Wendy Williams

'The Wendy Williams Show' has officially ended after nearly 14 years, with Sherri Shepherd paying tribute to the original host in an emotional farewell: ...

If you think about it, Wendy Williams changed daytime talk." "The final original episode of The Wendy Williams Show will air on Friday, June 17, with a video tribute to the iconic host," a spokesperson for the show told EW on Tuesday. "The series comes to an end after 13 successful years in syndication." "Most of all, we have to thank you, Wendy Williams," Shepherd said to a flood of applause.

Wendy Williams's pioneering talk show came to a confounding end Friday after 14 seasons, the last of which she didn't host.

When Debmar-Mercury announced the cancellation of “The Wendy Williams Show” in March, Williams had not hosted a single episode of the 14th season. After nearly 13 years of national syndication, “The Wendy Williams Show” aired its final episode on June 17. When “The Apprentice” breakout appeared on “The Wendy Williams Show” to promote her 2008 book, things started out on a friendly note as Manigault and Williams exchanged a hug and a pair of air kisses. Right up to the very last episode, the credit reads “Just Wendy.” Sexual-abuse and harassment allegations were consistently a dicey subject for Williams. When actress Keke Palmer appeared on the show in 2017, Williams questioned her about a lawsuit Palmer had filed for “ sexual intimidation” against singer Trey Songz. “I don’t want to keep browbeating that one situation,” Palmer said. In a stunning moment, Williams, who has been open about struggling with cocaine abuse during the height of her radio career, revealed on the air that she had been staying at a sober-living house. Meanwhile, Manigault, who made a much more cordial return to the show in 2013, told the Associated Press, “I stand by everything I said.” “But I will say, Wendy: I would have loved to turn on your show and saw you be a little bit more compassionate and less accusatory and ridiculing.” When Williams responded that she “couldn’t,” Palmer hilariously interrupted: “Why, girl? “There is nobody, nobody, like Wendy Williams. From her days on the radio to ruling daytime talk for 13 seasons, Wendy earned her title as the queen of all media.” “You are the reason why we can’t make headway in our community around sexual assault.” When Wendy Williams debuted her nationally syndicated daytime talk show in the summer of 2009, some industry-watchers wondered if the brash host, who made a name for herself on hip-hop radio stations in Philadelphia and New York, could translate to a national audience. But the episode was a dissonant and unceremonious end for the pioneering media personality, who — as demonstrated by a reel of clips from over the years — brought a unique, no-holds-barred flair to daytime TV with her gift of gab and diva accents including a shoe cam and plush purple furniture.

Wendy Williams' ex-husband Kevin Hunter slammed production company Debmar-Mercury for the way it ended "The Wendy Williams Show" after 13 seasons.

“The series comes to an end after 13 successful years in syndication.” A spokesperson for the show confirmed to Page Six earlier this week that it would be ending Friday after 13 seasons. “There is absolutely no reason why a bigger celebration that involved Wendy couldn’t happen.”

Producers, guest hosts, and one giant fan recount the undeniable impact of 14 years of Williams, her controversial Hot Topics, and an unlikely reign on the ...

“So while everyone would love to see her round out the show with a big bang, I don’t think we’ve seen the last of her. The Wendy Williams Show was far from perfect, just like its host, who would be the first to admit that. “Death, to all of them!” Williams said in a moment that was later edited out of the show’s online broadcast. “And the fact that she was able to do that and have the audience is really something that I don't think we’ve ever seen before to that extent. Wendy frequently referred to celebrities as “friends in her head,” which is exactly what Williams was to so many people every day for one whole hour. The last eight months without Wendy Williams in her purple chair have been tough. But it was the studio audience that gave the show a kind of vitality that you couldn’t find anywhere else in daytime. The Wendy show was a cosmic flash, a risky concept that could’ve completely bombed and been a forgotten blip in talk-show history. No appearance, not even a pre-recorded message from the star of the show—the one who built its audience and carved out a new space in daytime for those who wanted a no-holds-barred host who wasn’t afraid to speak her mind and pick up the pieces afterward. In February, it was announced that Sherri Shepherd, a frequent guest host in the months prior, would become a successor to Wendy with her own show, Sherri, debuting later this year for the 2022-2023 season. They would yell and scream and cackle and interact as much as they could—it was part of the fun of the show,” Balthazar said. A breakthrough case of COVID-19 and complications with her Graves Disease delayed the show’s thirteenth season weeks beyond its projected start date last fall, causing Williams to take time away from the show to focus on her health.

A few canned words from guest host Sherri Shepherd and a montage did not make a worthy tribute to a true television pioneer.

It is the first time in the history of talk shows for this to be done, especially for a show that has been on for more than 10 years. Vanessa Williams, the first guest of the first official episode of The Wendy Williams Show in July 2009 (its trial season that led to it being picked up for series aired in the summer of 2008), joined Shepherd and briefly reminisced about her appearance. “This is the most incredible staff and crew of The Wendy Williams Show. Everybody. Everybody.” She thanked the “loyal Wendy watchers for making this show a success the last 14 years,” and then the queen herself. Shepherd called the moment “bittersweet,” though it was unclear how this was sweet at all, beyond opening the path for Shepherd’s own show—which Shepherd could not contain her glee over during its February on-air announcement that effectively signaled the end of Wendy. (That show will feature the same production team and, in at least some markets, air in Wendy’s former time slots.) Later in the Hot Topics segment, Shepherd discussed Kevin Hart’s new documentary about Black comedians, in which she appears, and said: “I think comedy’s under attack. At the start of Friday’s Hot Topics segment, Shepherd announced that this would be the final episode of Wendy. “I am one of the many guest hosts this season who have had the honor and the privilege to be part of this iconic show,” she said. (EW then ran an item citing a “source close to The Wendy Williams Show distributor Debmar-Mercury” stating that Williams wouldn’t be ready to return on TV until fall 2023.)

The Wendy Williams Show has finally ended for good and the long running daytime series did so without an appearance from the titular host.

She will be missed: The staffers 'have all these fond memories' and 'want her to come back,' said the source. However, her estranged husband, Kevin Hunter told ET that her absence from the final episode was a 'travesty.' The staffers 'have all these fond memories' and 'want her to come back,' said the source. The Wendy Williams Show premiered in 2008 to equally wild success. 'Most of all, we have to thank you, Wendy Williams,' Shepherd said to the audience. After Wendy's split with Kevin, the star appeared to fall on hard times in her personal life. 'There is nobody like Wendy Williams. From her days on the radio to ruling daytime talk for 13 seasons, Wendy earned her title as the queen of all media. 'Most of all, we have to thank you, Wendy Williams,' Shepherd said to the audience. 'There is nobody like Wendy Williams. From her days on the radio to ruling daytime talk for 13 seasons, Wendy earned her title as the queen of all media. Williams, 57, had been on an indefinite leave from hosting due to health issues and had not filmed a single episode this season. There is absolutely no reason why a bigger celebration that involved Wendy couldn't happen.' It's all over: The Wendy Williams Show has finally ended for good and the long running daytime series did so without an appearance from the titular host with guest host Sherri Shepherd offering a tribute to the absent star (Sherri pictured right hosting on Friday; Wendy left in one of her final episodes)

Longtime friend and sparring partner of Wendy Williams, Judge Greg Mathis, believes that the embattled talk show queen is still “valuable to the community” ...

“I think that beyond her flaws and her… Are you still a dope fiend? Are you still [using drugs]? Because I just saw you leaving the bathroom looking high.

The host's eponymous show came to end after 14 years with all the expected bells and whistles – except Williams herself.

And yet for years her loyal production team has kept the show going with a rotation of guest hosts that have included the actor Michael Rapaport, a legendary provocateur; hip-hop mogul Nick Cannon, who landed his own daytime talkshow in the bargain; and Sherri Shepherd, who is slated to take over Williams’s time slot. The more Williams’s own personal life became gossip fodder, it seems, the harder it became for her to show up at work. Even though she hasn’t hosted the show in person since 2020, her departure from daytime is of a piece with a broader turnaround and not because Williams failed to keep up with the times. In a 2003 on-air exchange with Whitney Houston, Williams did not hesitate to grill the legendary singer about allegations of drug abuse, domestic violence and financial issues, and Houston didn’t back down from the fight. She’s played herself in feature films, made a gonzo TV movie and an even wilder documentary about her life, and guested on Drag Race ( to the consternation of a queer community that holds a grudge against her for past offenses and her zeal for outing gay celebs); it seems as if she could pop up on Bravo’s Real Housewives franchise because she’s already extended family. Williams’s sharp tongue was stropped on hip-hop radio, where she emerged as one of the first women besides the actor-performer Angie Martinez. A cameo on Fox’s hit ’90s sitcom Martin – her first TV credit, incidentally – was confirmation of the tremendous respect Williams commanded in a male-dominated industry. Earlier this year Williams’s bank, Wells Fargo, froze her accounts and requested a New York supreme court hearing to determine whether she needed a guardianship. Still, no one saw this sly pot stirrer who greeted callers by purring “How you doin” carving a niche on daytime TV. On 14 July 2008, four days before her 44th birthday, the Wendy Williams Show debuted. But that success didn’t make her any softer on the rich and famous. “I swear if I wasn’t here doing it, I’d be at home watching.” One of the last shots in the reel was her empty chair. “This is the best show ever,” she said at one point in the highlight reel. Vanessa Williams, the show’s first guest, returned to celebrate the 57-year-old chatshow host as a true media pioneer.

Judge Greg Mathis suggests that Wendy Williams can still make a comeback, even though her show is now over.

Mathis said that he spoke with her on the phone a few weeks before her show ended. “Well, that’s not what I do on my show and my show has higher ratings than yours. However, as the outlet noted, the two actually engaged in a verbal sparring match in 2002 after she asked him about allegations that he was having an affair and called him out on the air.

"The Wendy Williams Show" came to an end Friday afternoon, and according to a new report, several set props and keepsakes will be tossed in the trash.

“People want her to come back. To end it with the staff not even mentioning #WendyWilliams was trash and shady af. “Production is not even bothering to try to donate the chair to a museum — like The View did with their original table after 10 years.

After nearly 14 years on the air, The Wendy Williams Show came to an end on Friday with an emotional send-off from guest host Serri Shephard. Wendy Williams, ...

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Williams has been on a leave of absence from her daytime talk series since 2021.

That included an appearance from Vanessa Williams, both the first and last guest in Wendy Williams Show history, who had this to say about her: Williams has been open about her health problems in the past, especially since a 2018 incident in which she fainted while filming the show. Per Deadline, the episode was instead filled with tributes to Williams, including a montage of her time on the series.

"You have to say, there is nobody like Wendy Williams," guest host Sherri Shepherd said during the final episode of The Wendy Williams Show on Friday.

"There is absolutely no reason why a bigger celebration that involved Wendy couldn't happen." She also took a six-week break in early 2019, after fracturing her shoulder. Want to get the biggest stories from PEOPLE every weekday? PEOPLE confirmed earlier this month that Williams was officially ending her talk show. "If you think about it, Wendy Williams changed daytime talk with her unique take on 'Hot Topics,' her one-of-a-kind celebrity interviews, the signature 'Ask Wendy' segments and, of course, y'all, her famous 'How you doin?'" According to Bush, 50, Williams spoke with Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein, the two heads of Debmar-Mercury — the production company that owned The Wendy Williams Show — and they all are on good terms and agreed that it was time for the series to end.

Wendy Williams' ex-husband Kevin Hunter opened up about the final episode of "The Wendy Williams Show" and revealed why he wasn't happy with it.

On Friday, June 17, the last episode of "The Wendy Williams Show" aired after a successful 13-year run. "And I am truly sorry that the show’s fans have to see it go down the way that it is.” According to NBC News, Williams cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for their separation.

Wendy Williams is set to begin a new media project following the end The Wendy Williams Show and a nearly one-year absence from the series.

And most of all, we have to thank you, Wendy Williams," she said on the show, drawing a standing ovation. So many." In May, the U.K. newspaper The Sun quoted multiple sources as saying that William had received podcast offers.