HEART to heart
Whena co-hostis goingthrougha tough
time, whatis it likeon theset?
Youlookat whatSharonandOzzy
[Osbourne]wentthrough—we criedabout
that.When[formerco-host]AishaTyler
admittedshewasgoingthroughin vitro,I
was like,“That’swhyyou’dbe cussingme
out in themorning—hormones!”[Laughs]
WhenSaratoldus shewaspregnant,when
Eve saidshewantsto havea baby,that’s
whenwe cometogether.Thatsisterhoodis
real.Noneof us fakeit.Whatelseareyouup to?
I havea radioshow[withstationslistedat
sherylunderwoodradio.com].I wasableto
hosttheDaytimeEmmystwice[in 2017 and
20 19]withMarioLopez.Andanotherthing
withdoingT he Talk: I reallylikewhenshows
cometo us to playourselves.We hadso much
fun whenGinaRodriguezdirectedus on
JanetheVirginlastyear,andwe wereon
HappyTogetherandMadamSecretary...You’vealsohadrolesonTheYoung
and theRestlessandTheBoldandthe
Beautiful. How did thatcomeabout?
Beingpartof theCBSfamily,theyweave
youintoeverything!I gota call:“They
needyou onY& R.” I said,“I needtimeto
prepare!”ChristianLeBlanctaughtme how
theydo so manypagesof dialogue,andthey
keptbringingme back.I loveEricBraeden
and thoughthe wasgoingto be like,“Know
your lines!”so I wastryingto getready,butFUNNYEVEN
INUNIFORM
Shegot her
st artin comedy
competitions
while serving
in the United
States Air Force
Reserve in
the ’80s after
graduating
from college.
She was the
first woman
finalistinthe
19 89 Miller
Li te Comedy
Search.SAD START The Little Rock,
Ark., native lost her twin
sister as a newborn. “My
birth mother did not want
me and my father to be close,
so she [falsely told] me my
father killed my sister.”MAKE ’EM LAUGH Sherylcame
to national fame with her
R-rated stand-up act onHBO’s
Def Comedy Jam series in 19 93.FROM
TEARS TO
LAUGHTER
he said, “Put that script downand
be yourself.”What do you enjoy the most?
I like it all, and the fact that
you often get to see the same
crew. When we did the 25-year
anniversary of Def ComedyJam
on Netf lix, to get to see Chris
Rock, Steve Harvey and Dave
Chappelle again and rememberwhen
we were younger.... For ChrisRockto say,
“I can’t follow Sheryl Underwood”in an
interview, and my phone startsblowing up
’cause I didn’t see it. I mean, it’s amazing. We
all get goose bumps.You’ve been candid about your past, from
surviving rape to your husband’s suicide.
How have experiences in your earlier life
shaped who you are today?
Well, for one thing, the [Air Force] Reserve
helped me and gave me a discipline that I
really needed. So did joining a sorority [at
University of Illinois at Chicago], which
helped me with my service, and I brought
all of that here to T he Talk. It gives me a safe
haven to open up.Are you close with your family now?
My mother, father and stepmother are
deceased. I take care of my disabled sister.
When something goes on with her, [my co-
hosts] can tell from the look on my face and
they come to my aid, recommend doctors.UP NEXT
“My best friend’s cancer
is in remission so she has a
bucket list and we’re gonna
travel,” Sheryl tells Closer. “I
want to go to Australia, to see
where the Bee Gees grew up,
and Brazil. I like meeting
new people.”46 August 12, 2019 CLOSER