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Sherri Shepherd recently received the star treatment in quite an unexpected way. While waiting for a flight at the airport in New Orleans, she found herself being welcomed into Delta's Sky Lounge special area. Why? Someone thought she was Oscar-winning actress Octavia Spencer [3]. Sherri hilariously reported on the case of mistaken identity in a recent Instagram post while she was still at the airport.
"Octavia, I am in the VIP lounge in the airport in New Orleans," she started the clip in a hushed tone. "This guy is being really loud. He wants to know why I haven't been nominated for another Oscar this year, and now everybody here is wondering why I haven't also been nominated for another Oscar." She went on to share how people keep telling her how much they loved her in Hidden Figures [4] and The Help [5] — two critically acclaimed films that star Octavia (not Sherri). "They think that I am Octavia Spencer, and I can't tell them that I'm Sherri Shepherd because they're going to throw me out of the VIP lounge."
People of color often have to remind others that not everyone of the same ethnicity looks alike. This also isn't the first time Sherri has been mistaken for Octavia [6]. But, you know, I'm not mad at Sherri for using this to her advantage. And the way she handled the entire situation has me in actual pain from laughing so hard. Octavia hasn't responded yet, but since the two are friends [7], I'm sure she doesn't mind.