A top executive of the Sherri show has been found dead during an investigation into financial irregularities on the show. Matt Uzzle was an executive-in-charge of the daytime talk show hosted by Sherri Shepard, who was reportedly found dead on February 13, though information is only coming to light now. While authorities are not commenting on the open investigation, at least one report is claiming the death was by suicide.
Page Six says that Uzzle was under investigation by the show at the time of his death. His responsibilities on Sherri included dealing with the show's finances, and it seems there were some serious problems there.
Reportedly the rent on the New York studio where Sherri was taped had not been paid since September and there were also concerns regarding petty cash, though it’s not clear exactly what those concerns were. The issues were brought to the attention of the parent company that owns the Sherri show, and an investigation was launched.
Some reports cite sources that were afraid that Sherri might end up being canceled due to the financial problems, though others claim things were not so dire. It does seem that when the parent company launched an investigation, many behind-the-scenes became seriously concerned about the show's future.
The report claims that Uzzle told investigators he needed some time to get the paperwork together regarding the financial questions. After people lost touch with Uzzle and hadn’t heard from him in a few days, a welfare check was performed by police, where he was found dead.
Matt Uzzle had been the executive-in-charge since the days of The Wendy Williams Show. Sherri Shepard took over the show in 2022 following Williams’ departure for health reasons, and much of the crew behind the camera simply moved on from one show to the other, a move which reportedly caused tension on the new Sherri show. The show included an “in memoriam” to Uzzle on February 15, but beyond that, the exec’s death hasn’t been major news.
While the timing of the investigation and the death are certainly coincidental, we certainly shouldn’t jump to conclusions until more information is known. There are many questions left unanswered in the wake of Uzzle’s death, and it’s unclear if there will ever be answers.
The Sherri parent company, Debmar-Mercury, told Page Six it had retained legal counsel as part of its investigation into the financial issues, and until we get more details from both that investigation and the one from the police, it will be impossible to know for certain what has happened here.
Whatever the full story, a man has died and there will be those mourning his death. Matt Uzzle had worked in daytime TV since at least 1994, with jobs on Maury and The Montel Williams Show before working on The Wendy Williams Show.
