After 13 Seasons on the Air, 'The Wendy Williams Show' Is Coming to an End
Updated Feb. 22 2022, 2:04 p.m. ET
As one of the more popular hosts in the world of daytime talk shows, Wendy Williams' absence from the airwaves has been hard for fans to cope with. Her apparent departure from television has prompted a number of rumors surrounding the future of her show. And while many viewers have been waiting for the charismatic personality to return to her purple chair, it appears that, for now, things have come to a screeching halt.
Wendy will not be returning to her coveted hosting gig anytime soon as The Wendy Williams Show is being canceled. Here's everything we know.
Will Wendy Williams return to her show?
Sources, per Variety, share that Wendy won't be back on the small screen anytime soon. In fact, the show is coming to an end after 13 seasons. Representatives for the star previously confirmed that Wendy would not be returning this season due to her ongoing health issues. She's said to be undergoing holistic practices to get back into a healthy state.
“During this hiatus from the show, Wendy has employed holistic health professionals to help her reach optimal health during her treatment of Graves’ disease and thyroid concerns,” a rep for Wendy told the outlet.
The source continued, “Wendy’s show will not be on the air this fall and its future is up in the air and uncertain.” “When Wendy is back to herself, and if she wants to do the show again, Debmar-Mercury is open to it,” the insider said.
After an initial delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Wendy took medical leave in September 2021. Since then, her show has seen a revolving door of guest hosts, such as Leah Remini, Sherri Shepherd, Bevy Smith, Michael Rapaport, Fat Joe, Remy Ma, Terrence J, and Whitney Cummings.
Sherri Shepherd's self-titled daytime talk show will succeed 'The Wendy Williams Show' in fall 2022.
Sherri has a lot to celebrate these days. Aside from being minted as a fan-favorite guest host on The Wendy Williams Show, the actress's very own talk show will debut on FOX in the fall of 2022, in Wendy's time slot.
"Sherri is a natural who proved her hosting skills for many years as a panelist on The View, on FOX's Dish Nation, and again this season as a popular guest host of Wendy," Debmar-Mercury co-presidents Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein said in a statement, via Deadline.
"Like our viewers, we have been impressed by the unique comedic twist Sherri puts on our daily live 'Hot Topics' segment, her creativity and interactions with our guests. Her love for the content and daytime fans is obvious, and we are excited to partner with her to create another long-term talk franchise," they said.
Both Mort and Ira explained that although they're thrilled to have Sherri on board with the network, it's still a sad moment, since they enjoyed working with Wendy over the past 12 seasons.
“This is also a bittersweet moment for us and our partners at FOX,” the two said in a press release. “We all have a great love and affinity for Wendy, who grew into a true icon during her 12 incredible seasons as the solo host of a live, daily talk show dishing on ‘Hot Topics’ and interviewing celebrities."
They continued, "Since Wendy is still not available to host the show as she continues on her road to recovery, we believe it is best for our fans, stations and advertising partners to start making this transition now. We hope to be able to work with Wendy again in the future, and continue to wish her a speedy and full recovery.”
Wendy's spokesperson, Howard Bragman, issued a statement to Deadline about her reaction to the news. And it seems as if Wendy is handling it all with grace.
“It’s been a challenging time for Wendy as she deals with her health issues. She is incredibly grateful to Debmar-Mercury, to Sherri and everybody else who has supported the show through this time,” Howard told the outlet. “She, more than anyone, understands the reality of syndicated television — you can’t go to the marketplace and sell a show that’s The Maybe Wendy Show. ”
Howard continued, "She understands why this decision was made from a business point of view, and she has been assured by Debmar-Mercury that should her health get to a point where she can host again and should her desire be that she hosts again that she would be back on TV at that time."
Our thoughts and prayers are with Wendy through her road to recovery.
