Sherri Shepherd may have confirmed Thursday that Jenny McCarthy is signing on to be a permanent co-host on The View.

Shepherd, who was not present for co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck's last episode Wednesday, admitted that she was sad about her departure but hopeful for McCarthy's new position.

"Jenny McCarthy is fearless," Shepherd told TMZ. "She's amazing. She'll cause some stuff, so I'm excited about her."

A deal has not yet been confirmed for McCarthy to replace Hasselbeck on the daily talk show, but Enstars previously reported that producers were close to having her sign on.

When asked about Hasselbeck, Shepherd admitted that she was "really depressed" about her departure from The View, especially since she couldn't be there to say goodbye. She solemnly concluded that she had "been with Elisabeth for almost eight years."

See the video of her comments here.

Shepherd discussed McCarthy potentially being a replacement on June 17 on The Wendy Williams Show. Discussing the frontrunners for the newly available co-host positions, Shepherd and host Wendy Williams agreed that McCarthy and model/actress Brooke Shields had the best chances.

Shepherd said at the time that McCarthy is a woman who will "try anything, anywhere, anytime," and also called her "fearless."

Joy Behar confirmed on Thursday's episode of The View that she would be leaving the show in four weeks. The comedienne has been on the panel since the show began in 1997 along with Barbara Walters.

As for Walters, the longtime television personality will be retiring in May 2014, which is also when she'll be leaving The View.

This leaves only Shepherd and actress Whoopi Goldberg as current co-hosts who have no plans to exit the show. Shepherd joked in her interview with Williams that "the two black women are left."

"Usually they kill us off in the beginning!" she quipped.

The View airs Monday through Friday on ABC at 11 a.m.

Watch Shepherd's June discussion with Williams here:

Tags: The View sherri shepherd jenny mccarthy Elisabeth Hasselbeck