Sherri Shepherd is heading back to The View table as ABC begins the talk show’s milestone 30th season, but viewers should not mistake the reunion for another permanent casting change.
Shepherd, who spent seven seasons as a regular cohost before leaving the panel in 2014, has been confirmed as a guest during premiere week. Entertainment Weekly reported that the appearance will bring one of the show’s best known former panelists back to the Hot Topics table.
The six current cohosts are all returning. Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines, Alyssa Farah Griffin and Ana Navarro will launch Season 30 on September 8 with a full episode devoted to Hot Topics before the first round of guests begins arriving the following day.
Shepherd is one part of a broader September lineup featuring actors, musicians, politicians and newsmakers, but her appearance carries extra history during an anniversary season that is already looking back at the personalities who helped shape the show.
Sherri Shepherd Is Coming Back as a Guest
Shepherd officially joined The View as a permanent cohost in September 2007 and remained through 2014, sharing the table at different points with Barbara Walters, Goldberg, Behar and Elisabeth Hasselbeck. She has returned as a guest several times since leaving, so the Season 30 booking is not her first appearance on the program in more than a decade.
The milestone season gives the return a different context. ABC specifically identified Shepherd as the former cohost appearing among its first announced September guests, while the current six woman panel remains unchanged. Shepherd is scheduled to appear alongside Practical Magic 2 star Maisie Williams on Friday, September 11.
Shepherd has continued speaking candidly about what her original tenure meant to her. In 2025, she said Walters was so demanding that she cried repeatedly during her early years on the program, but she also credited the late broadcaster with forcing her to develop confidence and “find my voice.”
The Current Six Cohosts Are All Returning
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Season 30 begins September 8 with Goldberg, Behar, Hostin, Haines, Farah Griffin and Navarro all returning to the Hot Topics table. ABC is opening the season without a celebrity guest, giving the six cohosts the entire premiere to resume the discussions that remain the show’s core format.
The network says The View ended Season 29 as the No. 1 broadcast daytime talk show in both households and total viewers for the ninth consecutive season. ABC reported an average of 2.62 million total viewers and said the show also improved among women ages 25 to 54 and 18 to 49 compared with the previous season.
The anniversary rollout extends beyond the television broadcast. The daily Behind the Table podcast, hosted by executive producer Brian Teta, returns September 8, while The Weekend View begins its new season September 12.
Premiere Week Includes Ted Cruz, Lizzo and Andrew Garfield
The first week demonstrates the wide range of guests the program continues to book. Senator Ted Cruz and Lizzo are scheduled for September 9, followed by Andrew Garfield on September 10. Shepherd and Maisie Williams close the new season’s first week on September 11, according to The View‘s official schedule.
The wider September list includes Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, Billie Lourd, Florence Pugh, Christopher Abbott, Mike Faist, Zoe Kazan, Ke Huy Quan, Ethan Hawke and Kate McKinnon. TheWrap also lists Kenny Chesney, Gov. Andy Beshear, Colin Kaepernick, Evan Gershkovich and Neil deGrasse Tyson among the announced guests.
The mixture of entertainment, politics and news reflects the format Barbara Walters created when The View launched in 1997. Three decades later, Shepherd’s return fits naturally into an anniversary season that is combining the current panel with figures from the show’s past.
Rosie O’Donnell’s Possible Return Is Still Unconfirmed
Shepherd is not the only former cohost whose name has surfaced around the 30th anniversary. Rosie O’Donnell previously said she expected to return to the program after serving two separate periods on the panel, but her status remains different from Shepherd’s confirmed booking.
Entertainment Weekly reported that a source said there were “no current plans” for O’Donnell to return at the time of its reporting. Her representative said there had been discussion of inviting former hosts during Season 30, but that O’Donnell had not received a formal invitation and nothing had been finalized.
ABC’s announced September lineup currently identifies Shepherd as the returning former cohost. The View begins Season 30 Tuesday, September 8 at 11 a.m. ET on ABC, with Shepherd scheduled to sit down at the table again on Friday, September 11.