Sherri Shepherd ‘sorry’ for pressuring recovering alcoholic Elizabeth Vargas to drink
Sherri Shepherd is apologizing for repeatedly encouraging recovering alcoholic Elizabeth Vargas to “get drunk” on her talk show.
The “Sherri” host, 56, sat down with the “20/20” alum, 60, for an interview last Thursday, where she said, “I’m going to take you to the bar, we’re going to drink. We’re going to have a drink.”
Vargas – who has been sober since 2014 – awkwardly responded, “[I’ll] have my classic club soda with cranberry juice, but you can pound some shots.”
Shepherd then told her guest she was “no fun.”
“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,” she went on.
Elsewhere in the interview, Shepherd said again that the pair should “go to the bar” and “get drunk and have a good time.”
“You get drunk. I’ll be your designated driver,” Vargas replied.
The ABC News alum previously revealed she drank due to anxiety and panic attacks but has been sober since completing three rehab stints between 2013 and 2014.
Shepherd apologized for her comments in a statement obtained by EW.
For more Page Six you love…
“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 also issued a statement, noting she wasn’t 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.
Page Six has reached out to reps for Shepherd and Vargas.
The “Between Breaths: A Memoir of Panic and Addiction” author now hosts a podcast called “Heart of the Matter,” in which she discusses addiction.
“If I’ve helped one person, I feel really great, but I hear from people almost daily,” Vargas told People in 2018.
“That makes me feel like it was worth it to be as brutally honest as I was.”
