Is Wendy Williams resorting back to her old stomping grounds of no holds barred, unabashedly witty and unfiltered radio? One can only hope. The Wendy Williams Show aired its final episode this past Friday, without any appearance from the eponymous host herself. Viewers who tuned into the show for the past 12 seasons, saw the show bid farewell to Wendy with a video montage tribute. Certainly not a farewell fit for a (media) Queen. But Wendy updated her fans on how she felt about the ending of her show and what’s next for her.
In a new interview with Extra’s Billy Bush, Wendy revealed (via a phone interview) that she still has something to say. She told Bush that she’s heading off into the world of podcasts with iTunes. For weeks now, rumors have been swirling that Wendy had been approached with very lucrative podcasting deals — which may be the most ideal for Wendy, who has been absent from her show since July 2021 due to health concerns. She also said that parting ways with the show and Debmar-Mercury, the production company that owned The Wendy Williams Show, was amicable and that she loves those guys. Most importantly, she wanted to let her fans know that she’s in a good place.
Sherri Shepherd, who is slated to take over Wiliiams’ time slot with her own show this fall, hosted the final episode with a special appearance from Vanessa Williams — who was the shows very first guest. In it’s final segment, the crew of the show all gathered center stage to deliver Wendy’s signature tagline “How You Doin’?”
The Wendy Williams Show was a ratings juggernaut, regularly competing with Ellen as the top-rated syndicated talk show. With it’s 1.6 million viewers daily, the show proved to be both a hit and profitable since it’s first season. Throughout the shows run, Wendy received many accolades — including induction into the National Radio Hall of Fame, receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and placement in the television exhibition at the National Museum of American History.
There will never be another Wendy Williams. From her trailblazing, disruptive days as a successful radio host to revolutionizing daytime television — Wendy deserves all of her flowers for her contributions to media. While I personally think that the shows finale farewell was rather undignified, I’m glad to know this isn’t the end of Wendy. Twitter certainly had their opinion on how it all ended for Williams as well.
Wendy Williams is the blueprint for media legends. The ending of her show is unfortunate but the impact of her show is undefeated. ✨ pic.twitter.com/DhcdfLJtyW
— reuxmal (@reuxmal) June 14, 2022
What a weird show.
"Welcome to the final #WendyWilliams show. Let's talk about her like she's dead cuz we didn't invite her here today…"
#WENDY #wendywilliamsshow @WendyWilliams
— Jeremy Bradley (@JeremyDBradley) June 17, 2022
#WendyWilliamsShow Wendy Williams’ Ex Kevin Hunter Says It’s A ‘Travesty’ Wendy Wasn’t Included On Her Talk Show’s Final Episode: There is absolutely no reason why a bigger celebration that involved Wendy couldn’t happen.https://t.co/2GUbQVkDkY pic.twitter.com/3lirvWZbnO
— Brightly (@BrightlyAgain) June 18, 2022
It’s a bummer that Wendy Williams wasn’t there on her final show. I wish her well. Among many other moments, I’m grateful for this compilation of her talking about “the killer.” #WendyWilliams #WENDY pic.twitter.com/IG8cAmmOgw
— Lee (@caseyleemoore) June 17, 2022
Wendy Williams is a wild example of how utterly disposable these celebs can become once they're no longer generating money for these companies. 🥴
— CRAB CAKES AND FRIES?! (@angryblkhoemo) June 18, 2022
https://twitter.com/9erchic4life/status/1536868100301172736?s=20&t=iPu2rSBaumIBQNIcqFdvaA
I know I’m not alone in saying that I can’t wait to head what Wendy Williams dishes about on her upcoming podcast show. If you’ve never tuned into her show before, take a look at one of the many compilation videos from YouTube, consisting of the shows “best moments”.