by I
t’s not too late to ask Wendy, “How You Doin?” These past years have indeed been tough on the ex-talk show host. From a cheating husband to declining health, and financial woes, Wendy has seen it all. The first crack surfaced during a live show in 2017 when Williams fainted on stage, leading many to worry about her health. Although her team released a statement that it was due to dehydration, her fans, well-wishers, and rumor-mongers knew something was off. Fast forward to 2024, and Wendy Williams has been diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia — a piece of devastating news that brought even the vindictive in touch with the little left of their humanity.
Indeed, Williams isn’t a saint. She is known for being blunt and unflinching when speaking of the predicament of others. Some even argue that she is borderline insensitive. Hence the reason why she’s seen her fair share of scrutiny and an unhealthy dose of bad-mouthing. But despite all that, thousands have rallied to her support in these trying times, underscoring the shared humanity in all of us.
Wendy Williams’ journey
Known as Wendy Joan Williams, the former host of “The Wendy Williams Show” has always been a daring woman who isn’t afraid of drama. She started her career as a Shock Jock in New York City with a signature art of offending a few of her listeners with her melodramatic style of entertainment. Her talent is also displayed in the area of literature as she boasts three non-fiction books under her belt. One of the books, “Wendy’s Got The Heat,” which she co-wrote with journalist Karen Hunter, is a revelation into the problematic aspects of her life. The autobiography revealed the human side of the strong, Black woman.
On July 14, 2008, Williams debuted her daytime talk show, The Wendy Williams Show. The show attracted 2.4 million daily viewers on average, with Williams trading off daily with Ellen DeGeneres as the number one female host on daytime television. According to popular opinion, Williams’ interview method might not have been the best approach, but she got the work done. She continued to build a brand of taking multiple swipes at public figures, and this opened her up to a world of haters and fans alike.
Beyond her talk show, she made multiple appearances in movies, including the film adaptation of Steve Harvey’s book, “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man,” titled “Think Like a Man” (2012), and its sequel, “Think Like a Man Too” (2014), “The Cookout 2,” and “World War Z.” She has also played in the arena of fashion and beauty with the creation of an exclusive fashion collection for HSN, as well as debuting a wig and jewelry line. She also became a full-blown comedian, going on tours across ponds. Basically, she was out and about living her best life in the media and entertainment industry.
Wendy Williams’s marriage crisis
In 1993, Williams married her first husband, Bertrand “Bert” Girigorie. The union was short-lived as the couple divorced about eighteen months later. Then she married Kevin Hunter in 1999, whom she stayed with for over two decades. Wendy Williams filed for divorce in 2019 after the internet broke with news of Hunter’s extramarital affairs. Surprisingly, the reason for the divorce was because Hunter had a child with a mistress, not because he cheated. Williams had always known about this 15-year affair and his other cheating ordeals. She ignored his serial cheating, but when he welcomed a baby with his mistress, it dawned on her that she had to put herself first. “I never thought that I would be in this position. I’m a very forgiving person, but there’s one thing that I could never be a part of, and that one thing happened,” she said.
Considering her health struggles and recovery journey, there wasn’t more space to deal with Hunter, his baby mama, and the child. It was at this point she knew it was herself or nothing. She chose her. Hunter, who shares a 19-year-old son with Williams, confirmed these allegations in a statement with People Magazine, “I am not proud of my recent actions and take full accountability and apologize to my wife, my family, and her amazing fans. I am going through a time of self-reflection and am trying to right some wrongs.”
Williams’s finances
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Wendy Williams’s net worth is estimated at $20 million. In early 2022, Williams’s bank, Wells Fargo, froze her accounts and denied her access to her funds, assets, and viewing her financial statements. The bank claimed it was to protect her wealth, but speculations about its ulterior motives continue to spread. Wells Fargo also put Williams under temporary guardianship, citing her mental health as the main cause for the move.
Whether the bank had its shady reasons or not is a topic for another day as it argued she was the “victim of undue influence and financial exploitation” and labeled her “an incapacitated person.” It was also rumored that her mental health was used as an exploitative tool to cajole her into making irrational money decisions. The entertainer had earlier confirmed: “The more successful I got and he [Hunter] got, and we believed in each other, the more of a jerk he became — he used his good credit to purchase property that he chose to wine and dine his extramarital affairs.”
Wendy Williams’s dementia and aphasia diagnosis
In 2018, Williams revealed that she has Graves disease — an autoimmune condition that causes hyperthyroidism, which thins her hair. This is the reason behind her numerous wig affairs. She also suffers from vertigo, swelling ankles, and has fractured her shoulder. Indeed, Williams’s health has been on a rollercoaster, but mostly a decline. These conditions caused the hardworking host to take multiple breaks from work, something she wasn’t always accustomed to.
And now, Wendy Williams has been diagnosed with dementia and aphasia, dealing yet another blow to her declining health. This medical revelation preceded the premiere of her upcoming documentary, “Where is Wendy Williams?” The show is centered around her survivor’s health story — the battles, victories, and everything in between. “Where is Wendy Williams?” is meant to correct misconceptions surrounding the media personality’s health as there have been many hearsay and harmful comments.
The documentary promises to be insightful, and judging from a now-viral clip with Blac Chyna, we are ready to see Wendy Williams in her healing phase. At this point, it’s only wise for everyone to turn a blind eye to Williams’s perceived shortcomings and focus on rallying behind a hurting woman who needs all the empathy she can get. Of course, Williams is no saint. But who is?
Featured image: Steven Simione via @wendywatchers/Instagram
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