DWTS Alum Apologizes After Live TV Blunder

A former “Dancing with the Stars” contestant has apologized after a recent  misstep on live television. Sherri Shepherd, who competed on season 14 of “DWTS” with partner Val Chmerkovskiy, has her own daytime talk show now. The former “View” co-host debuted her own series, “Sherri,” in the wake of Wendy Williams’ departure from the daytime talk show field. It was during a recent episode of Shepherd’s show that she made a major faux pas.

Here’s what you need to know:

Sherri Shepherd Interviewed Elizabeth Vargas

https://twitter.com/NewsNationComms/status/1664272677698433024

During the June 1 episode of “Sherri,” Shepherd welcomed journalist Elizabeth Vargas to the show. The former “20/20” correspondent now hosts “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” on NewsNation, and she talked with Shepherd about her show, her kids, and a few other brief topics. At one point, however, Shepherd went down a path she soon came to regret.

Entertainment Weekly details that Shepherd made several references to drinking alcohol with Vargas during the segment of “Sherri.” At one point, while the two women were chatting about motherhood, Shepherd said, “I’m going to take you to the bar, we’re going to drink, we’re going to have a drink.” That comment was problematic, however, because Vargas has overcome an addiction to alcohol and is now sober. As Vargas explained to People in September 2016, in July 2012 she hit rock bottom after a 13-hour blackout. A Good Samaritan crossed paths with her and took her home, and at that point, the journalist was unconscious and needed to be hospitalized.

During a 2016 interview with Diane Sawyer on “20/20,” Vargas explained her struggle with alcohol “leveled me. It knocked me flat on my butt. I lost sight of everything.” She went through several rehabilitation programs, and later wrote a book titled “Between Breaths: A Memoir of Panic and Addiction.” She also has a podcast, “Heart of the Matter,” where she talks about issues related to addiction.

Shepherd Has Since Apologized to Vargas

In response to Shepherd’s initial comment about drinking, Vargas replied she’d “Have my classic club soda with cranberry juice, but you can pound some shots.” The former “Dancing with the Stars” contestant told Vargas she was “no fun,” and added, “You and me, we’re going to be at the bar going, ‘It’s not news tonight!’ That’s what we’ve got to do.” Shepherd circled back to the topic of drinking later on in the segment. “One day, after you do NewsNation and ‘iCrime,’ when we go to the bar and we get drunk and have a good time and we end up talking to some people,” Shepherd said, before Vargas interrupted her. “You get drunk. I’ll be your designated driver,” Vargas suggested. Vargas did not make an issue of the situation during the show, but quite a few viewers lit up social media with criticism.

“Please do more research on your guests before speaking to them on live TV. Elizabeth Vargas and alcohol…. I was cringing,” tweeted one viewer.

“Someone on your staff really messed up. Elizabeth Vargas is a recovering alcoholic. You kept pushing her to go out to drink. Ooopps!” added another Twitter poster.

Vargas later told Entertainment Weekly, “Sherri called to apologize – she was very gracious. She just didn’t know. It’s not a big deal. I was not at all upset.” Shepherd also reached out to EW directly. “Sometimes when you’re doing live TV, you make mistakes, Shepherd admitted. “Today that happened during my Elizabeth Vargas interview and I’m sorry about that. She was very gracious about it in the moment and on the phone when I called her to apologize afterwards,” the “Sherri” host continued.