Celebrity Style: Lela Rochon’s Gold Dress On Sherri

March 31, 2026

Celebrity Style: Lela Rochon’s Gold Dress On Sherri

The stunning Lela Rochon joins Sherri Shepherd to dish on the iconic singalong scene in Waiting to Exhale, sharing that it was completely improvised and confessing she was tongue-tied when meeting her idol, Diana Ross!

For the show, Lela wowed in a fabulous gold metallic stripe The Nia gown with The Juliette caplet, both by Hervé Léger. The compact-knit Nia gown delivers a body-contouring effect, featuring an ombré bandage design and a sleek column silhouette that perfectly complemented the elegant gold caplet.

Sherri opens with a playful, “Look at you, girl! I love your shoes click your heels three times and go do your thing!” They quickly segue to the Super Bowl, where Lela admits she caught only bits of the game from a plane but loved Bad Bunny’s performance, joking that she called all her girlfriends to gush.

Sherri recalls someone once calling Lela “’90s fine” on the red carpet. Lela laughs, explaining how back then, without lace wigs, lash extensions, or filters, everyone had to work with what they had. It made everyone unique: natural hair, rollers, a brown lip gloss, even those little “vampire teeth” smiles that added character. She contrasts it with today, where social media and filters make everyone look alike.

Talking about Waiting to Exhale, Sherri asks if the chemistry among the ladies was scripted. Lela reveals that much of it was improvised: one scene began with the cast locked in a room with champagne, laughing and drinking, and the iconic car singalong happened organically when the dialogue ran out and the song came on.

They honor Whitney Houston, noting her understated yet powerful presence on set jeans, a t-shirt, minimal makeup but full of star energy. Lela also shares a funny story about meeting Diana Ross, describing how starstruck she was sitting next to her in first class, recalling how seeing her as a little girl in Central Park made her dream of being glamorous.

Sherri and Lela then discuss Lela’s new Lifetime movie, The Dating App Killer. Based on a true story, Lela plays Monica White, a recently divorced woman who unknowingly dates a serial killer. Lela emphasizes the cautionary tale for women, highlighting how red flags were ignored. Sherri reminisces about dating in 1999 no cell phones, no technology but somehow staying ahead of the game with friends tracking every move.