Sheryl Patrice Underwood (born October 28, 1963)[1] is an American comedian, actress and television host. She first rose to prominence in the comedy world as the first female finalist in 1989's Miller Lite Comedy Search. Currently, Underwood is one of the hosts on the CBS Daytime talk show The Talk, becoming the show's longest running co-host,[2] a role she first stepped into in September 2011. She has received one Daytime Emmy Award from seven nominations.[3]
Early life
Underwood was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, and later moved to Atwater, California, where she attended high school.[4][5] Her sister, Frankie, was diagnosed with polio. Sheryl is now Frankie's caregiver.[6]
Professional career
After graduating college, Underwood joined the United States Air Force, where she served two years in the reserves.[7] She later gained public notice as the first female finalist in the Miller Lite Comedy Search in 1989.[8] She won the BET "Funniest Female Comedian on Comic View" award in 1994 and the BET Comedy Awards' Platinum Mic Viewers Choice Award in 2005.[9]
Following her stand up success, Underwood took a number of minor acting roles, including Bad Mouth Bessie in the 1998 film I Got the Hook Up and Catfish Rita in the 2005 film Beauty Shop.
Underwood was the host of BET's Comic View and executive producer and host of the limited run comedy/variety series Holla (September 2002 – January 2003).[10]
Sheryl Underwood with a soldier at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, December 12, 2007, as a part of the Sgt. Maj. of the Army's Hope and Freedom tour to entertain deployed troops.The Talk co-hosts Julie Chen, Aisha Tyler, Sharon Osbourne, Sara Gilbert and Sheryl Underwood in 2012.
More recently, Underwood signed a multi-year development deal with CBS Studios.[15]
Personal life
Underwood holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in liberal arts from the University of Illinois at Chicago and master's degrees in media management and mass communication from Governors State University.[16] Underwood once served in the U.S. Armed Forces, and frequently makes jokes about "all the creative places you can get busy on a military base."
Underwood is a lifetime member of Zeta Phi Beta sorority, first joining in 1990.[8][11] She served as president of the organization's Omicron Rho Zeta chapter, as the National Chair of Honorary Members, National Executive Board Chair and International Grand Basileus.[11]
In addition to the Zeta Phi Beta sorority, Underwood is also a member of the National Council of Negro Women and the NAACP.[8] She also founded the African-American Female Comedian Association.[8]
In the fall of 2011, Underwood revealed that after dating seven years, her husband—who might have suffered from clinical depression—died by suicide after they had been married three years.[20]
Zeta Phi Beta presidency
Underwood was elected as the 23rd International Grand Basileus (President) during Zeta Phi Beta's biennial business meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2008. Her election as Grand Basileus was disputed, but District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Gerald I. Fisher dismissed a lawsuit against the sorority and Underwood that asked the court to unseat her.[11][21][22]
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