Sherri Shepherd said late broadcaster Barbara Walters made her cry daily for three years during her time on "The View" but shared that the experience helped her to develop her confidence as a TV personality.

Shepherd, 58, opened up about her time on the ABC talk show during an interview on "The Jamie Kern Lima Show" podcast. Shepherd joined the TV show's panel in 2007 and remained until 2014.

"For me, it was one of the best experiences of my life. I did cry for three years. Barbara Walters made me cry for three years straight, but what I learned, she taught me how to find my voice," Shepherd said. "I found my voice on that show. I joke, I say, now my voice is deep because Barbara told me when your voice is deeper, it projects confidence."

Walters died Dec. 30, 2022, at age 93.

During the podcast, Shepherd described her start on the show as difficult, saying that because of her religious upbringing, she was not used to speaking openly.

"I was taught to look at the ground when I talk," she said, adding that she initially avoided interrupting other panelists because she feared conflict.

"It was a lot of failures, it was a lot of humiliations. When I got on 'The View,' it was everything I hated to do, I had to do every day … I was a very fearful person," she said.

Shepherd recalled Walters insisting she prepare thoroughly before speaking on issues.

"She was like, 'Read a book, know why you're saying what you're saying, to defend what you're saying,'" Shepherd said. "It's OK if you fall; it's OK to make a mistake. That's what I learned."

Shepherd added that the pressure initially affected her health.

"I'm stressing, I'm gaining weight, I'm eating so much because I'm stuffing all these feelings inside. It feels so good to say, 'This is what I feel,'" she said.

Shepherd left "The View" in 2014 but has returned for guest appearances, including a 2023 tribute following Walters' death.

"I remember feeling so protective of this woman who was so protective all the time of me, who would ferociously defend me no matter what gaffes I made at the table," Shepherd said at the time, according to Entertainment Weekly.

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