Sherri Shepherd Is Engaged

  Sherri Shepherd has found the love she's been looking for: She's newly engaged to TV writer Lamar Sally.

Sally asked for her hand in marriage on Dec. 26 – and it was no ordinary proposal for the View co-host, who also hosts GSN's The Newlywed Game, her rep tells PEOPLE in a statement. "Upon arriving back to Lamar's home in Los Angeles from a trip to San Diego, Sherri was surprised to find their accommodations had been decorated with lights by one of Sal's best friends, her dog was wearing a Santa beard and hat, and, in the middle of a dish of Sherri's favorite but forbidden M&M's (she is diabetic), was a tiny little box," the statement says.

Before Sally popped the question, he sought permission from Shepherd's 5-year-old son, Jeffrey, with a little encouragement in the form of Michael Jackson's The Experience Wii game. "With that, Sal took a knee and, backed up by the King of Pop, popped the question," the statement continues. The two were introduced by Jay Tucker, fiancé of Shepherd's close friend Niecy