Comedian Sherri Shepherd is making it make sense, one city at a time
Tour promotional photo
By the time Sherri Shepherd hits the Uptown Theater on March 28, she will have already crossed multiple state lines, logged countless laughs, and spent more time in a Sprinter van than most people spend in their own cars.
A Gurl Gotta Keep It Moving
When we caught up, Shepherd was quite literally in motion. She was en route to her third city on her “Make It Make Sense” tour, squeezed into a van with her team, barreling toward Connecticut and sounding exactly like someone who has figured out how to thrive inside controlled chaos.
Known for her restless, yet joyfully unfiltered energy, Shepherd has built a decades-long career that spans sitcoms, stand-up, daytime television, and now a comedy tour focusing around one central premise: nothing in this world makes sense, and that’s kind of the point. (We spoke just mere days before her talk show was unfortunately cancelled earlier this week.)
Just a few months ago, Shepherd hit a milestone that still doesn’t feel entirely real. She received her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, placing her permanently among entertainment legends. (As it turns out, she’s near other A-listers including Jennifer Lopez and Mariah Carey.)
“My star is located on Hollywood Boulevard at Argyle, and it’s in front of The W Hotel,” she said. “I think I’m in back of Sammy Davis Jr., in front of Frank Sinatra, and my best friend Niecy Nash is across the street.”
Nash and Shepherd even made a pact to keep each other’s stars clean. Reality, however, had other plans.
“Niecy said the last time she went by my star, somebody was laying on it,” Shepherd said. “You haven’t made it unless there’s somebody laying on your star sleeping. I’ve had a bunch of men laying on my star, which is pretty cool.”
A Gurl Gotta Keep It Memorable
For Shepherd, a career-spanning presence on television means she’s garnered fans from nearly every generation. When asked which role people gravitate towards, she says it depends entirely on who is asking.
“If I’m talking to someone older, it’s — bar none — Everybody Loves Raymond,” she said. “If I’m talking to Gen Z, it’s Friends or 30 Rock. And the young ones? It’s Sex Lives of College Girls. So, I got all the ages!”
We joked how her recurring guest spot as Angie Jordan on 30 Rock remains particularly beloved. Lines like “Ham!,” “My single is dropping,” and “Did you put your white hand on my Black hand?” are still regularly requested on Cameo. Shepherd admits she sometimes has to revisit old clips just to remember them all.
“Angie Jordan had so many iconic lines from 30 Rock,” she said. “It’s so many I forget. Sometimes, I just gotta go back on YouTube and watch the episodes.”
Despite her veteran status as a talk show host, Shepherd remains refreshingly candid about experiencing nervous energy during celeb interviews, especially if/when they run long.
“If it’s too long, I start getting diarrhea of the mouth,” she said. “Then you walk away going, ‘Really, did I say that?’”
She continues, “Because if it’s fun for me, then I start talking too much! I’m gonna give you all the tea on everybody that I know. And then then I’m coming out going, ‘Oh, my God, we gotta delete that whole interview.’”
Even though Shepherd has interviewed practically everyone, there are still a couple names on her show’s mandatory to-do list. “Oh, former President Obama. I would love for him to come on,” she said. “And Meryl Streep. Just the actors — the Robert De Niros, the Meryl Streeps — who I love watching.”
Then she paused — maybe for dramatic effect, maybe not.
“Oh, and I haven’t had my two boys from Heated Rivalry. Actually, it’s four of them.”
The conversation quickly devolved to non-family fare — mostly regarding the main actors’ respective backsides in a certain risqué shower scene. “Ask me how many times I put that scene on pause and rewound it, played it again, put it on pause,” she said with a wink.
A Gurl Gotta Keep It Real
Self-awareness is part of what makes her comedy land. Her “Make It Make Sense” tour draws heavily from Shepherd’s reentry into dating and her bafflement at modern rules.
“I don’t understand ghosting,” she said. “You go out, you have a great time, and you don’t even call me back. You’re just gone.”
Texting culture has not helped.
“Somebody texted me at six in the morning — WYD. I thought it meant ‘wash your drawers,’” Shepherd laughed. “Also, why are you texting at 6 a.m.?!”
The result is a set rooted in observational humor that feels deeply personal and widely relatable. Shepherd doesn’t pretend to have all the answers, but she knows the questions resonate.
We also hit up Shepherd during a moment of hilarious reflection. A milestone 60th birthday looms next year, and while plans are still forming, the vision is unmistakably hers.
“I saw a lady in, like, Slovakia or Sweden or somewhere, and she’s a dancer. She did this beautiful, sexy dance to Liberian Girl by Michael Jackson. And I DM’ed her and I asked if she could choreograph it. So, I’m thinking about doing like a whole choreographed dance,” she says. “But I’m not jumping out of a plane because I saw Faces of Death maybe 30 years ago, and I don’t want alligators to eat me. So, it’s gonna be something safe with dancing!”
And will there be a par-tay? Natch!
“I’m going to rent out a skating rink all day,” she said. “The kiddies get to come in the daytime for my birthday, then take them home. We’re gonna fill up the juice machine with some tequila, and then it’s just gonna be a bunch of drunk people on skates. That’ll be fun to see.”
Courtesy Robert Ector
A Gurl Gotta Eat
When we asked Shepherd if she’s mastered any culinary arts, she was quick to answer. “I can cook-ish. I make really great ribs. I can do a pot roast and great macaroni and cheese,” she said. “I can do a peach cobbler. Oh, and I can do Brussels sprouts really, really well.”
“For you? What I’ll do for you if I’m cooking is I’ll order something from the restaurant and have it delivered,” she quips. “I’ll put on my apron, throw some water on my face, and put it on the fine china, and go ‘Whew, that took all day!’”
When we pointed out that KC is a mecca for ribs — and barbecue in general — Shepherd sat straight up. “I’ve never been to Kansas City,” Shepherd said. “What I know is the Chiefs, and now I know there are rib joints that I’m going to be going to.”
“I do love a good baby back rib,” she said. “I can’t wait to come eat the ribs in Kansas City.”
A Gurl Gotta Sleep
Her “Make It Make Sense” tour promises a night with a comedian who has seen the industry from every angle and still finds humor in the confusion. On March 28, the Uptown Theater will get Shepherd in full stride: unfettered, slightly exasperated, and having way too much fun pointing out the things we all pretend make sense.
Last but not least, Shepherd offers up a bit of sage advice to audience goers before they laugh their respective asses off. “I’m excited to come to KC but tell everybody take a nap before they come see me,” she says. “Because we’ve all aged 25 years, which means we’re all sleepy.”
Interview gently edited for content and clarity.
Sherri Shepherd: Make It Make Sense Tour
March 28th
7 p.m.
Uptown Theatre, KCMO
