Wendy Williams' Ex-Husband Kevin Hunter Files Wrongful Termination Lawsuit Against Talk Show

From a hot topic to a legal topic.

Wendy Williams' ex Kevin Hunter is suing Debmar-Mercury, the producer and distributor of The Wendy Williams Show, for wrongful termination.

In a lawsuit filed, March 1 Hunter states that Debmar-Mercury's decision to fire him from the talk show was "on the basis of his marital status, which is barred by the New York City Human Rights Law.", according to documents obtained by E! News.

Hunter alleges that just days after he and Williams filed for divorce in April 2019, Debmar-Mercury sent him a written notice that he had been terminated as an executive producer on The Wendy Williams Show—a role he had since 2007—and he was no longer allowed on studio premises, the docs read.

He said his termination notice didn't give any reasons for his firing that were based on his performance or decisions made on the job.

Per the court docs, Hunter said that he has suffered between $7 million to $10 million in "economic loss" as a result of his firing.

Bombshells from Wendy Williams: What a Mess!

He also said the talk show "never recovered" after his firing, and the production company "underestimated [his] value" to the program. He said he began negotiations for the role in 2007.

Williams' rep and Debmar-Mercury both declined to comment when contacted by E! News.

Williams—who is not a defendant in the suit—and Hunter wed in 1997 and welcomed their son, Kevin Jr., in 2000. Their divorce was finalized in January 2020 following rampant rumors he had been cheating on the TV personality. He seemed to address the accusations three years ago, saying in a statement to E! News, "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."

He added at the time, "I have dedicated most of our lives to the business empire that is Wendy Williams Hunter, a person that I truly love and respect unconditionally."

In September 2021, Williams took a medical leave from her talk show, leaving including Leah Remini, Whitney Cummings, Jerry Springer and more to fill in as guests hosts. Last month, Debmar-Mercury co-presidents Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein announced that guest host Sherri Shepherd would be getting a new talk show, which will take over The Wendy Williams Show time slots.

According to Variety, many Wendy Williams show staffers will move to Sherri when it premieres in the fall, including executive producer David Perler.

Despite The Wendy Williams Show coming to an end, Hunter believes "many of the elements" he "helped conceptualize and the product integrations he created" for Williams' show will be incorporated into Shepherd's new series, according to the court filing.

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