Sherri Shepherd Recalls 'Crying' After Dancing With the Stars Elimination Because She Was Losing the Big Paycheck tram

Sherri Shepherd’s Dancing with the Stars elimination brought her to tears, but not for the reason you might think!

During her eponymous show, Sherri, on Thursday, April 3, Shepherd, 57, talked about her exit from the dancing reality show in week three of season 14 in 2012. Recalling that she cried “profusely” when she was knocked out, the star admitted that she had money on her mind at that moment.

“People thought I was crying because I didn't execute my paso doble correctly,” she laughed. “But I literally was crying because I was calculating my bills.”

Shepherd went on to note that she planned to use her earnings from the show to pay for her son Jeffrey’s tuition as well as her mortgage. “I’ve gotta take that car back because I thought I was gonna get the Mirror Ball [winner’s trophy],” she quipped, adding, “I need money!”

The star, who was co-host of The View between 2007 and 2014, also revealed that it is in the contestant’s best interest to do well on reality TV competition shows because “the longer that you stay on there, the more money you get.”

Despite missing out on the big paycheck, Shepherd — who was partnered with professional dancer Val Chmerkovskiy — admitted that she “loved” her time on the show, noting that taking part in it was “one of the best experiences I ever had because I love to dance.”

Shepherd, who also competed on The Masked Singer as The Penguin in 2019, also touched on her experience on that show, revealing that it was “so much fun.”

“Number one, you get to sing. Two, you get to dance and you do it in costume,” she explained, adding, “[and] they pay you some really good money!”

Last year, Shepherd was offered the opportunity for a do-over of the lift she and partner Chmerkovskiy didn’t pull off on DWTS during a jive routine to the tune “Proud Mary” more than 10 years prior.

During Chmerkovskiy’s January 2024 appearance on her talk show, she challenged him to give the move another try, which he enthusiastically agreed to. The choreographer also took a second to compliment his former dance partner, telling her, “You were hot then and you're fine now. Don’t get it twisted.”

Shepherd subsequently jumped into the pro's arms as he spun her around several times. The pair finished off the successful lift with a hug as Shepherd smiled from ear to ear.