Sherri Shepherd Regrets Pressuring Recovering Alcoholic Elizabeth Vargas to Drink
Sherri Shepherd Regrets Pressuring Recovering Alcoholic Elizabeth Vargas to Drink
Sherri Shepherd apologized to recovering alcoholic Elizabeth Vargas after she repeatedly pushed her guest to “get drunk” during an appearance on her talk show.
The “Sherri” host interviewed the veteran journalist last Thursday and commented — “I’m going to take you to the bar, we’re going to drink. We’re going to have a drink.”
The former 20/20 personality responded — “[I’ll] have my classic club soda with cranberry juice, but you can pound some shots.”
Shepherd, 56, then informed Vargas, 60, that she was “no fun.”
She continued — “You and me, we’re going to be at the bar going, ‘It’s not news tonight!’ That’s what we’ve got to do.”
Shepherd went on to say that the duo should “go to the bar” and “get drunk and have a good time.”
Vargas, who has been sober since 2014, replied — “You get drunk. I’ll be your designated driver.”
Vargas previously disclosed that she used alcohol to cope with panic and anxiety attacks, but got sober after completing three stints in rehab between 2013-2014.
Shepherd walked back her comments in an apologetic statement obtained by EW.
“Sometimes when you’re doing live TV, you make mistakes. Today that happened during my Elizabeth Vargas interview and I’m sorry for that,” she said in the statement.
“She was very gracious about it in the moment and on the phone when I called her to apologize afterwards. And she is looking forward to returning next season.”
Vargas put out her own statement, assuring fans that she was not upset about Shepherd’s comments.
“Sherri called to apologize – she was very gracious. She just didn’t know. It’s not a big deal. I was not at all upset,” she told the outlet.
The ABC News alum currently hosts a podcast called “Heart of the Matter,” where she discusses addiction issues. Her memoir, “Between Breaths: A Memoir of Panic and Addiction,” was released in 2016.
“That was one of the hardest and most rewarding things I’ve done,” Vargas told PEOPLE in 2018.
The book described Vargas’ multiple relapses and how she navigated her personal rock bottom experience.
“I was painfully honest about my struggles with anxiety and how I self-medicated with alcohol,” she continued. “I felt very alone when I was in the grip of the disease.”
She added — “I feel grateful that I could take what was a painful part of my life and make something good out of it.”
“If I’ve helped one person, I feel really great, but I hear from people daily,” she said. “That makes me feel like it was worth it to to be as brutally honest as I was.”
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