The ‘Wendy Williams Show’ Is Officially Ending and Fans Are Devastated Over the Shocking Announcement
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The Wendy Williams Show will end after 13 years due to William's ongoing health battles.
In a new statement, Wendy Williams’ rep Howard Bragman said the former talk show host has been going through a “challenging” time with her health.
Sherri Shepherd will take over Williams’ time slot with a new talk show on FOX.
Bragman said Williams “understands” why the decision was made and that she hopes to return to the big screen once her health becomes more stable.
It's a sad day for Wendy Williams fans. In a new Instagram post, the former host of The Wendy Williams Show announced the end of her popular daytime show by congratulating Sherri Shepherd, who will take over with her own show on FOX.
“Join us in congratulating our friend @sherrieshepherd on her new daytime talk show, premiering this fall,” Williams wrote alongside a video of Shepherd sharing the news. In a statement to People, Williams’ rep Howard Bragman revealed it was the star’s ongoing battle with her health that led to the end of her show—for now, that is.
“It’s been a challenging time for Wendy as she deals with her health issues,” he said, adding that Williams is in support of the decision to have Shepherd take over. “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,’” he said.
“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,” he continued.
Fans are devastated about the shocking news, taking to the comments section of her recent Instagram post to share their thoughts regarding the show's end.
“I’m going to miss Wendy 😢,” one person commented. “Feels like an end of era ... Wendy, thank you being there for me to keep me laughing and entertained whilst I was in college back in the day. I’m wishing you well Wendy God bless you ❤️,” someone else wrote.
Other fans congratulated Shepherd, sharing their excitement for the new chapter for Williams' former show. “CONGRATULATIONS!!!! You are going to be FABULOUS!!! ❤️,” a fan said, while another person commented, “Congrats Sherri you deserve it.”
The end of The Wendy Williams Show comes after Williams had to postpone the new season of her show due to health issues. In September, Williams initially canceled public appearances to promote season 13 of her show, and then one month later, she announced that the new season would be postponed due to “ongoing medical issues.”
In October, Williams announced she was diagnosed with COVID-19, but in an Instagram post from last fall, the talk show host shared that it was not coronavirus that was holding her back—it was other medical issues.
Williams previously opened up about being diagnosed with Graves’ disease three years ago, and she's taken extended breaks from her show in 2018, 2019, and 2020. Williams also suffers from lymphedema, which is swelling due to a build-up of lymph fluid in the body, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Overall, Williams hopes to be healthy enough to return to TV in the future—and her bosses, Debmar-Mercury, Mort Marcus, and Ira Bernstein, are in full support of the star, according to a joint statement shared to People.
“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,” they said. “We hope to be able to work with Wendy again in the future, and continue to wish her a speedy and full recovery.”
You can catch Shepherd’s new talk show in fall 2022 on FOX, and in the meantime, The Wendy Williams Show will continue to air with a number of guest hosts.
We wish Williams well on her health journey and look forward to seeing her on the big screen in the future.
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