Sherri Shepherd: My 4-Year-Old Is a Flirt

Jason Merritt/FilmMagic

Sherri Shepherd has a little lothario on her hands. The View co-host, 42, says her 4-year-old son Jeffrey Charles loves to charm the ladies — especially Elisabeth Hasselbeck‘s daughter Grace, 4.

“First thing he says to Grace is, ‘Give me a kiss,’” says the comedienne, whose new book, Permission Slips: Every Woman’s Guide to Giving Herself a Break, is out October 5th. “That’s how he is with all the little girls: ‘Give me a kiss!’ If you don’t kiss him, he’s gonna friggin’ hit you. Every little 4-year-old girl, he loves ‘em.”

In Permission Slips, Sherri opens up about life as a single mom — and giving herself permission to make mistakes. The title was inspired by a moment on The View when a “very nervous” Sherri said she didn’t know whether the earth was round or flat.

“I was beating myself up until I got hundreds of emails from women going, ‘You know what Sherri? I don’t care if the earth is round or flat, I’m just trying to take care of my kid,’” she says. “And that’s when I realized, we just have to give ourselves permission to say dumb things, we have to give ourselves permission to feel okay and not beat ourselves up ’cause we’re trying so hard to be the perfect mother, perfect sister, wife.”

Another permission slip she’s given herself? The occasional dieting blunder. In the book, she jokingly calls frozen yogurt chain Pinkberry “Satan’s Franchise.”

“I haven’t been to Pinkberry since last July,” she says, “so it’s been a year and a half I’ve been sober!”

– Aileen Wong

Comments

LOL jeffrey comes onto grace, thats cute

- Tina. on September 26th, 2009

If you have kids, you should at least know the earth is round.

- Alicia on September 26th, 2009

really? sorry, i don’t find it funny if an adult doesn’t know this sort of thing. i mean there is something SERIOUSLY wrong with an education system that turns out ADULTS who don’t know that the earth is round. i mean come on, that’s ridiculous, how dim do you have to be. i am honestly not trying to be rude or anything and there are plenty of things i don’t know myself, but SURELY this is basic basic basic information that anyone with an ounce of intelligence or education knows. i just asked my 2 1/2 year old whether he thought the earth was flat or round and he knew it was round, because guess what? he’s seen a globe… i’m not sure i would buy someone’s book if they didn’t know this simple fact as an adult. i’m really sorry if that seems harsh, but someone tell me i am not alone in being appalled at this….

- JM on September 26th, 2009

Yes, JM, totally agree! I don’t know how she got on the show. I’m sure she’s a nice person but she can barely complete a sentence without saying “you know uh uh you know”.

- mary on September 26th, 2009

I don’t think there is any excuse for not knowing the earth is round! If it makes her feel better to pretend it is ok…fine. I hope she makes sure her son gets more education than she did.

- Anna on September 26th, 2009

I’m actually more concerned with her son telling little girls to give him a kiss or else he’ll hit them. That’s not cute, that’s behavior that should be reshaped by parenting to explain that it is inappropriate. The more she giggles about his behavior, the more it reinforces that she thinks it is acceptable. Maybe I’m blowing it out of proportion, but it seems like an early step towards something more concerning.

- fergette on September 26th, 2009

Yeah, I also found that question Disturbing, not entertaining at all! I am not a big fan of Sherri after her incredibly abrasive and negative attitude when the panel discussed transgendered individuals and childhood. She was SO rude about how her child would never be allowed to play with dolls and her “that would never be accepted in my household” attitude just came off sooooooooo extreme to me. I like Elisabeth WAY better, despite her radical right wing views…at least she has some intelligence to back it up with instead of just being ignorant.

- Rye on September 26th, 2009

I don’t know. I read it as she got nervous and flustered and couldn’t remember, had a completely blank moment, rather than REALLY didn’t know whether the earth was round or flat.

- Caitie on September 26th, 2009

I agree wholeheartedly Fergette. Talk about a little date rapist in the making, don’t kiss me I’ll hit you. Yeah, not cute.

- Rebecca on September 26th, 2009

Yeah, sorry. I agree w/these comments regarding her lack of um, intelligence. I hope her kid is in some good schools to balance out what he clearly isn’t getting at home in terms of education and manners.

- christina on September 26th, 2009

I agree….she doesn’t seem very intelligent!

- momof3 on September 26th, 2009

I can’t believe she doesn’t realize that “you don’t kiss me, i frigging hit you” is problematic behavior. that’s even dumber than not knowing that the earth is round.

I wonder if she’s going to continue cutting herself slack when her son turns into a date rapist.

- Mira on September 27th, 2009

Sherri is just plain ignorant. She has had numerous abortions, she hits her child with wooden spoons, she advocates the use of the “n” word and she is clueless when it comes to basic things like the earth’s shape. I feel sorry for this little boy who already has autism and a half sibling the same age as him from a different mother. What an enviroment!! How DID she get that job? I don’t think her actions should be rewarded with a lucrative job. JMO>>

- Kimri on September 27th, 2009

wow… a DATE RAPIST… cuz he’s 4… REALLY…

and REALLY, HOW do we know the earth is round… cuz the GLOBE says so… a MAN made a globe in a globe factory… i’m a bit of a conspiracy theorist so i question EVERYTHING… till i meet an astronaut that has been in orbit and SEEN the earth as round… i’m witholding judgment… (smile)

- fay on September 27th, 2009

Her son has special needs. I can’t recall but thought he was developmentally delayed. I think it’s a leap to sentence a 4 year-old to a life of sexual aggression for his comments…..at that age I’m suprised he asked for a kiss before threatening to hit! Usually boys (AND GIRLS) will just go for the hit and not be self-aware enough to know they want affection…

oh, and I think Sherri’s as dumb as a brick

- Momta2 on September 27th, 2009

I have no respect for Sherri. The stuff that comes out of her mouth surprises and saddens me. She commented that she didn’t vote until recently because she didn’t know what day, where or how to vote. Another time, she said “If my son played with the dress up chest at preschool, I would tell the teacher he isn’t allowed to play with that anymore.” 0_0

- megan on September 27th, 2009

Kimri- How do you know she’s had numerous abortions?

- CelebBabyLover on September 27th, 2009

OH, and Sherri never said that her son tells girls he’s going to hit them if they don’t kiss them. What she said was: “if you don’t kiss him, he’s gonna friggin’ hit you.” Considering Sherri’s a comedian, it’s very possible that she was exaggerating or even just plain embleshing a little bit!

- CelebBabyLover on September 27th, 2009

Also, even if Jeffery really DOES hit girls that don’t kiss him, how do we know it’s not a phase he’ll grow out of eventually. I mean, the kid is only 4 years old, for crying out loud!

- CelebBabyLover on September 27th, 2009

Err, “That’s how he is with all the little girls: ‘Give me a kiss!’ If you don’t kiss him, he’s gonna friggin’ hit you. Every little 4-year-old girl, he loves ‘em.”

Does that mean she supports violence against girls if she lets her 4-year old son hit them if they don’t kiss him back?

I don’t find her comments cute or funny. She’s got some strange views about love if she’s going around saying her son hits up on girls, literally. Poor Grace sure is getting an early exposure to sexual advances.

- eternalcanadian on September 27th, 2009

I bet that not every 4 year old girl loves her son. I can remember a boy that was always trying to kiss me as a child and I hated it.

- Louise on September 27th, 2009

I didn’t say he IS a date rapist. I said that if his mother continues to encourage this behavior, because she is too dumb and thinks it’s hilarious, then he might well turn into a date rapist. Read carefully before posting, people.

And, fay, do you also doubt that countries you haven’t been to exist?

- Mira on September 27th, 2009

Fay, I’m sorry but are you actually questioning whether the earth is round?! FYI, we don’t think it’s round because of “globe factories.” Quite frankly, that is a ridiculous theory. I think you need to brush up a bit on history and physics. We think it’s round because of explorers and scientists who questioned the “earth is flat theory” and proved it through PHYSICS. If you’re a conspiracy theorist, fine. But, you should have at least some proof behind your theory. Sorry if this is a harsh, but I find it a little disconcerting that an adult doesn’t know basic 11th grade subjects.

Oh, and I think it’s a bit of a leap to suggest future date rape. This kid is four and children act out all the time. Most of them grow out of it. Also, just because Sherri is telling the public a story doesn’t mean she doesn’t discipline her son when he hits people.

- Sarah K. on September 27th, 2009

Don’t know her enough to comment… But a date rapist?? Really? Quite the leap and more than harsh.

- brannon on September 27th, 2009

Rebecca – Labeling a child as a future date rapist is a bit much. Should every child at four that exposes himself/herself, steals, or uses bad words sentenced to a life a crime? They are learning and need to be taught right from wrong.

I wonder would we be so quick to condemn if folks liked Sherri?

- J-Lin on September 27th, 2009

I have no respect for Sherri. This woman used abortion as her birth control method of choice. I know she’s changed her ways but that just sticks to the bottom of my gut.

- sara on September 27th, 2009

Fay, if this behavior isn’t corrected (and from the way she’s talking it doesn’t sound like it is being corrected) he will have very big problems respecting people’s boundaries when they say no to him.

- Rebecca on September 27th, 2009

Fay? Really? I’m hoping that smile at the end means your statement was tongue in cheek!

Anyway, I agree with everyone else’s statements!

- Nina on September 27th, 2009

I didn’t think she meant she actually didn’t know whether the earth was round or flat. I thought she was using it as an analogy to say she didn’t know anything.

I love when she talks about Jeffrey, she always has the best stories and it’s such a sweet mother/son relationship.

- Erika on September 27th, 2009

erika, from the way she said it on the programme to me there was no mistaking that she really didn’t know whether the earth was round or flat. and that IS just plain stupid. conspiracy theorist or not, you’ve got to be pretty special to question that basic fact. there is just too much evidence to suggest otherwise, you would have to doubt every single other thing you have never seen with your own eyes and be incredibly ignorant.

the thing with her son, i agree it’s not great. but it doesn’t actually worry me as much as others because i think, he is young and it is something that could (and should) still change. and maybe she did exaggerate it a little. however if she is so proud to be so stupid, that IS worrying, and not something i would hope she passes on to her son.

- JM on September 27th, 2009

I didn’t take it as she didn’t actually know if the world was round or flat…I took it that she was totally nervous and flustered. Trust me, I’ve said some pretty stupid things out of nervousness myself. As far as her little boy goes….I would hardly say that the kid is going to become a date rapist. I mean, she’s a comedian so she’s probably embellishing! Now if he actually is hitting girls if they don’t kiss him, then obviously she needs to step in and explain to him that that kind of behavior is not acceptable. Besides, how do we know that she hasn’t already done that? I don’t watch the show, but it just seems to me that people are a little quick to judge other people.

- CTBmom on September 27th, 2009

When my brother was Jeffrey’s age, he used to pull down his pants and underwear in public. My mother would be embarrassed and reprimand him, but sure, it was a story she would laugh about to all her friends later because it’s funny. Little kids do some crazy stuff and it’s ok to laugh about it at the end of the day. My brother is 22 now. He most definitely did not grow up to be a flasher.

While sure, if Jeffrey is actually hitting girls who don’t kiss him, yah that’s a behavior that he should be reprimanded for, but it can also make for a humorous story and it’s a real stretch in my mind to think he’s going to possibly start abusing women later in life. Kisses aren’t even sexual to a 4 year old.

- MZ on September 27th, 2009

WOW!!!! I’m sorry Fay, but that has to be the dumbest thing I’ve heard in a long time. Even if you are a conspiracy theorist, why on Earth would a globe maker conspire to convince everyone the Earth is round…to sell more globes? I’m seriously at a loss for words….Did you even graduate from High School? From your ridiculous comment I’m going to assume college wasn’t even an option for you…

- momof3 on September 27th, 2009

I totally agree that kids who threaten other kids can grow out of it if the adults around them teach the right way to behave. The problem is Sherri thinks it’s cute so she’s NOT teaching him the right way to behave. She’s proud of him being that way, just like some people are proud when their kid cusses or acts like a diva. Then the kid grows up and acts like that as a teen or young adult and suddenly the parents want to change the behavior when it’s a fully established part of the child’s personality.

As a teacher, I see problems in school that are never addressed at home because of the theory that the kid will “grow out of it.” They usually don’t do it on their own. They also don’t have good hygiene or do their homework or take out the trash, if some adult isn’t around to instruct them to. It’s our job to raise them, not their job to figure it out on their own. I don’t think Sherri gets that. She figures she did lots of stupid stuff and continues to say stupid stuff and she turned out just fine. Heck, now she has two TV shows, a book, and lots of money so who cares about good behavior or education since she didn’t need those things to get rich. She’s seems like a nice enough person, but she’s truly clueless.

- Satina on September 27th, 2009

Wow, you guys are being very judgemental. I would think from reading your comments that you guys have a personal relationship with Sherri and her son. One of the reasons that I like this website is because of the caring, nice, respectful, non-judgemental attitude towards others. Please don’t lose that even if you don’t care for the Sherri you see on the view. Suggesting that her son may become a future “date rapist” is just WRONG. Be careful of your words and your thoughts.

- sidjazz on September 27th, 2009

I’m not a Sherri fan either. At first when I heard she was on the panel at The View I thought cool she’ll lighten it up with her comedy…but uh that’s all she knows how to do. She has come off very unintelligent with some of her comments.

And I’m in agreement with people who watch the show and how she talks about if her kid won’t play with girls toys bc she doesn’t want to encourage that behavior and I don’t but I find her whole relationship with her “husband” or whatever he is now to be a bit confusing for Jeffery. Although it’s none of my business. I’m not against her parenting as far as hitting her child but yes I draw the line at taking objects to get your point across (i.e. spoons, paddles, etc).

Anyways, I think Sherri exaggerates so her idea on Jeffery hitting a child for not kissing him I’ll let slide. And yeah I remember her Earth comment awhile back and just stood there and was like wtf are you kidding me??

It does boggle my mind how she still remains on that show when she really can’t put too much input on the intelligent conversations but obviously people enjoy her comedics. *shrugs*

- JMO on September 27th, 2009

CelebrityBabyLover–Sherri said that she has had more abortions than she can count!! The words came from her own mouth!!

- Kimri on September 27th, 2009

Now I went and watched when she said the world is flat comment, and I saw she didn’t seem to know. When I read it, it seemed she was just making an analogy, but when I watched it, I was like ‘wow’. Unusual.

- Erika on September 27th, 2009

I wish people would leave Sherri along. I love her and I think she is a good mom. I really don’t know why everyone is taking the hitting thing so seriously, I agree that if it continues it could be a problem, but I don’t even think she meant it to be that serious. When I was in first grade their was a group of us girls that would go up to boys and if they didn’t kiss us we would pinch/hit/kick them, we obviously grew out of that and none of us turned into men beaters.
As for the world thing, Ive have heard alot more stupid questions and I think all of us have had those moments. Until I was 22 I thought that Buffalo Wings came from Buffalo, and when Jessica Simpson made the memorable remark about chicken of the sea I wasn’t sure if it was chicken or tuna either.

- Micheley on September 27th, 2009

Wow – had never heard of this woman before this story (don’t watch the View) – who is she and why is she on TV? What an embarassment for Americans (and women!!).

- Maddie on September 27th, 2009

Actually, the more I think about this the more it bothers me. I understand that children can be difficult to control and may do things that are inappropriate. What I don’t agree with is Sherri making a joke of her son ‘forcing’ himself on girls.
My friend has a son with some developmental and behavioral issues, and he too likes to try and hug/kiss children his age. The difference is that my friend does not make light of it, she corrects her son and lets him know that it is not a joke and that it is not acceptable.
As for her comments on the world being flat…. sigh. I wish that acting stupid or making stupid comments wasn’t seen as amusing (see Jessica Simpson).

- Louise on September 27th, 2009

Maddie- I don’t think this article does Sherri justice and you shouldn’t judge her based on this one article if you have never heard of her before this.
IMO she is the only person on the View who is fairly open to both sides of discussions and tries to keep the piece. If it weren’t for Sherri I would never watch the View the others get extremely rude.

- Micheley on September 27th, 2009

Rebecca-Your comment about Jeffery being a “future date rapist” are EXTREMELY out of line. What an AWFUL thing to say about a 4 year old. Four year olds hit, kick, and bite! THEY’RE FOUR!!!! It does not make them future delinquents.

- Crystal on September 27th, 2009

BTW there really isn’t anything mentally or physically wrong with Jeffery. He was born about 3 months premature so Sherry has said he’s physically behind in but I don’t really think he has any long term physical/mental issues…if he does she doesn’t speak of it much.

Maddie – Sherri pretty much is a “comedian” and has guest starred on sitcoms in the past but that’s about it. Before the View most people had no clue who she was. I do find her funny on occasion but most of the time she’s just a prop!

- JMO on September 27th, 2009

Yeah, i think it’s odd…she won’t let her kid play with dolls or dress up (if he wanted to) but she will let her kid smack girls who won’t kiss him?? Interesting.

- Rye on September 27th, 2009

I don’t necessarily like Sherri from what I’ve seen on the view, but I don’t dislike her either.
My reasons for sometimes being annoyed with her are because of her ignorant comments on the show and her slightly obnoxious behavior. However, How can some of you say you dislike her because she’s had abortions? That’s very immature and disrespectful. Last time I checked, Abortion is LEGAL and a PRIVATE matter. It doesn’t matter if she had 1 abortion or 100, its HER business, her life, and her body. You can’t judge somebody on something like that because its a personal choice that does not affect you in any way. You don’t know what situation she was in or what kind of life she had at the time, but clearly she chose what was best for her and it all worked out fine in the end.

*sigh* The ignorance and rudeness on here is astounding.

- Dahlia on September 27th, 2009

JMO – thanks for info; guess I just haven’t caught her on anything before.

Michelay – you’re absolutely right; I’m judging her based on one article. I absolutely hope it does not do her justice because the ignorance involved in not even knowing if the world is round or flat is mind-boggling and definitely an embarrassment for the American school system (I think someone made this point above).

- Maddie on September 27th, 2009

Dahlia,
I can see where you’re coming from. However, I think people have every right in the world to dislike Sherry for personal choices she has made. I agree that it is a very private matter, but she chose to share it with the world, and that comes with consequences. I’m not saying that I dislike her for having abortions. I don’t really dislike her, I just don’t have much respect for her, and that’s due to her ignorance. But I really don’t like when people think they can go around and make whatever poor decisions they want, and then have the audacity to say, “Don’t judge me.”

- shalay on September 27th, 2009

I think this article needs to be closed to comments. This is just becoming a bunch of personal attacks…

- Anni on September 27th, 2009

Shes had more abortions than she cares to count. That could be 2 or 16 or 1.

- Electra on September 27th, 2009

i just kinda feel bad for her. she clearly missed out on an education, and not just with books.

- fuzibuni on September 27th, 2009

momof3 i have 2 master’s degrees one in communication and one in education… now dance little puppet… DANCE… lol

- fay on September 27th, 2009

Crystal,
My 4 year old doesn’t bite, kick, or hit because when she started displaying those behaviors when she was a toddler I nipped it in the bud. I don’t spank or hit my children, I taught her that she needed to use nice hands (hands are for hugging, not hitting) and she’s never been a violent child. If she were to demand a kiss or she would hit someone she wouldn’t be around people until she would be taken out of that social situation until she understood that wasn’t the proper way to behave.

I do find it funny that people think because I said he’s a date rapist in the making means he’ll actually become one…. so I’ll just put this out there now, my daughters are little doctors in the making… get back to you in 20 years on if that’s true or not.

- Rebecca on September 27th, 2009

J-Lin, with mom laughing about how he hits girls if they don’t kiss him he’s obviously not getting taught the things he needs to be taught from his mother. It’s ok to ask for a kiss, but if the girl doesn’t want to give it to you, you move on!

- Rebecca on September 27th, 2009

Okay, what she said was that she’d had more abortions than she’d LIKE to count. Not more than she’s able to count. There is a big difference. She was talking about moving past the consuming guilt and shame associated with a history of abortions.

Furthermore, can we focus on the point of her book? I love the idea that we should cut ourselves some slack as mothers. It reminds me of a quotation from a Mothering magazine calendar a few years back – something like, “Our children don’t ask us to be perfect. They need us to be authentic.”

- Karrina on September 27th, 2009

Rebecca-I’m glad that your child doesn’t do that. We don’t know if Sherri repremainds him or not. Like others before me have stated….she’s a comedian. She could have been embellishing. The words you used should have never been spoken. You would not like if someone said your child/children are “date rapist in the making.” I would be down right horrified if someone said that about my child. I’m glad to know that just because your children “play” doctor, doesn’t mean you believe they’ll grow up to be one!

- Crystal on September 27th, 2009

“However, How can some of you say you dislike her because she’s had abortions? That’s very immature and disrespectful. Last time I checked, Abortion is LEGAL and a PRIVATE matter.”

Just because abortion is legal doesn’t mean people can’t dislike that someone had an abortion. Abortion may be legal, but that doesn’t mean everyone has to believe it is right. Everyone is entitled to their opinion on that.

- Lynn on September 28th, 2009

Oh mygosh! That is so adorable : ) I can just picture that little bot chasing after Grac in the View hallways!

- Patrice on September 28th, 2009

Oh whatever…I guess it’s because we’re all perfect parents, oh and super intelligent too.

- LaKesha on September 28th, 2009

Also, am I the only one that’s annoyed by her promos for her show? “Sleep with a white woman and we’re through!” Imagine if it was a white woman talking about a black woman, people would be all up her butt, but since she’s black talking about a white woman it’s funny?

- Rebecca on September 28th, 2009

Rebecca, I disliked those promos, too. That commercial and the one about ” ‘live and learn’ is for suckers” left a bad taste in my mouth.

- megan on September 28th, 2009

Lynn- No one said you can’t dislike the fact that she had an abortion. What we ARE saying is that it’s not right to dislike HER just because she had an abortion/abortions!

- CelebBabyLover on September 29th, 2009

WOW, listen to all you perfect parents out there. SO quick to the draw to critisize and call the woman’s four year old child, ‘a rapist in the making.’

WOW, and you all call her ignorant and unintelligent?

Let he is without sin cast the first stone people. All you people so quick to critisize and want to claim parents of the year, you should be ashamed of yourself because had it been you someone was attacking so vigilantly….I’m sure you wouldn’t want that to be the first thing you all read when you turn on a computer.

Sucks to be these stars who cant even make a comment or try for a laugh without such blatant hate and disrespect. Just WOW!!!!!

- Dee on September 29th, 2009

Dee, calm down. Getting upset here never solves antyhing.
As far as “rapist in the making”, I think most of us can agree that was a little overboard and a better phrase should’ve been used. With regards to “ignorant and unintelligent”, those claims have been proven. I assume that most people here that called Sherri those things are regular View watchers, like me, and aren’t basing their comments one or two isolated quotes.

Also, Dee, are you a friend or family member of Sherri ? Because you seem very upset. I find it odd you’d mention this thread being the first thing Sherri could see on her computer in the morning. I’ll also add that I’ve noticed Sherri often throws out the “Let he that is without sin” or another Bible verse when she can’t answer a question. Just wondering.

- megan on September 29th, 2009

She´s like the black version of Marisa Jaret Winokur in tat picture…don´t u think??

- lola on September 29th, 2009

Megan- There’s nothing odd about Dee saying that this thread could be the first thing Sherri sees on her computer in the mornings. Some celebs DO read CBB. Both Melissa Joan Hart and Soleil Moon Frye, for example, have said that they do (and both have replied to hurtful comments made about them here. In Melissa’s case it was people jumping on her for saying she’d like a girl next, and in Soliel’s case it was people critcizing her name choice for her younger daughter).

Therefore, it’s very possible that Sherri reads CBB as well.

Dee- I agree with you whole heartedly. Considering the woman is a comedian, I really don’t think we can judge her Intelligence just by her comments on The View. She could very easily be embelishing or “playing dumb” for the cameras. We have no idea what she’s like off-camera.

Basically, it’s kind of like a reality show. What we see may not neccesarily be what Sherri is actually like!

lola- Actually, she looks sort of like a cross between Marissa and Oprah Winfrey in that picture, IMO!

- CelebBabyLover on September 30th, 2009