On Friday, comedianne Sheryl Underwood from “The Talk” will drop in for a guest appearance on “The Young and the Restless.”
Underwood will play a justice of the peace at a surprise wedding on February 10.
Underwood recently sat down and chatted with TV Guide Magazine about her passion for soaps, politics and her latest TV projects.
TV Guide Magazine: My spies tell me you’re often seen with soap magazines spilling out of your purse. True?
Underwood: Soap Opera Digest is my bible! I watch all the soaps. I can’t believe this little girl from Arkansas got to be on Y&R. It was the bomb!
TV Guide Magazine: So how’d you do in your big suds debut?
Underwood: I was so nervous, I couldn’t eat and I couldn’t sleep. It takes a lot of mental dexterity to do a soap, but it was just phenomenal. A few days before I did my scenes I was performing in Washington, D.C., at the D.C. Improv and Debbi Morgan [Y&R’s Harmony] came to see my show. I told her to tell the people at Y&R that I was not coming in intending to be funny and that I would not be needing a billion takes. I was concerned that maybe they wouldn’t think I was taking this seriously because I’m a standup comic. I was dead serious and needed them to know that. I want to do that show again! Who else needs marrying in Genoa City?
TV Guide Magazine: Do people think you’re crazy to obsess over the soaps so much?
Underwood: If you don’t get it, you don’t get it. All soap fans know each other, whether we go to the meeting or not. We get each other. The hardest thing for me is staying at a hotel where there’s no TiVo or DVR. I gotta use the bathroom, but no! I can’t. I don’t wanna miss a thing. I may need to order me some lunch but I will starve to find out who’s the daddy of that baby!
TV Guide Magazine: It can’t be easy being a Republican in La La Land. How’s that going for you?
Underwood: Most of the Republicans in Hollywood won’t admit they’re Republicans. It’s been rough for me sometimes. Some positions I’ve taken have been misunderstood so I’ve learned to articulate my entire opinion on things. There were times I didn’t get work not just because of my political point of view but also because of my feelings about sexual orientation. Now I take great pains to make sure my opinions are clearly stated. It’s never my intention to hurt anyone but it is my intention to always be respected for having a brain. I want Obama to win a second term! Are you with me on that?
TV Guide Magazine: Amen, baby! Now let me ask you this: Why were you so instantly comfortable on The Talk, a show that is famous for firing cohosts? You hit the ground running. You showed no nerves. It’s kind of remarkable.
Underwood: Because I’m embraced for being me. In fact, these women make me a better me. We can have diverse opinions but we don’t argue. We never get mad at each other. And to have two versions of the African-American female experience on this show is such a plus. Aisha Tyler is hood. I’m very conservative. It’s like watching Octavia and Viola from The Help. Being on The Talk felt great right from the beginning. When I first met with Julie Chen and Sara Gilbert there was an instant closeness. It was the best first date in the world. Then I met Sharon Osbourne for breakfast at the Beverly Hills Hotel. I have a nice suit on. I think things are going good. And then all of a sudden she threw up on me. Seriously! I’m thinking, is she in gastric distress or drinking too early in the morning? But I loved her. [Laughs] And the next thing I knew, I had the job!
