Did Nia Long and Sherri Shepherd have a heated confrontation? Talk show host speaks out amid Othello altercation rumors

A night at the theater took a dramatic turn when reports surfaced of an onstage showdown between actress Nia Long and talk show host Sherri Shepherd.

The alleged incident occurred during the star-studded opening of the Broadway revival of Othello, which starred Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal, leaving fellow entertainers and fans to speculate about what had happened.

On Monday morning’s episode of Sherri, Shepherd shared a shocking encounter she had with a nameless celebrity before the Othello premiere. She claimed the person grabbed her arm and spun her around before accusing her of throwing shade. Remembering the interaction Shepherd said:

"You don’t get to grab me and turn me around like we’re in a daggum cartoon and just walk away."

The celebrity supposedly said ‘You’ve been shading me a lot,’ Sherri Shepherd explained. Shocked by the accusation, she immediately denied it, only for her adversary to be adamant and say “Yes, you have!” before walking away.

"Ma’am, I don’t even have time to shade you. I barely have time to shade my friends!" Sherri Shepherd responded to the accuser.

Although Shepherd did not reveal the name of the person who confronted her, Page Six reports that it was actress Nia Long. Long, who is known for her work in Boyz n the Hood and Friday, has not confirmed or denied the reports as of yet.

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A look into Sherri Shepherd’s career and her advocacy for women's rights in the workspace

Sherri Shepherd has built a prolific career across stand-up, television and daytime talk shows. She gained early prominence with roles in The Jamie Foxx Show and Beauty Shop.

Shepherd is most famous for being a co-host on The View, where she received multiple Emmy nominations and, in 2022, launched her own successful daytime talk show, Sherri. The show’s critical success made her a major figure in daytime television.

Despite her success, Sherri Shepherd has spoken out about pay inequities in Hollywood, especially for Black women. She credits her former View co-host, Rosie O’Donnell, for teaching her to know her worth, stating that discussing salaries made her more confident in asking for better pay.

"It’s so important that if somebody is doing the same thing we’re doing, we share our salary. We can’t be insecure about what’s coming to us, I don’t operate that way because what God has for me is for me."

According to Essence, it’s a lesson that has influenced her activism, she’s shared salary numbers with other women in the industry, like Loni Love, Sheryl Underwood and Sunny Hostin, hoping to help them ensure that they get paid fairly.