Chiquita Renee Shepard (July 15, 1951 – March 16, 2026), known professionally as Kiki Shepard, was an American television host, actress and dancer best known as the co-host of Showtime at the Apollo from 1987 to 2002.
Early years
Shepard was born on July 15, 1951, in Tyler, Texas, She ranked in the top division of her class there and received a $125 scholarship from the Zeta Phi Beta sorority. She competed in the Tyler (Texas) Junior Miss pageant in 1968,
Shepard attended North Texas State University and graduated in the top 10 percent of her class.
She worked as an actress and voice actor. She performed in several Broadway theatre productions in the 1970s and 1980s. They included Bubbling Brown Sugar (1976), Comin' Uptown (1979), Reggae (1980), Your Arms Too Short to Box With God (1980, 1982), and Porgy and Bess (1983).
Shepard appeared in the film The Wiz (1978). Her work on television included being co-star of Showtime at the Apollo for 16 years, hosting Live in Hollywood, and portraying singer Trelawney in Thunder in Paradise.
She co-starred in Single Black Female, a play that premiered in Wilmington, Delaware, in 2011.
Death
Shepard was honored at the International Women's Day Gospel Brunch on March 8, 2026, at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. She died from a heart attack in Los Angeles eight days later, on March 16, at the age of 74.
Acting credits
Television
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
|+
|-
| Year
| Title
| Role
| Notes
|-
| 1987–2002
| Showtime at the Apollo
| co-host
| 96 episodes
|-
| 1991–1992
| A Different World
| Dr. Sutherland, Vanna Black
| rowspan="3"|2 episodes
|-
| 1993
| Baywatch
| Sophie Jones
|-
| 1995–1996
| Baywatch Nights
| Madame Trudor, Charlene
|-
| 2001–2002
| NYPD Blue
| Marta
| 3 episodes
|-
| 2009
| Everybody Hates Chris
| Herself
|
|-
| 2022
| Blackjack Christmas
| Yollette
|
|-
| rowspan="3"|2024
| Mind Your Business
| Mildred
| 2 episodes
|-
| Grey's Anatomy
| Erika Desai
| 1 episode
|-
|}
Theater
{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Title
|-
| 1976
| Bubbling Brown Sugar
|-
| 1979
| Comin' Uptown
|-
| 1980
| Reggae
|-
| 1980, 1982
| Your Arms Too Short to Box with God
|-
| 1983
| Porgy and Bess
|-
|}