Fans of the 57-year-old media maven have been eagerly awaiting her return to her Fox TV hit daytime talk series The Wendy Williams Show, but the former Hot 97 personality’s health has struggled to recover since contracting a breakthrough case of COVID-19 in early September.
The season 13 premiere of The Wendy Williams Show was delayed a number of times because of the star’s ongoing health troubles. Wendy was originally set to kick off the debut of the show’s new season on Oct. 4, but plans were delayed in order for the star to seek treatment for her “ongoing medical issues,” a statement from her Wendy Show social media account claimed. The New Jersey native’s debut was then scheduled for Oct. 18, but days later, another statement on behalf of the gossipy commentator was released noting that the star would be further delaying her return because of “serious complications stemming from her battle with “Graves Disease and her thyroid condition.” Graves Disease leads to the overproduction of thyroid hormones and can cause wide-ranging symptoms drastically affecting overall health.
A number of guest hosts have been tapped to cover for the “Ask Wendy” author during her long hiatus including comedian Whitney Cummings and The View’s Sherri Shepherd, who held down hosting duties earlier this month. However, fans continue to speculate when and if Williams will ever make it back to her coveted purple chair. In recent months, a slew of rumors and stories have surfaced about the revered talk show host’s waning health woes.
Wendy’s Wheel Chair & Dementia Allegations
Reports surfaced earlier this week that Williams’ health was beginning to decline significantly after The Rickey Smiley Morning Show’s Toine The Don, also known as Antoine Edwards, shared a startling update about the mother of one’s condition.
“It is being reported that the 57-year-old talk show host has completely lost all blood circulation in her legs and in her feet,” Toine said during a Nov. 22 episode of the nationally syndicated radio show. The pop culture news reporter also received word that Wendy had been suffering from the early stages of dementia. On his Instagram page, Toine noted that the entertainment group Lionsgate “had Wendy stored away under lock key to prevent another boozed and vodka-filled depression.”
However, her younger brother Tommy struck down the show’s claims during an interview with The Sun. Tommy, a burgeoning Youtube personality, told the outlet that Wendy was not “displaying that type of behavior to the family,” and that they “haven’t had any alerts like that and I haven’t seen anything like that or have had conversations with her that would lead me to believe that.”
“We routinely go up and check on Wendy even though we’re all down here in Florida,” he added. “I try to make it up there and my dad speaks with Wendy frequently. So no, we don’t have any concerns concerning her mental state. It’s all physical.”
Some Staffers Accuse Williams Of Binge Drinking & Drug Use
Following her “breakthrough case of COVID-19,” reports say Wendy was allegedly admitted to a psychiatric hospital where she was undergoing evaluation for her struggles with drug addiction.
The Hunter Foundation founder has been open about her struggles with cocaine addiction in the past. On a May 2019 episode of The Wendy Williams Show, Wendy revealed that she had been living in a sober house to seek treatment.
Williams said that every day after filming her show in New York City that she would attend various meetings with other individuals struggling with addiction around the tri-state area. She would then be driven to the sober house by her 24-hour sober coach. A tearful Wendy told viewers live on air that she had no clue how she was able to kick her addiction.
“God was just sitting on my shoulder and I just stopped,” she said at the time.
Some staffers on set accused Williams of binge drinking. Sources close to the show’s production revealed the shocking news in a separate interview with The Sun back in September.
“Wendy was drinking every day, even while filming the show,” one insider said. Other members on set claimed that they could smell the liquor on her. Several sources shared that the popular daytime host appeared to be “wheelchair-bound and bruised” when she came on set in early September noting that she was “stressed” and “lonely.”
Her Difficult Divorce From Ex-Husband Kevin Hunter
Wendy and her ex-husband have had a difficult and complicated relationship that some have attributed to the cause of her declining health.
Williams jumped the broom with Hunter in 1997 but later filed for divorce in 2019. Hunter, who worked closely with Williams as an executive producer on The Wendy Williams Show, allegedly cheated on the media titan during their 22-year-long marriage. Their relationship came to a boiling point after Hunter’s mistress, Sharina Hudson, gave birth to their daughter in 2019.
The no-holds-barred TV host said she knew her former husband was “a serial cheat” for years.
“He’s happy and that’s a tough pill for Wendy to swallow, especially since she hasn’t found someone yet,” the confidante said, according to Bossip. “It’s tough being Wendy and dating in such a bright spotlight. She is having a hard time. Meanwhile, Kevin has always been so private. Which is the complete opposite of Wendy who gossips publicly for a living.”
How It All Started
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What Happened To Wendy Williams? Why TV Icon Deserves Her Flowers Now was originally published on newsone.com