Sherri Shepherd mourned her late The View boss — and mentor — Bill Geddie with a touching tribute post.
“I am completely devastated at the passing of #BillGeddie the co-creator of @theviewabc. Bill took a chance and cast me — a standup comic with no talk show experience — as a co-host on #theview,” Shepherd, 56, wrote via Instagram on Friday, July 21, alongside a series of photos of the duo and text messages between them. “His instinct told him that people would relate to a black female, single mom with a Special Needs child who had not one inch of political knowledge but was just a real person.”
Geddie died of coronary-related factors on Friday, July 21, per Variety. He was 68. Geddie is survived by his wife Barbara and their two daughters: Allison and Lauren.
In the carousel of images, Shepherd also included a series of correspondence between herself and Geddie. In one exchange, Shepherd expressed her gratitude for the late talk show creator and how he gave her a “chance.”
“It’s simple, I like you and I believe in you,” Geddie responded. “Sometimes the good guys (girls?) are supposed to win. Don’t be overwhelmed by this moment that you stop doing all the things that got you here. Be smart, but not too careful. Your fans already know who you are. Keep giving of yourself to them.”
In January, the pair exchanged pleasantries as they celebrated the New Year. Shepherd thanked him for “changing” her life. Geddie echoed her sentiments and told her she changed his life too. He ended the note with, “You’re going to have an amazing year, I can feel it.”
In another message, Shepherd reached out to Geddie to get some words of wisdom as she started her new gig — hosting her own talk show, Sherri, which premiered in September 2022. Shepherd revealed she “frequently” turned to Geddie while filming the first season for some “advice” and “encouragement.”
During a February exchange, Geddie gave Sheperd some tips on how to get the public interested in her show. While he told her it was going to be “tough,” he let her know that he believed she could “pull it off” and he wouldn’t say it if he didn’t “mean it.”
“People like working with you. It’s a huge plus,” he penned. “You’ll be okay if you’re clear-headed about what you want and how you’re going to achieve it. Very easy to get caught up in trying to be nice to everyone. That’s good, but it does put up numbers. The good news is everyone is pulling for you.”
Geddie was best known for cocreating The View with Barbara Walters in 1997. He won four Daytime Emmys for his work on the talk show and earned 13 nominations throughout his tenure. In 2014, he exited the series.
