Wendy Williams Hunter (; born July 18, 1964) is an American former broadcaster, media personality and author. Williams began her career as a radio DJ and quickly became known as a shock jock in New York City. She gained notoriety for her confrontational interviews of celebrities. The VH1 reality series The Wendy Williams Experience broadcast events surrounding her radio show in 2006. From 2008 to 2021, she hosted the nationally syndicated television talk show The Wendy Williams Show.
Williams was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2009. On her 50th birthday, the council of Asbury Park, New Jersey, renamed the street on which she grew up to Wendy Williams Way. Her other endeavors include authoring several books, appearances in various films and television shows and touring her stand-up comedy show. She has also created a fashion line, a wig line and a jewelry collection.
Due to health complications, Williams retired from hosting The Wendy Williams Show in 2021. She was placed under a guardianship one year later and was diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia in 2023. Williams' legal counsel began litigation against the guardianship in December 2025 after the findings of a court-ordered medical evaluation were released. In it, a neurologist diagnosed Williams with alcohol-related dementia, recommending that her guardianship be terminated as the findings did not indicate she was affected by a progressive form of aphasia or dementia.
Early life
Wendy Joan Williams was born on July 18, 1964, in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Shirley was a special education teacher while Thomas was a teacher and school principal who in 1969 became the first black school administrator in Red Bank, New Jersey. Following race riots in Asbury Park in 1970, the family moved to the predominantly white, middle income suburb of Wayside in Ocean Township, New Jersey. They attended a Baptist church and visited the town of Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts, each summer. As a child, doctors recommended Williams be medicated to control her hyperactivity. She suffered from poor body image due to the diet her parents put her on after gaining weight in elementary school. She did not get along with the other black students and said their only commonality was smoking cannabis. Less than a month after starting, she switched from television communications to radio because she could advance her career faster Williams graduated in 1986 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication and, to appease her parents, a minor in journalism. She was a disc jockey for the college radio station, WRBB, where rapper LL Cool J was her first celebrity interviewee. As an intern for Matt Siegel at contemporary hit radio station WXKS-FM, Williams recapped the soap operas Dallas and Dynasty on air.
Media career
1986–1994: Career beginnings, WQHT, and WRKS
Two weeks after graduating from Northeastern, Williams began her career as a disc jockey working for the small, calypso and reggae-oriented WVIS in Frederiksted, U.S. Virgin Islands, but disliked the role because she did not learn as much about radio from her colleagues as she expected. and briefly worked overnight shifts at WPLJ before being hired by WRKS. Initially working as a fill-in, WRKS gave Williams a non-compete clause and permanent morning position in May 1990 after WBLS began poaching its employees. She joined Jeff Foxx and Spider Webb as part of the station's "Wake-Up Club". By 1993, she was the highest-rated host in her time slot in the New York City market
Williams co-hosted American Urban Radio Networks' syndicated Top 30 USA song countdown program in 1993 and USA Music Magazine in 1994. By mid-1994, WRKS had suffered a ratings decline amid competition from hip hop-oriented WQHT, which was owned by Emmis Broadcasting. In an effort to reverse the trend, WRKS moved Williams back to mornings on September 26, 1994, where she hosted a program titled "Wendy and Company". However, Emmis purchased WRKS less than three months later and transferred Williams to WQHT, where she began hosting the evening drive time slot on December 12, 1994. As WRKS was reformatted into an urban adult contemporary outlet geared toward older audiences, they believed Williams would better reflect WQHT's younger demographic.
1994–2001: WQHT, website, move to WUSL
By this time, Williams attended parties to gain information which she would report on air in addition to reading tabloid newspapers. Among her insinuations was that Tupac Shakur was raped in prison, which he denied. Williams employed the term "pinky's up" when alleging someone was gay and regularly used the slur faggot, which she considered to be inoffensive. The station suspended Williams again in September 1997 for online comments insinuating that her colleague Angie Martinez's boyfriend Q-Tip was gay.<!--Williams "sued to get out of her contract and reached a settlement". She helped the station move from 14th place in the ratings to 2nd. By 2008, she was syndicated in Redondo Beach, California; Shreveport, Louisiana; Wilmington, Delaware; Toledo, Ohio; Columbia, South Carolina; Emporia, Virginia; Lake Charles, Louisiana; Tyler, Texas; and Alexandria, Louisiana, among other markets. Williams left her radio show in 2009 to focus on her television program and spend more time with her family.
Media outlets have described Williams's 2003 interview with Whitney Houston as her most infamous. After Williams asked Houston about her marriage and breast implants, they began a shouting match and Houston said she would have fought Williams if she were younger. Wu-Tang Clan performer Method Man had a personal and publicized conflict with Williams in 2006 after she revealed details about his wife's cancer diagnosis.
2008–2016: Breakthrough with The Wendy Williams Show
In 2008, Debmar-Mercury offered Williams a six-week television trial of her own talk show. A syndicated daytime talk show hosted by Williams titled Wendy's World was poised to debut in fall 1997, but never aired. On July 14, 2008, Williams debuted her daytime talk show, The Wendy Williams Show, in four cities during the summer of 2008. During the tryout, The New York Times remarked that the show created a "breakthrough in daytime" by introducing the genre of the "backtalk show". After a successful run, Fox signed a deal with Debmar-Mercury to broadcast the show nationally on their stations beginning in July 2009. In addition, BET picked up cable rights to broadcast the show at night. In 2010, BET started airing the show internationally in 54 countries through BET International. The show attracted 2.4 million daily viewers on average, with Williams trading off daily with Ellen DeGeneres as the number one female host on daytime television.
thumb|upright=0.75|left|Williams on The Wendy Williams Show in 2011
Williams hosted a game show for GSN called Love Triangle (2011) for which she and her husband Kevin Hunter served as executive producers. Williams played a judge on the Lifetime network show Drop Dead Diva (2011) and served as a guest judge on The Face (2013). Williams was paired with Tony Dovolani as a contestant on the twelfth season of Dancing with the Stars; she was eliminated second. Williams later alleged the show's producers portrayed her as an angry black woman, a racial stereotype. Williams appeared in the film adaptation of Steve Harvey's book, Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, titled Think Like a Man (2012), and its sequel, Think Like a Man Too (2014). In 2012, it was announced Williams would enter into a "production alliance" with producers Suzanne de Passe and Madison Jones to create movies and television shows aimed at multicultural audiences. These projects will appear under the heading "Wendy Williams presents" that will produce unscripted content, including reality television and game shows. Williams was an executive producer on the show Celebrities Undercover (2014). The film attracted controversy due to its casting and depiction of Aaliyah's relationship with R. Kelly. and received predominantly negative reviews from critics. In September 2015, the documentary series Death By Gossip with Wendy Williams premiered on the Investigation Discovery channel, both hosted and produced by Williams. In 2013, Williams was cast to play the role of Matron "Mama" Morton on the Broadway musical Chicago. She began her tenure on July 2 and finished her seven-week run on August 11, 2013. Her preparations for the musical were documented in the TV Guide docuseries Wendy Williams: How You Doin', Broadway?!, which was produced by her own production company, Wendy Williams Productions.
Williams was accused of victim blaming singer Kesha in 2016 after questioning why she did not film the alleged sexual abuse by record producer Dr. Luke against her. Williams later apologized for the remarks and stated "unfortunately a lot of people lie about rape so I was just being skeptical".
2017–2021: Personal and professional issues, end of talk show
thumb|upright=0.9|Williams in 2019
Williams's health issues caused her to take multiple hiatuses from hosting her show, including three weeks in 2018 and six weeks in 2019.
During this time, Williams received criticism for several remarks she made on her show. In January 2018, Williams was criticized by activist Tarana Burke after saying an alleged 14-year-old sexual assault victim of R. Kelly gave him consent and that she was tired of the #MeToo movement. Williams stood by her comments, saying "I feel like I know things about R. Kelly that he's told me himself that I promised I would keep in confidence." The following month, Williams was criticized for making homophobic comments. While talking about the fictional holiday "Galentine's Day", she criticized gay men for wearing skirts and high heels and falsely assumed they aspire to be women. Williams later apologized for her remarks. While talking about the murder of Amie Harwick shortly thereafter, Williams made a joke referring to Harwick's ex-fiancé Drew Carey and his job on The Price Is Right, saying that show's catchphrase, "Come on down!", in response to news that Harwick was thrown to her death.
Williams hosted her show remotely from March to May 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, after which she took a hiatus due to fatigue caused by Graves' disease. She returned to a studio broadcast in September of that year. The next month, Williams competed in season four of The Masked Singer as "Lips" where she was mostly sitting on something due to the weight of the costume and was eliminated after her first appearance.
In July 2021, Williams received criticism for her tone while covering the murder of 19-year-old TikTok star Swavy. After comparing their social media followers, Williams said, "I have no idea who this is", and casually informed her studio audience of his death. Williams did not return to her show after that month due to health issues; guests hosted in her absence. She tested positive for a breakthrough infection of COVID-19 in September 2021.
Production of The Wendy Williams Show concluded in 2022 due to Williams's ongoing health issues. Published by Atria, it debuted at number nine on The New York Times Best Seller list for nonfiction. The autobiography was reprinted in paperback in August 2004, a month before the debut of Williams' second book, The Wendy Williams Experience, which contains celebrity gossip and interviews. In May 2013, Williams released an advice book, Ask Wendy. Over the years, Williams wrote columns for Honey and Life & Style magazines.
Williams has also written several fiction books, including a trilogy about the life and career of radio shock jock Ritz Harper. She co-authored the first two novels, Drama Is Her Middle Name (2006) and Is the Bitch Dead, or What? (2007), with Hunter. Zondra Hughes co-wrote the third installment Ritz Harper Goes to Hollywood! (2009). Media outlets considered Ritz Harper similar to Williams. In 2014, Williams released a romance novel, Hold Me in Contempt. She said it was co-authored with an English professor ghostwriter.
Music and comedy
Williams interviewed Blu Cantrell in 2003; the conversation was released as a DVD on the singer's album Bittersweet. It sold 29,000 copies by November of that year according to Nielsen SoundScan.
In 2014, Lipshtick called Williams to participate in their first all-female-based comedy series at the Venetian in Las Vegas. Williams made her sold-out comedy debut on July 11, 2014. Williams' comedy tour was called "The Sit-down Comedy Tour". Williams returned to Lipshtick on October 31, 2014, and November 1, 2014, after she made a sold-out debut in July. Williams hosted her "How You Laughin'" Comedy Series at NJPAC on November 15, 2014, featuring Luenell, Jonathan Martin, Pat Brown, Hadiyah Robinson, and Meme Simpson. In 2015, Williams announced a 12-city comedy tour called "The Wendy Williams Sit Down Tour: Too Real For Stand-Up."
Philanthropy and activism
In 2005, Williams funded a $1,000 scholarship for a black female high school student who sought to major in communications in college. Subsequent recipients in 2006 and 2007 also received internships at WBLS. She led an effort to donate money and school supplies to Asbury Park Middle School in 2009. Williams is pro-choice for abortion.
Following the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in 2012, Williams visited her hometown of Asbury Park and paid for the hot meals of 300 people, face painting, and balloon animals for children. She supported Barack Obama in that year's presidential election, Williams posed for PETA's "I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" campaign in 2012, stating "we should all try to be comfortable in our own skin and let the animals keep theirs." Williams also headlined during Philly Pride that year.
In 2013, she participated in The Heart Truth fashion show to raise awareness for women's breast cancer. Williams supported the 2015 removal of the Confederate battle flag from the South Carolina State House. In 2018, she promoted Be Here (behere.org) while on a 10-city tour with a goal to raise $10 million in 5 years for drug and substance abuse victims. Williams attended Los Angeles Pride in June 2019 with Blac Chyna, and rode on a float in July at the WorldPride parade in New York. In September, Williams became an ambassador and honorary board member of the Lymphatic Education & Research Network.
The Hunter Foundation
Williams and her ex-husband created The Hunter Foundation in 2014, a non-profit organization that funded anti-poverty programs and provided resources to people as they transitioned from drug addiction to recovery. During the Holiday season in 2016, the couple hosted dinners for over 1000 for those in need through the foundation. The Foundation was dissolved following Williams' divorce from Hunter in May 2019. Following the dissolution, Williams partnered with SNAX-Sational Brands and Operation Backpack with the objective to raise funds to provide backpacks filled with various school supplies for children in New York homeless and domestic violence shelters. Williams' started a "Save the Twinkie" campaign amidst the parent company's filing for bankruptcy, setting up a Facebook page and promoting the snack on The Wendy Williams Show. In 2013, Williams released a wig collection to online retailers. She sold a self-titled clothing line in 2015 on shopping channel HSN and continued the partnership the following year by releasing shoe and winter clothing collections.
Personal life
In 1994, Williams married her first husband, Bertrand "Bert" Girigorie. She said they separated after five months and divorced about 18 months later. Williams met her second husband, Kevin Hunter, in 1994; her divorce filing lists 1999. Her husband became her agent. her legal surname remains Hunter.
Health issues
Williams has been open about her cocaine addiction in the late 1980s and early 1990s, for which she never received treatment.
In late October 2017, Williams fainted during a live broadcast of her show from dehydration. Williams was often in the news for the next two years because of her health issues and relationship with Hunter. In February 2018, Williams disclosed that she has Graves' disease which causes hyperthyroidism, conditions she had been diagnosed with nearly two decades prior. Due to the increased pressure behind her eyes, they sometimes have a pronounced bulging appearance. Later that year, Williams revealed she had been diagnosed with lymphedema, a condition that causes swelling in her ankles.
Dementia diagnosis and guardianship
In 2022, Lori Schiller, Williams' former financial advisor, froze her Wells Fargo bank accounts. Schiller requested a hearing from the New York Supreme Court to determine if Williams was legally incapacitated and in need of a temporary guardianship. From September to October 2022, Williams stayed in a long-term care facility to receive treatment for her health issues. She returned to the public eye in November and prepared to launch a podcast. However, it was not released to the public.
In 2023, Williams was diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia and was booked into a long-term care facility by Morrissey, who had been appointed as Williams' legal guardian. Morrissey unsuccessfully sued to prevent its release, claiming the documentary exploited Williams.
Legal documents filed by Morrissey issued in November 2024 described Williams as "cognitively impaired, permanently disabled and legally incapacitated." Williams denied these claims in an appearance on the radio show The Breakfast Club in January 2025. She likened her experience to "emotional abuse" and criticized the restrictions placed upon her by the terms of the guardianship. Her niece, Alex Finnie, appeared on the show to express support for Williams and disputed that she was legally incapacitated. Finnie encouraged people to use the hashtag #FreeWendy or donate to a GoFundMe account she set up for Williams. In February, Williams was interviewed by Nightline co-host Byron Pitts. In the interview, she explained she was placed in a unit specialising in treating memory difficulties and criticized this decision. In March, Williams received a cognitive test at a hospital to assess the necessity of the guardianship. Williams scored full marks on the test. On March 10, a placard was displayed from the long-term care facility where Williams was staying that read "Help! Wendy!!". Two days after the incident, Williams appeared on The View to discuss her case, stating that she had quit using alcohol.
In June 2025, it was reported that Williams' ex-husband, Kevin Hunter, filed a lawsuit on behalf of Williams against Morrissey and the unnamed judge on June 18. Hunter accused them of committing abuse, fraud and neglect against Williams through the guardianship. In December, Joe Tacopina, Williams' attorney, stated that Dr. Samuel E. Gandy, a neurologist who had been appointed to carry out an evaluation of Williams, diagnosed her with alcohol-related dementia. In light of this, Gandy recommended Williams' guardianship to be terminated on the grounds that her results were not consistent with that of a person with a progressive form of aphasia or frontotemporal dementia. As of April 2026, Williams' legal counsel are still engaged in litigation concerning the termination of the guardianship.
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| Outstanding Talk Show Entertainment
| The Wendy Williams Show
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| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2"| 2016
| Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host
| Herself
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| style=text-align:center;" rowspan="2"|
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| Outstanding Talk Show Entertainment
| The Wendy Williams Show
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| style="text-align:center;"| 2017
| Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host
| rowspan="3" | Herself
|
| style=text-align:center;"|
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| style="text-align:center;"| 2019
| Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host
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| style=text-align:center;"|
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! scope="row"| Hollywood Walk of Fame
| style="text-align:center;"| 2019
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| style=text-align:center;"|
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! scope="row" rowspan="3"| NAACP Image Award
| style="text-align:center;"| 2012
| rowspan="3"| Outstanding Talk Series
| rowspan="3" | The Wendy Williams Show
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| style=text-align:center;"|
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| style="text-align:center;"| 2015
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| style=text-align:center;"|
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| style="text-align:center;"| 2016
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| style=text-align:center;"|
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! scope="row"| National Radio Hall of Fame
| style="text-align:center;"| 2009
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| rowspan="2" | Herself
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| style=text-align:center;"|
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| style="text-align:center;"| 2019
| The Daytime Talk Show of 2019
| rowspan="2" | The Wendy Williams Show
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| style=text-align:center;"|
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| style="text-align:center;"| 2020
| The Daytime Talk Show of 2020
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! scope="row" rowspan="8"| Radio & Records Industry Achievement Award
| style="text-align:center;"| 1999
| rowspan="2"| Urban Personality of the Year
| rowspan="8" | Herself
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| style=text-align:center;"|
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| style="text-align:center;"| 2000
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| style=text-align:center;"|
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| style="text-align:center;"| 2002
| rowspan="3"| Urban Personality/Show of the Year
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| style="text-align:center;"| 2003
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| style=text-align:center;"|
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| style="text-align:center;"| 2004
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| style=text-align:center;"|
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| style="text-align:center;"| 2006
| rowspan="3"| Urban AC Personality/Show of the Year
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| style=text-align:center;"|
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| style="text-align:center;"| 2007
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| style=text-align:center;"|
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| style="text-align:center;"| 2008
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Bibliography
Nonfiction
Fiction
Notes
References
Works cited
External links
- The Wendy Williams Show