Sherri Shepherd’s Broadway return came with a major show of support as Robin Roberts, Gayle King and a host of famous friends celebrated her debut as the Genie in Disney’s Aladdin.
Shepherd began performances in the role on October 16, 2026. Her run is a limited engagement scheduled to continue through Sunday, January 3, 2027.
Roberts and King were among the familiar faces photographed around the occasion. Sara Haines, Ricki Lake, Kandi Burruss and Bevy Smith also joined the celebration, along with Genelle Guzman McMillan, Karine Jean-Pierre and Sunny Anderson.
Images credited to Angela of York captured Shepherd with several of her guests, including Roberts, Haines, Lake, Burruss, Smith and Guzman McMillan. Additional photographs offered a first look at Shepherd in action as the Genie.
A Broadway Return With History Behind It
Although the Genie marks a new role for Shepherd, it is not her first Broadway appearance. She previously performed in Cinderella, where she became the first African American actress to portray the Evil Stepmother.
Her other theater work includes the Off-Broadway productions Love, Loss, and What I Wore and My First Ex-Husband. The Aladdin engagement therefore brings Shepherd back to Broadway while adding another major character to her stage credits.
The performance also follows a substantial period in daytime television. Shepherd recently completed four seasons as the host of her nationally syndicated talk show, SHERRI. She is a Daytime Emmy Award winner and a multiple NAACP Image Award recipient.
Before hosting SHERRI, Shepherd spent seven years as a co-host of The View. Her television acting appearances include 30 Rock, Everybody Loves Raymond, The Sex Lives of College Girls and Less Than Perfect.
Beyond television and theater, Shepherd is also a stand-up comedian and bestselling author. Her recent publishing work includes the children’s book Sunshine Queens.
ShowBiz Take
Shepherd’s Aladdin debut matters because it brings together several established strands of her career: live comedy, acting, daytime hosting and stage performance. Rather than marking a first step into theater, the Genie role builds on a Broadway history that already includes a barrier-breaking performance in Cinderella.
The turnout also made the debut a particularly visible entertainment occasion. Roberts, King, Haines, Lake, Burruss and Smith were not simply listed among the well-wishers; they were photographed as part of the celebration, giving Shepherd’s return an unmistakable sense of camaraderie.
With her four-season run on SHERRI recently concluded, the limited Broadway engagement puts Shepherd’s work as an actress and live performer at the center of attention. At the same time, her forthcoming publishing project shows that the stage is only one part of her current creative slate.
What Happens Next?
Shepherd is expected to remain in Aladdin through January 3, 2027, giving audiences a limited window to see her as the Genie.
After beginning the role in October, she also has another confirmed project on the calendar: the romance novel Life Is a K-Drama, co-written with Jayci Lee, is scheduled for release in April 2027.