Sherri Shepherd Recalls the Time Barbara Walters Told Her She Should Be a Lesbian & Stop Dating Men Who Take Her Money

On Tuesday, hosts of “The View” past and shared loving memories of the show’s creator Barbara Walters.  The story that stood out the most, was a story from former host Sherri Shepherd. She recalled one time when Walters criticized her taste in men — and joked that she needed to be a lesbian instead.

Shepherd explained, she and Walters would often have dinner as friends after work— as she was prone to do with her co-hosts — Walters would offer advice. She and Shepherd were particularly close, with Shepherd noting that Walters actually planned her bridal shower. And at that shower, Walters was honest about her thoughts on Shepherd’s taste in men.

“She said, ‘You always get with these men who take your money! All the time! Stop getting married to men that take your money. You need to be a lesbian,’” Shepherd recalled. “‘But with your luck, they’d take your money, too.’

According to The Wrap, the story got huge laughs from both the audience and the women at the table, as the hosts all agreed that Walters was known to be honest like that.

Tuesday’s episode of “The View” was entirely dedicated to remembering Walters after her death on Dec. 30, with other former hosts joining Shepherd, including Meredith Viera, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Star Jones and others.

Each one shared their favorite stories and memories of working with Walters, often dubbing her their role model and “TV mom.” Current host Joy Behar even went so far as to name Walters “the original role model” for many women.

“She had no mentors or role models, because she was the original role model for everybody else,” she said. “So we have to give the woman a lot of credit. She was not just a friend to us, but she was really one of a kind and very important to the industry.”

Sherri currently pays Lamar Sally $4,100 a month in child support for a child they had via surrogate.