Sherri Shepherd 'Bawled' Her Eyes Out After Oprah Winfrey Said She's 'Passing the Baton' to Her (Exclusive)

Shepherd told PEOPLE that interviewing Winfrey was a “full circle” moment for her

Sherri Shepherd will always have love for Oprah Winfrey.

Last week, Winfrey, 69, told the talk show host, 56, she is “passing the baton to her” while appearing as a guest on The Sherri Shepherd Show.

Now, while speaking with PEOPLE at the 50th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on Saturday, Shepherd admitted, “I bawled my eyeballs out. They were swollen all night the day she came."

“It's surreal because to be on her show at 23 years old and dream about, 'Could I do what she does?' She got me through a lot of stuff," she continued.

“... So her saying, ‘I'm passing it to you.’ What an honor," Shepherd added. "A lot of pressure, but what an honor."

Related: Oprah Winfrey Says She's ‘Passing the Baton’ After Sherri Shepherd Revealed She Was a Former Oprah Audience Member

Shepherd — who received four Emmy nominations for The Sherri Shepherd Show on Saturday — said interviewing Winfrey was a “full circle” moment for her, after she turned the iconic talk show host down for chats for so many years amid struggles with personal issues.

“I was in a physically abusive relationship. My mom was dying from diabetic complications, I had a family member on drugs I was taking care of. I hung on to Oprah for dear life,” Shepherd recalled. “And when I was on that show, I just said, ‘What if?’ … I hope that I am for someone the way she was for me. So it was absolutely amazing.”

Shepherd added that Winfrey “opened the door” for her on TV and has also been a great support in her professional life, noting that she always offers her words of encouragement with her show.

Related: Sherri Shepherd Jokes About How She and Octavia Spencer Get Confused for One Another: Watch

“She's been with me through this entire journey,” she told PEOPLE. “Oprah will text me my ratings. She will text me, ‘You're number two with women 25 to 54.’ Long texts. And she's paying attention … That's how generous Oprah is. And she gives me advice and guides me.”

Speaking on the success of her show, which premiered in September 2022, Shepherd said, “I just feel like you can't compare yourself to anybody else. I'm funny and that's what I decided to swim in, the lane of humor and laughter. And since Ellen left, there was nobody to fill that void. So I was like, ‘it's open, I'm going to take it.’ ”

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Following Winfrey’s guest appearance, Shepherd lists Michelle and Barack Obama, Meryl Streep and Lenny Kravitz among the next A-listers she’d like to see on her show.

And while the talk show host missed out on winning a Daytime Emmy this year, she told PEOPLE she is determined to take home a trophy next time.

“I didn't get it yesterday. Kelly Clarkson did. But I'm a new show. But Kelly, I'm coming for you next year!” Shepherd said.

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Read the original article on People.