai Norman as Good Morning America's new co-anchor for Saturdays and Sunday broadcasts. Norman began her career at ABC as an intern journalist in 2011, reporting on politics to celebrity news. Since 2019, Norman has hosted the segment Pop News on Good Morning America over the weekend. She will join fellow GMA co-anchors Whit Johnson and Eva Pilgrim immediately.
Texas, Indiana, and Florida television stations welcome new leadership on board. Stations owned by E.W. Scripps Co. in Waco, Tempo, and Bryan, Texas, are now managed by Dave German. German also serves as the station's Vice President with 28 years of experience in the field. According to Gray Television, Ron Bartholomew is the new general manager of WNDU-TV, a TV station in South Bend, Indiana, affiliated with NBC. Bartholomew is an entrepreneur and executive with previous experience on CBS-owned stations and was previously the director of sales at WMC-TV. While in South Florida, Sara Ahmad-Visomirski was named Vice President of Creative Services and Community Relations for NBCUniversal's TV stations WTVJ-TV and WSCV-TV. Ahmad-Visomirski was previously the Vice President of Creative Services for Paramount TV stations.
Smithsonian Channel
Cable: Senior Vice President and Head of Smithsonian Channel, James F. Blue III, announced on June 30 that he was stepping down from the position after a year-and-a-half. His internal memo resignation did not include a reason for his departure but had a message from Paramount Global executives, including President and CEO Chris McCarthy. The Paramount Global executives state there will be no immediate replacement for Blue's position as SVP and Head of Smithsonian Channel. Before joining Smithsonian Channel, Blue was a PBS NewsHour and Nightline producer.
Essence Communications
Streaming: The 2022 Essence Festival of Culture was the first time the festival live-streamed select performances and programming for viewers at home. Hulu was the streaming platform hosting the live-streaming three-day event that provided an immersive experience and included performances from Chloe x Halle, Nas, Patti LaBelle, Janet Jackson, Lil Kim, and more. The streaming service had a significant presence at the festival, hosting an immersive experience for guests with live music and prizes.
