Shepherd joins ‘View’ full time

And then there were five.

Comedian Sherri Shepherd officially joined ABC’s “The View” on Monday, filling the seat vacated by Star Jones Reynolds last year.

“Well, this is the worst-kept secret,” said Barbara Walters, the daytime talk show’s co-executive producer, as she introduced Shepherd to the cheering audience.

“Oh my gosh, I’m actually one the girls!” exclaimed a beaming Shepherd, who has been a guest host on the program nearly two dozen times.

Shepherd, a former legal secretary, is a stand-up comic who most recently appeared in the movie “Who’s Your Caddy?” She’s had roles on sitcoms such as “Friends,” “Suddenly Susan” and “Less Than Perfect.”

“People who don’t know who Sherri Shepherd is, I’m the black girl on all the white shows,” she quipped.

With the addition of Shepherd and moderator Whoopi Goldberg this season, “The View” has a full complement of panelists for the first time since the spring of 2006.

-- Matea Gold