Lifestyle Holiday Halloween Sherri Shepherd Recreates Iconic Met Gala Looks from Cardi, Kim, Rihanna and Tyla for Halloween Show (Exclusive) PEOPLE has all the details about the Oct. 31-episode of the comedian's self-titled talk show By Dave Quinn Dave Quinn Dave Quinn is a Senior Editor for PEOPLE. He has been working at the brand since 2016, and is the author of the No. 1 New York Times best-selling book, Not All Diamonds and Rosé: The Inside Story of the Real Housewives from the People Who Lived It. People Editorial Guidelines and Chiara Kim Chiara Kim Chiara Kim is an Editorial Intern for PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2024. Her work has previously appeared in The Daily Northwestern and Cycling Weekly. People Editorial Guidelines Published on October 31, 2024 09:00AM EDT Comments Sherri Shepherd . Photo: Jocelyn Prescod/SHERRI (4) Sherri Shepherd is serving lewks this spooky season. For the Oct. 31-episode of Sherri, the comedian is throwing her own Halloween Fashion Gala, where she rocks a whopping four fashion-forward outfits. PEOPLE was on hand for the filming of the episode, and has the exclusive First Look at Shepherd's ensembles. If her styles seem familiar, that's because she's recreating some of the most memorable Met Gala looks from years past — ones first worn by Cardi B, Kim Kardashian, Rihanna and Tyla. Shepherd got the idea to honor these icons of the industry after last season's epic Halloween show, in which she dressed in six of Beyoncé's outfits from the Renaissance Tour. "Now how do you top that?" she asks PEOPLE, when reflecting on how the theme was chosen. "You top it with the Met Gala." 47 Easy Celebrity Costumes You Can Recreate This Halloween Sherri Shepherd recreating Cardi B's 2019 Met Gala look. Jocelyn Prescod/SHERRI Enter Sherri's talented glam team, led by stylists Willie Sinclair III and his second in command, Chanel Smith, who helped picked and design what Shepherd would be wearing. "We wanted to make sure that we did something that was show-stopping, but still worked for daytime." Sinclair explains. "It couldn't be too crazy, but it still had to give viewers that Met Gala essence; that opulence and glamour." "It had to elevate everything, and also be fun," adds Shepherd. "You know, I grew up watching talk shows and I always loved the Halloween shows and seeing what people were wearing. So I knew when I had my own show, I'd want to continue it and make it big. I want people to say, 'What is Sherri going to be doing?' I wanted it to be big so they'd never forget." Sherri Shepherd as Kim Kardashian. Jocelyn Prescod/SHERRI Why Barbara Walters Taught Sherri Shepherd to Lower Her Voice: 'Now I Can't Stop Talking Like a Man' (Exclusive) An initial list of 20 fits throughout the years were chosen, and then narrowed down to the top four by the host herself. "I think we chose some really outstanding looks," says Shepherd. "Cardi, Kim, Rihanna, Tyla, these are all women who made such a mark. And we wanted really strong women; that was kind of the underlying theme." Narrowing down the list was one thing; creating the costumes proved to be its own challenge. "Oh my gosh, it was a lot," Sinclair recalls. "We kind of started with the most complicated, which were the looks from Cardi B and Tyla, and then worked backwards from there. And we didn't have a lot of time, either. I think overall, we probably made all the looks in three and a half weeks; much shorter than last year." Sherri Shepherd recreates Rihanna's 2023 Met Gala look. Jocelyn Prescod/SHERRI Makeup artist Rodney Jon and hairstylist Theo Barrett next came in to complete the looks, putting their own stamp on these starry styles. “Drawing inspiration from the most unforgettable fashion moments at the Met Gala, I created makeup looks for Sherri that highlighted her beauty and worth," Jon says, noting it was all about "making her feel confident and empowered." "It was important to capture a similar look with a Sherri twist," adds Barrett. "For Kim Kardashian's look, I gave Sherri a sleek ponytail with 40 inches of hair weighing close to 5 lbs. and transformed her into Tyla with a cute and sexy lace front wave." Sherri Shepherd and her audience at the 2024 Halloween episode of 'Sherri,' the comedian's self-titled daytime talk show. Jocelyn Prescod/SHERRI Sherri Shepherd Has Ghostbusters Star Ernie Hudson Sign Her Chest on TV: 'Been Waiting for Years to Ask' Also transformed was Sherri's entire studio. Lush florals and flowing curtains flanked the set, where a white carpet had been set up for Shepherd to walk down as if she were entering a theater. Every time she debuted another outfit at "Sherri's Halloween Fashion Gala," she was greeted by a chorus of photographer extras taking her picture. Elevating the experience further was a studio audience all dressed in formal wear. For one photo, they stood on the raised risers — doubling for the Met Gala steps — alongside two faux hedges, added for definition. There were even André Leon Talley and Anna Wintour lookalikes, whom Shepherd posed with. Sherri Shepherd as Cardi B poses with André Leon Talley and Anna Wintour lookalikes on the Halloween episode of the 'Sherri' show, airing Oct. 31, 2024. Jocelyn Prescod/SHERRI The biggest challenge for the glam squad was getting Shepherd through those costume changes. "We didn't have much time between those commercial breaks, so that was really, really difficult," says Sinclair. "But we worked through it. We were able to create a new area backstage, so we didn't have to go as far, and we tried to make everything really easy to get out of with industrial zippers and inner padding built into it she didn't have to wear much shapewear." "Oh, they gave me hips, which was such a tear. They gave me an hourglass figure!" Shepherd jokes. "And that's what I love about Willie, Chanel and everyone who worked on these dresses: they didn't do cheap knockoffs. Everything looked ... I think I could literally wear all these out again. And I just might!" Here's more to know about the making of each costume: 01 of 04 Jawn Murray and Sherri Shepherd as A$AP Rocky and Rihanna Jawn Murray and Sherri Shepherd; A$AP Rocky and Rihanna. Jocelyn Prescod/SHERRI; ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty To kick things off, Shepherd recreated the all-white Valentino dress Rihanna wore to the 2023 Met Gala, complete with its flowing A-line skirt and hooded floral top. The accessorizes — from the fingerless white silk gloves, bold red lip and those wild cat-eyed sunglasses with false eyelashes — matched perfectly. "That was one of the easier ones to do," says Sinclair of the total recreation. "That whole dress was made using over 25 yards fabric and we handcrafted 46 different petals for the flowers. It really turned out great." Choosing Rihanna's Met Gala memory also gave Sherri executive producer Jawn Murray a role in the action. He transformed into Rihanna's partner, A$AP Rocky, and like the rapper, made a show-stopping statement in a red plaid high-low kilt which he wore over bedazzled wide-leg jeans. Murray added a white shirt, dark blazer, dark tie, sunglasses and black shoes, too. 02 of 04 Sherri Shepherd as Kim Kardashian Sherri Shepherd and Kim Kardashian. Jocelyn Prescod/SHERRI; Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Kardashian's head-to-toe black Balenciaga ensemble from the 2021 Met Gala was up next. When The Kardashians star showed up on the carpet, her custom outfit featured a long-sleeve turtleneck bodysuit worn under an oversized T-shirt dress with a long pleated train. She completed the look with jersey boots, jersey gloves and a mask that covered her face and head (though she still wore a full face of makeup beneath it!). Shepherd appeared to have grabbed the garb directly from Kardashian's closet. "That was the easiest to do, just because of the fabric," remembers Sinclair. "We got the black boots for her, and basically built everything up from there." It also came in handy, being one of the few clothing items from the day Shepherd could actually sit in. "We knew she had to have her interview look, and Kim's was the easiest to do that," says Sinclair. "That was Kim Kardashian's, you can't tell me otherwise," Shepherd says. 03 of 04 Sherri Shepherd as Tyla Sherri Shepherd and Tyla. Jocelyn Prescod/SHERRI; Jamie McCarthy/Getty Tyla made her Met Gala debut in 2024, leaving an impression as she was lifted up the steps of the famed Metropolitan Museum of Art in a form-fitting strapless Balmain gown which featured a plaster body mold and organza train fully covered in three shades of sand mixed with micro crystal studs. The South African singer — decked out for the Gala's theme of "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion" — even carried an hourglass clutch, and later had a viral moment when Balmain creative director Olivier Rousteing chopped off a bulk of the skirt off her sculptural dress inside the event. To recreate the head-turning moment, the team had to be extra creative. "Our designer, Roderick Reyes, did that specific costume," Sinclair says. "We started by making a bust of Sherri, literally wrapping her in Duct Tape to get a mold of her body and a T-shirt cut out of it, and then we built on top of that, using Elmer's Glue and sand to achieve that texture." The final effect left Shepherd gagged. "How they came up with a dress that they plastered on my body and put sand on it? And the sand stayed? I'll never know," she says. "But when we commit to it, we do it." 04 of 04 Sherri Shepherd as Cardi B Sherri Shepherd and Cardi B. Jocelyn Prescod/SHERRI; Neilson Barnard/Getty A version of Cardi B's epic gown from the 2019 Met Gala capped off Sherri's 2024 Halloween show. Fans will remember Cardi brought the red carpet with her to the Met, covered head to toe in a custom oxblood Thom Browne gown made from tulle and silk organza that was embellished with 30,000 feathers and featured a train which extended outward in concentric circles for about 10 feet. She topped the look off with a beaded headpiece that Browne made in collaboration with Stephen Jones. Shepherd's version of the red dress, Sinclair says, was complex in and of itself. It was envisioned by designer Todd Fisher and took "over 200 hours of sewing" from his team, who worked overnight in the days leading up to the episode to make sure the proportions were just right. They went a little more simpler too, Sinclair points out. "They wanted to make it cruelty-free, which is why we didn't do the feathers and went with ruffles instead. But it makes a similar impact." It certainly did to Shepherd. "I think the grandeur of Cardi B was, it was a perfect ender," she says. "With all of the flow in red, you couldn't beat it." "I'm happy with how it all came out," she says, looking back on the whole show. "Now we just got to figure out how we're going to top the Met theme next year..." Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Sherri airs weekdays in syndication (check local listings). Close