Wendy Williams gave an update on her ongoing health battle amid her absence from The Wendy Williams Show.
As you know, the premiere of season 13 was previously delayed several times after the 57-year-old host contracted a breakthrough case of COVID-19 and later suffered complications from Graves’ disease and thyroid condition. Reports previously came out that the New York Police Department had responded to a call about “a 57-year-old non-violent female who needed psychiatric services” in September. Then, a source later claimed to The Sun that Williams was “in need of serious help and was drinking every day” — even during the show:
“Wendy drinks every day and the only time she was sober was when she was at the sober house. Her staffers are worried but no one is ever going to speak up because they don’t want to lose their jobs. She’s an alcoholic. A bad one. She doesn’t need a talk show, she needs help.”
Related: Wendy Williams’ Ex Is Said To Be Engaged To Former Mistress Amid TV Hosts’ Health Concerns
Since her temporary leave, celeb guest hosts like Leah Remini, Whitney Cummings, and Sherri Shepherd took over the purple chair for Williams for the first couple of weeks of her daytime talk show — which started on October 18. The Wendy Williams Show Instagram account has been updating viewers about her “ongoing medical issues” since and recently announced she would not be returning in November. As such, they have lined up Michael Rapaport, Jerry Springer, and Bill Bellamy to fill in.
Now, Williams has broken her silence on the matter. Without diving into too many details in a recent IG post on the account, the former radio DJ said her health is “making progress.” Great news! However, she also claimed her doctors feel like she isn’t ready to head back to the small screen just yet:
“HOW YOU DOIN’? I MISS YOU ALL! As everyone knows, my health has been a hot topic. I’m making progress but it’s just one of those things that’s taking longer than we expected. I’m a woman of a certain age, and I know enough to listen to my doctors and will return to my purple chair as soon as we all agree I’m ready.”
Thanking her guest hosts, colleagues, and the fans, Williams continued:
“I want to thank all of my staff and our guest hosts for stepping up and stepping in while I can’t be there. I also want to thank Debmar-Mercury and our stations for being so understanding and supportive while I work my way back. Most of all, I want to thank my fans. I have heard your prayers and comments and feel all the love! You are everything to me. I love spending my mornings with you all and I’m doing everything I can to get back to work, but right now Wendy has to focus on Wendy. I love you for watching.”
You can take a look at her entire post (below):
View this post on Instagram
It sounds like a lot of things are still up in the air for Wendy right now — especially if she even plans on returning to the show as she reportedly hasn’t even signed a contract for beyond this current season. So what’s the game plan then? Well, a source explained to The Sun that if she doesn’t come back, they actually plan on moving The Nick Cannon Show into her 10 am time slot, saying:
“If the The Wendy Williams Show ends or she doesn’t come back to the show, they would feel comfortable sliding Nick into the 10am slot which immediately follows the local news broadcast. That is the plan for filling the time in the New York market. Other stations around the country that similarly carry both shows back-to-back will likely follow New York’s lead.”
However, another insider also claimed no decisions are being made about the series’ renewal beyond season 13 until distribution executives see her ratings when (or even if) she returns. The show reportedly has increased in ratings since Williams’ absence, with the source for The Sun sharing:
“It really all depends on what her ratings look like at that point. Right now, they’ve been stronger than expected without her.”
We’re continuing to send love to Williams while she’s dealing with her health battle.
[Image via Patricia Schlein/WENN]
The post Wendy Williams Gives Health Update, ‘Making Progress’ But Still Not Ready To Return To The Show appeared first on Perez Hilton.
