Talk show host Sherri Shepherd will make a rare Broadway appearance as the Genie in Disney’s Aladdin when she begins a limited run in the musical on Friday, October 16.
Shepherd, who gave her first and do-date-only Broadway performance in 2014 as the Evil Stepmother in Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, will play in Aladdin during the lucrative holiday season with her final performance set for Sunday, January 3, 2027.
The former View host was expected to return as a guest on today’s season premiere of the ABC talk show.
“Joining Aladdin on Broadway is an absolute dream come true,” Shepherd said in a statement, “and an incredible honor. The Genie is such an iconic character, and I’m beyond excited to bring my own energy, humor, heart, and a little bit of magic to this role. I hope audiences see themselves in this Genie and leave the theater feeling so much joy and inspired to believe in the impossible. To step on that stage as the first woman to ever play the Genie is something I don’t take lightly. I’m ready to rub the lamp, unleash some magic, and have the time of my life on Broadway.”
Shepherd was a co-host of The View for seven years and has hosted Dish Nation, The Newlywed Game, and Best Ever Trivia Show, among others. Her other television credits include 30 Rock, Friends, Sex Lives of College Girls and others. She’s appeared in such films as Precious, Ride Along 2, and Beauty Shop. Her upcoming Lifetime film, Angel in the Rubble, premieres September 12.
Her stage credits include the Off Broadway shows Love, Loss, and What I Wore, and Joy Behar’s My First Ex-Husband. She continues to tour as a stand-up comedian.
“Throughout her career, Sherri has represented delight, wit, and loving good humor, making her the perfect entertainer to play the life force that is the Genie,” said Disney Theatrical Group’s Andrew Flatt (Managing Director) and Anne Quart (Executive Producer).
Aladdin opened on Broadway at the New Amsterdam Theatre on March 20, 2014 and remains among Broadway’s most popular attractions.
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