Sherri Shepherd ‘Bawled’ Her Eyes Out After Oprah Winfrey Said She’s ‘Passing the Baton’ to Her (Exclusive)

Sherri Shepherd will always love Oprah Winfrey.

Last week, Winfrey, 69, told the talk show host, 56, that she was “passing the baton” to her while she was a guest on The Sherri Shepherd Show.

Now, while speaking with PEOPLE at the 50th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on Saturday, Shepherd admitted, “I did pop my eyeballs. They were swollen all night the day she came.”

“It’s surreal because being on her show at 23 and dreaming about, ‘Can I do what she does?’ She put me through a lot of things,” she continued.

“… So she says: ‘I’m passing it on to you.’ What an honor,” Shepherd added. A lot of pressure, but what an honor.”

Shepherd at the 50th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards on Saturday in LA.

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Oprah Winfrey says she’s ‘passing the baton’ after Sherri Shepherd revealed she’s an ex Oprah Audience member

Shepherd — who received four Emmy nominations The Sherri Shepherd Show on Saturday — said the interview with Winfrey was a “full circle” moment for her, after turning down the iconic talk show host for interviews for so many years amid struggles with personal issues.

“I was in a relationship with physical abuse. My mom was dying of diabetic complications, I had a family member on drugs to take care of. I stuck with Oprah my whole life,” Shepherd recalled. “And when I was on that show, I just said, ‘What if?’ … I hope that I am for someone what she was for me. So it was absolutely amazing.”

Shepherd added that Winfrey “opened doors” for her on TV and has also been a huge supporter in her professional life, noting that she always offers words of encouragement through her show.

Sherri Shepherd jokes about her and Octavia Spencer getting confused for each other: watch

“She’s been with me through this whole journey,” she told PEOPLE. “Oprah will text me my grades. They’ll text me ‘You’re number two with women 25 to 54’. Long texts. And she pays attention… That’s how generous Oprah is. And she gives me advice and guides me.”

Speaking about the success of her series, which premieres in September 2022, Shepherd said: “I just feel like you can’t compare yourself to anyone else. I’m witty and that’s what I decided to swim with, the lane of humor and laughter. And since Ellen left, there was no one to fill that void. I said, ‘it’s open, I’ll take it.’ ”

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Sherri Shepherd.

Rodin Eckenroth/Getty

After Winfrey’s guest appearance, Shepherd lists Michelle and Barack Obama, Meryl Streep and Lenny Kravitz among the next A-listers she’d like to see on her show.

And while the talk show host missed out on winning a Daytime Emmy this year, she told PEOPLE she’s determined to take home the trophy next time.

“I didn’t get it yesterday. It’s Kelly Clarkson. But I’m a new show. But Kelly, I’m coming for you next year!” Shepherd said.

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