Wendy Williams has publicly reacted to her talk show coming to an end — and if the latest reports are to be believed it’s wildly different from her private reaction!
As we reported, Sherri Shepherd is officially taking over The Wendy Williams Show’s time slot as Wendy continues to deal with serious health issues. Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein, the co-presidents of the show’s production company Debmar-Mercury, announced their decision to promote the actress this week, while sending well-wishes to Sherri’s predecessor.
Related: Wendy Walks Down The Beach On Camera In Spirited New Video About Her Life And Health
Now Wendy is speaking out about the shift, and it sounds like she’s bowing out gracefully — at least according to a statement from her rep, Howard Bragman. Per People, it reads:
“It’s been a challenging time for Wendy as she deals with her health issues. She is incredibly grateful to Debmar-Mercury, to Sherri and everybody else who has supported the show through this time.”
“Grateful”? Huh. Explaining that the daytime diva “understands” why the decision had to be made, the statement continued:
“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.’ 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.”
Ah, that explains that. They promised she can come back — hence the super graceful exit!
Of course, a celeb’s private thoughts on a subject don’t always align with the statements their reps put out — and that might be the case here, folks, as a HollywoodLife source claimed Wendy was actually “blindsided” by the announcement of Sherri’s takeover!
The insider told the outlet:
“Wendy was blindsided … especially after the only language she has received from production has been messages of encouragement & that when she is ready to come back, they’re ready for her.”
Yikes. With that in mind, it almost seems like the second half of Wendy’s public statement was put there to hold them to their behind-the-scenes promises!
The confidant also explained that the lack of Wendy was costing the show and the network major bucks, sharing:
“The show has been losing, has lost a lot of money. Wendy has been out for a considerable amount of time, and they’re contractually obligated to the FOX affiliates, because they pay money to carry the show. At the beginning of the season, remember, Wendy was out, and then it was like, ‘Okay, she might come back in a couple weeks,’ and then it just kept getting pushed. So, you have to imagine how the affiliates are thinking about this because there are so many episodes that have to be produced per year.”
Hopefully Wendy truly isn’t taking it personally, because this really does sound like the smartest business decision!
The question is: will Sherri stay if/when Wendy is able to resume her hosting duties? Share your guesses (below)!
[Image via The Wendy Williams Show/YouTube]
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