Sherri Shepherd Breaks Silence After Judge Declares Her Legal Mother of Unwanted Surrogate Baby (VIDEO)
Sherri Shepherd has broken her silence in a televised interview one week after a Pennsylvania judge declared that she is the legal mother of a surrogate baby that she does not want.
The former "The View" co-host was cheerful but evasive when asked about a recent legal battle with her estranged husband, Lamar Sally, over 8-month-old Lamar Junior (L.J.), who was born via a surrogate.
Last year, Sally, 43, sued Shepherd, 47, for child support and won the case last week when a judge ruled in his favor and Shepherd is now listed as the baby boy's legal mother on his birth certificate even though she wanted nothing to do with him.
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"Under the circumstances I'm doing really, really extremely well," Shepherd told ET's Nancy O'Dell while promoting her upcoming movie "Woodlawn." "I don't care what I go through, nothing gets me down. You know me. I will smile my way through anything. You know, I think working, keeping busy keeps my mind centered. And [my son] Jeffrey ... I am moving along."
Sally, who has been caring for baby L.J. since he was born, claimed in court documents that Shepherd agreed to have a baby with him using a surrogate and that she abruptly changed her mind when the marriage began to crumble. Shepherd, who has a 10-year-old son from her previous marriage, argued that her scriptwriter ex defrauded her into the agreement.
Ultimately the judge sided with Sally and the estranged couple must now face a judge in L.A. to make arrangements for child support.
"Life is difficult so you hang tough and you keep going. People who know me, my character, my integrity, I feel it speaks for itself," she said. "Everybody has their challenges, Nancy, and everybody goes through something … right now is my challenge."
Last week, Sally demanded that Shepherd apologize for making what he deemed to be false claims against him.
"I want her to go on television and apologize the same way that she went on there and accused me of being a gold digger and tricking her into having a baby," Sally told TMZ.com.
The ruling comes more than two months after the estranged couple's surrogate spoke out against the actress. Jessica Bartholomew, a 23-year-old waitress and single mom, was reportedly paid $30,000 by the pair to be their gestational surrogate and conceived the baby using Sally's sperm but not Shepherd's egg.
"I am angry with Sherri because she never once contacted me to tell me what was happening. It was kind of like I was left out in the cold," Bartholomew previously told "Inside Edition," adding that if given the opportunity, "I would ask Sherri why she did what she did if she thought it was okay to do something like that ... I just don't understand how she can act like this baby is nonexistent. It just blows my mind."
In September last year, Shepherd, who sought comfort in the Bible during her bitter lawsuit, said there is more to the story than what has been reported in the media.
"Remember there is always more sides to a story than the 'exclusive' stories one person is selling for money to the tabloids," Shepherd wrote previously in a private message to blogger Sandra Rose. "Truth to come out unless you are of the same ilk as everyone else. God Bless."
The couple, who met through mutual friends at a party, tied the knot in 2011 and Sally claims Shepherd insisted on having a baby from the very get go.
Shepherd previously offered Sally a one-time $100,000 payment and $3,000 in monthly child support, even though she changed her mind about the baby, however, he reportedly declined as he wanted more.
Under the terms of their alleged "ironclad prenup," Sally waived all rights to collect spousal support from Shepherd and her $100,000 offer is said to be more than he is entitled to under the agreement.
"Lamar rejected the offer, and countered that he wanted $10,000 in child support, which Sherri thinks is ridiculous and absolutely won't pay. At this point, the divorce isn't likely to settle without a trial, which Sherri is more than willing to have," a source previously told RadarOnline.com.
