Shepherd has been incredibly busy for decades, landing stand-up gigs and acting roles left, right, and center. While she’s received numerous awards and recognition for her work, her romantic life hasn’t been as successful. It’s a cautionary tale of deception, a bizarre contract preventing weight gain, and a messy child support battle. If you’re not a fan of snack plugs, it might be best to skip ahead.
Sherry tied the knot with Jeffrey Tarpley back in 2001. But in 2006, she faced a terrifying pre-term labor, giving birth to their son Jeffrey Jr., who weighed only one pound and ten ounces. She spent countless months in and out of the neonatal intensive care unit, dedicated to her son’s well-being. However, her world came crashing down when she discovered pictures of her husband with another woman, who she later found out was pregnant with his child.
Sherry was like, “Hold up, hold up, that’s it. You don’t need to worry about me.” After she filed for divorce, which got finalized in 2009, Jeff ended up with $131 a month in child support. Despite the tough time, Sherry told TMZ she’d jump into marriage again if given the chance. She wasted no time and hooked up with a guy named Lamar Sally. Sherry spilled to D.L. Hughley that Lamar was just a struggling writer when they first met. They were smart and got a prenup before tying the knot in August 2011. But things got tricky when Lamar wanted to tweak the prenup after the wedding. He added stuff like:
“I totally respect my hubby’s views and see him as the head of our home. I promise to always speak highly of him. I find happiness in submitting to my hubby as a way to honor God. I’m all about getting intimate with him, and I’m totally down to be free and open. Plus, I’m committed to keeping my body in shape, hitting the gym at least three times a week.”
Sherry stood firm, refusing to sign the amendment. After some deliberation, they opted for surrogacy to start a family. But Sherry confided to People magazine, “I struggled to voice my own needs and wants, fearing it could strain our relationship.” Lamar’s sperm and a donor egg were used to conceive the baby. By the time the surrogate was 20 weeks pregnant, Sherry and Lamar completed paperwork to secure their parental rights on the birth certificate. However, their marriage was already unraveling. Lamar filed for legal separation in May 2014, reportedly represented by the same lawyer who handled Kevin Federline’s divorce from Britney Spears. He held off on divorce proceedings due to California’s six-month residency rule; having only lived there for three months, he had to wait a bit longer before moving forward.
As they anticipated the arrival of their child in July 2014, Lamar took the bold step of petitioning the court for full legal and physical custody, leaving Sherry with only visitation rights. Surprisingly, Sherry responded by refusing to acknowledge herself as the child’s mother on the birth certificate, and within days, she filed for divorce in New Jersey, citing irreconcilable differences, without even mentioning the baby on the way. Instead, she focused on enforcing their prenuptial agreement, which would grant Lamar a settlement of a mere sixty thousand dollars if their marriage lasted between two to five years. Lamar, on the other hand, retaliated by seeking spousal support and aiming to nullify the prenup due to alleged fraud.
Delving deeper into the situation, the fraud claim doesn’t seem far-fetched. Sherry raked in a whopping one million dollars in 2010, while Lamar’s earnings amounted to just thirty thousand dollars, including a meager nine thousand from unemployment benefits. Upholding the prenup would’ve essentially left Lamar penniless. And if that wasn’t enough drama, Sherry’s ex-husband, Jeff, suddenly resurfaced, filing an urgent request to alter the custody arrangement for their son, Jeff Jr. Jeff painted a bleak picture, accusing Sherry of neglecting their nine-year-old son’s special needs. According to him, Sherry habitually left their son in the care of unqualified individuals, leading to academic struggles like poor writing skills, reading at a second-grade level, and difficulty tying his shoes.
He also mentioned that Sherry hadn’t properly taught their son how to take care of himself, leading to concerns about hygiene. Jeff sought to have Sherry’s custody revoked, which would also mean he could ask for more child support. TMZ reported Sherry’s response, where she called Jeff an absent father who didn’t deserve to be in their son’s life. In the end, the judge ruled in Sherry’s favor, allowing her to keep primary physical custody of their son, leaving Jeff with the $131 per month in child support. Meanwhile, as Lamar and Sherry’s divorce proceedings continued, they neared the due date of their surrogate. Lamar was excited to welcome their new child, but reportedly worried that Sherry wasn’t as enthusiastic. With the baby due on July 28th, Lamar was upset to learn that Sherry had booked a job just nine days before the due date, feeling it was too close for comfort. Sources told TMZ that Lamar warned Sherry that missing the birth would be unforgivable. However, it’s possible Sherry booked the job because she didn’t plan to attend the birth or be heavily involved in the child’s life.
On July 5th, 2015, just 23 days before the surrogate was due to give birth, insiders spilled the beans to TMZ about Sherry’s stance on the unborn child. Apparently, she wanted nothing to do with it. The inside scoop was that Sherry believed her estranged husband had pulled a fast one on her, orchestrating the pregnancy to milk her for child support. And since the baby was conceived with Lamar’s sperm and someone else’s egg, Sherry washed her hands of any custody claims or parental responsibilities. She even went as far as asking the judge to legally affirm her non-parental status, leaving Lamar as the sole daddy responsible for footing the bill. But Lamar’s camp fired back, saying Sherry had initially pursued pregnancy through in vitro fertilization and only turned to surrogacy as a last resort, so she should chip in for childcare. Despite a shower full of gifts and cash, Lamar claimed Sherry didn’t contribute squat. The surrogate delivered the baby in Philadelphia in August 2014, with Lamar dubbing the child Lamar Jr. Amidst the legal drama, the surrogate had to file a lawsuit just to get Sherry’s name on the birth certificate. In the meantime, Lamar stepped up and took the child back to California. Sherry reportedly offered Lamar a hefty $150,000 to settle their custody spat, but he turned it down. Sherry later hinted that Lamar was only after her money.
After rumors swirled that he was peddling intimate photos of Sherry online, Lamar vehemently denied the accusations, branding them as outright lies. He suggested that had Sherry been more affectionate and shared fresh photos with him, their marriage might have endured. However, in April 2015, a judge ruled that Sherry would be legally recognized as the child’s mother. Consequently, her name was formally added to the birth certificate. Lamar insisted that Sherry publicly apologize on national television for branding him a gold digger. Their divorce was finalized in July 2015, with Sherry agreeing to shell out $4,100 monthly in child support, a figure that would jump to $4,600 once their child turned 13. Despite Sherry’s repeated attempts to challenge the ruling in court, her efforts fell flat.
Come July 2019, during an interview with D.L. Hughley, Sherry didn’t hold back, describing Lamar as a sorry excuse for a man and confessing that she only married him due to loneliness. Lamar didn’t take kindly to her remarks, hitting back and airing his grievances about Sherry’s constant belittling. He even went as far as accusing her of sabotaging his writing prospects. Sherry didn’t back down, offering to lend him a hand in finding work to break free from relying on her.
Sherry reveals that she currently has no relationship with her child. Speaking on The Dr. Oz Show, she expressed her decision to step back, believing it’s better for the child to have parents who get along. She emphasized the importance of him having a loving, committed mother figure in his life. However, Sherry’s stance has drawn criticism, with some labeling her a deadbeat. Furthermore, she finds herself in the uncomfortable position of paying child support to Two Men, which she openly resents. Venting on Twitter in 2017, she argued that it was unfair, especially considering her long work hours compared to Lamar’s. She also accused her ex-husband of influencing Lamar against her. Concluding the tumultuous saga, Sherry acknowledges her responsibility in her choices. If you found this update intriguing, share your thoughts below