Who Is Wendy Williams' Ex-Husband? All About Kevin Hunter

The talk show host and Hunter were married for two decades before they divorced in 2019

Wendy Williams’ career and personal life is being covered in Lifetime’s documentary Where Is Wendy Williams?, including her marriage to ex-husband Kevin Hunter.

The new documentary, released on Feb. 24, details Williams’ rise to fame as well as her recent health and legal battles amid the end of her hit talk show The Wendy Williams Show in 2022.

Though Hunter doesn’t appear in the documentary, many of Williams’ family members do, including the couple’s son Kevin Hunter Jr., as they discuss her health and well-being. (Hunter has declined to comment.)

Speaking with PEOPLE in this week’s cover story, her family says that the end of her 21-marriage took a huge toll on her. "Emotionally, it was just a lot. It was too much for her world," Williams' niece Alex tells PEOPLE.

Ahead, here’s everything to know about Williams’ ex-husband and their relationship highs and lows.

Related: Wendy Williams' Guardian Files Lawsuit Against Lifetime's Parent Company Ahead of New Documentary

They reportedly met at a skating rink

Williams and Hunter reportedly first met at a skating rink in 1994. Before meeting Wendy, Hunter owned a beauty parlor, while Wendy was quickly making a name for herself as a radio host.

They got married in 1997

About three years after meeting, Williams and Hunter got married on Nov. 30, 1997. It was the second marriage for Williams, who was previously married to Bert Girigorie for five months before splitting and eventually divorcing in 1995.

He helped her launch her talk show

Despite not having any prior television experience, Hunter became Wendy’s manager and production partner early in their relationship, eventually helping her launch The Wendy Williams Show in 2008 and serving as an executive producer. They also worked together on a number of other projects, including the game show Love Triangle, for which Williams and Hunter served as co-executive producers.

Working together also came with some challenges, especially after Williams and Hunter separated. In March 2022, Hunter sued Debmar-Mercury (the production company for The Wendy Williams Show) for wrongfully terminating him from his longtime role as executive producer on the talk show. The complaint claimed he was fired "on the basis of his marital status, which is barred by the New York City Human Rights Law."

According to the lawsuit, Hunter — whose role on the syndicated series began in 2007 — received a notice from Debmar-Mercury founder Ira Bernstein informing him that his firing was "effective immediately." Hunter claimed his employment status changed days after Williams' 2019 divorce filing.

Though the production company motioned to dismiss the case, their request was denied by a New York federal judge in September 2023, meaning the case will now move forward. Hunter's civil rights attorney Abe George confirmed the news to The Sun saying that Hunter was “happy” to “ultimately see his day in court.”

Related: Wendy Williams' Family Confirms She Wants to Return to TV After Treatment Program: Whatever 'Makes Her Happy'

They share one son together

During their marriage, Williams and Hunter welcomed a son, Kevin Hunter Jr., in August 2000. Before giving birth to Kevin, Williams experienced multiple miscarriages, including two that occurred in the second trimester.

“I fought tooth and nail to be a mother,” she said during the 2015 PBS special American Masters: The Women’s List. “I suffered several miscarriages including two at five months. That’s when you have the clothes already picked out, the nursery is already painted. They ask you: Do you want a funeral or do you want the cremation?”

She continued, “We went through that not once but twice, me and my husband. So our Kevin is a hard-won child. I would’ve loved to have had more children but I don’t want to test my blessing. Being a mother is for me. It’s not for everybody. It’s for me.”

Williams’ son has accompanied her at various events through the years, including her Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony, where the talk show host gave him a sweet shoutout. “He’s always encouraged me to keep it going,” she told PEOPLE at the ceremony. “And never asks me to pull back from anything that I say or that I wear or anything like that. He’s always been very encouraging.”

They had a tumultuous marriage including various cheating scandals

The couple faced various ups and downs in their relationship as Hunter was involved in various cheating scandals. Shortly after she gave birth to their son, Williams admitted she caught Hunter cheating when she overheard a late night phone call with his mistress. Williams said she eventually decided to forgive Hunter and that the experience made their relationship “stronger.”

In April 2019, Williams filed for divorce from Hunter after more than two decades of marriage. The split came after he fathered a child with another woman, which Williams confirmed in an interview with The New York Times.

“Kevin had a major indiscretion that he will have to deal with for the rest of his life. An indiscretion that I will not deal with,” Williams told the publication. “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.”

During an interview on SiriusXM's The Jess Cagle Show in 2021, the talk show host said her ex was a "serial" cheater and claimed she knew about his affairs "almost since the beginning" of their 25-year relationship.

They got divorced in 2019

After Williams’ divorce filing in April 2019, Hunter broke his silence in a statement to PEOPLE, admitting he was "not proud" of his actions. "I am going through a time of self-reflection and am trying to right some wrongs," he said at the time, adding that he would continue to "fully support" Williams.

The couple’s divorce was later finalized in January 2020. According to court documents obtained by Page Six, Williams and Hunter agreed to forgo alimony and sell their New Jersey home and share those proceeds. The outlet also reported that Hunter would sign over his shares of Wendy Williams Productions to her and that she will get their joint bank account, while he will keep his cars and separate businesses.

Related: Wendy Williams' Family Break Their Silence on Her 'Shocking and Heartbreaking' Struggles Over the Past 3 Years (Exclusive)

Wendy has ‘no regrets’ regarding her past relationship with Kevin

Though they had a rocky relationship, Williams has said she doesn’t have any regrets when it comes to their marriage. “I don't regret meeting Kevin, I don't regret falling in love, I don't regret staying with him for all 25 years, 21 of them married," Williams said during a panel promoting Wendy Williams: The Movie in January 2021.

That same month, Williams revealed that she was still in touch with Hunter. "He calls from time to time… I don't block his number though, he's my son's father," she told Extra's Billy Bush, adding that Hunter "came to my mother's funeral" in 2020.

Wendy and Kevin’s marriage is addressed in the new Lifetime documentary, Where Is Wendy Williams?

In the new Lifetime documentary Where Is Wendy Williams?, the talk show host addresses her painful divorce from Hunter. In one scene, while speaking of her split from Hunter in 2019 after it was revealed he had a baby with another woman, the former talk show host says, "I don't care about him or that baby."

Though Hunter is mentioned in the documentary, he does not appear. However, many of Williams’ family members give insight into the relationship. Speaking with PEOPLE for this week’s cover story, her family says that the end of her 21-marriage took a huge toll on her. (Hunter declined to comment for the cover story.)

“[Wendy's mom] Shirley, may she rest in peace, would always remind me that, 'Your aunt would trade everything that she has — every dime, every car, every wig — to be able to have a strong loving household and a loving husband'," said Williams' niece Alex. "That was ripped from her right after her son had to go off to college [in 2018]. Emotionally, it was just a lot. It was too much for her world."

Williams' brother, Tommy, agreed, adding, “It put her back into that dark space."

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