Sherri Shepard spills The View secrets: Barbara Walters affair with Richard Pryor 

Richard Pryor was a U.S. comedian and actor known for his keen insights and narrative approach. He captivated a diverse audience and is often considered one of history's most significant and talented stand-up comedians. Recently, the late comedian has become a subject of discussion.

The topic comes from the talk show The View, which has often been a hotbed for discussions, debates, and sometimes, gossip. In a recent episode of Sherri Shepherd's show, "Sherri," she and Joy Behar, another veteran of The View, took a trip down memory lane, discussing their late colleague, Barbara Walters.

During this episode, Shepherd revealed a rumor she had heard from comedian Paul Mooney about Walters and Richard Pryor. Sherri Shepherd disclosed that Paul Mooney had told her he caught Barbara Walters with Richard Pryor.

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How did Sherri discover the relationship between Barbara Walters and Richard Pryor?

For many years, Walters collaborated with Behar and Shepherd on The View. Behar was one of the original co-hosts who helped Walters kick off the show in 1997. Shepherd became a part of the team in 2007 and left in 2014. It is also the year Walters retired from her role on the show.

Shepherd had initially told this to Joy Behar in confidence. However, Behar, upon hearing this, confronted Walters about it the next day. Walters was surprised and questioned who had told Behar this information.

Shepherd, who was new to her job then, was put in an uncomfortable position as she was the original source of the gossip. She recalled:

"No, you didn't, but [you] said something like, 'So, you're schlepping Richard Pryor, huh?'. She turned around and, you know, Barbara's head would swivel like that, and she goes, 'Who told you that?' And I'm sitting there, and I just got this job, and, Joy, you do that because you're not scared of Barbara."

The discussion also touched upon Walters' romantic life. Both Shepherd and Behar noted that Walters had a type when it came to her romantic life. She had a liking for Black men, including a Black senator and Colin Powell. Shepherd said:

"You always said Barbara loved a chocolate man...Colin Powell was her crush."

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The night that changed the life of Richard Pryor

Richard Pryor (Image via Paul Natkin/Getty Images)

In an article written by Richard’s daughter, Rain Pryor, for TIME, she delves into the transformative journey of her father. In 1967, he walked off stage during a gig at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. He felt fake performing for a primarily white audience.

This event got him fired, but he changed his comedy approach. Pryor had enough of catering to white audiences. He moved to Berkeley. The Black Panthers and anti-war movements influenced him. He radically changed his comedy and started tackling topics like police brutality, racism, and sexuality.

Pryor broke free from white Hollywood. He became one of the industry's richest Black men and ran his own production studio at Columbia. Despite this, the comedian never saw himself as a trailblazer. He loved doing comedy. His daughter, Rain Pryor, says he paved the way for modern Black comedians like Eddie Murphy and Chris Rock.

Pryor saw comedy as his job, not a path to fame. At home, Richard Pryor was introspective. He enjoyed sports and politics and never saw himself as his fans did. Moreover, he felt lucky to escape his small town and find success.

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Richard Pryor passed away on December 1, 2005, and Barbara Walters passed away last year on December 30, 2022.