Wendy Williams has vowed to return to her canceled daytime talk show despite a slew of health issues that have sidelined the host over the past year.
“This is what I would love to say to my ‘Wendy’ watchers: Keep watching because I’m going to be back on the Wendy show. Bigger and brighter than ever,” the 57-year-old host said Thursday when she called into ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
Lionsgate producer and distributor Debmar-Mercury said in February that it will end “The Wendy Williams Show” to make room this fall for “Sherri,” a new program hosted by Williams’ fill-in host, Sherri Shepherd. No official finale date for Williams’ syndicated chat show has been announced.
Representatives for Debmar-Mercury declined to comment on Williams’ new “GMA” interview, and reps for her and “The Wendy Williams Show” did not immediately respond Thursday to the Los Angeles Times’ request for comment.
In New York but declining to appear on camera for the virtual appearance, Williams said on “GMA” that she is “absolutely” of sound mind and conducted her interview with the same no-nonsense humor she’s known for.
She addressed ongoing speculation about her health, as well as a legal battle with Wells Fargo that has prevented her from accessing “several million dollars.” The bank has said that Williams is an “incapacitated person” and requested a conservatorship for her because they believe she “is the victim of undue influence and financial exploitation” — allegations that Williams has denied.
“They say that I need somebody to handle my account, and I don’t want that,” Williams said. “I want all my money. I want to see all my money that I’ve worked hard for my entire life. My entire life. I don’t lie, I don’t cheat and I don’t steal. I am an honest, hard-working person.
"[My] health is very well. And I’ve actually had a few appointments,” she added. “You know, I’m 57 now and I have the mind and body of a 25-year-old.”
The entertainer, who suffers from the autoimmune condition Graves’ disease, also said she’s prepared to start working again, even though her show is already coming to an end.
“I’m very comfortable. You know, my partners with the show — everybody’s ready,” she said. “Give me about three months. There are private things that I have to deal with, and then I’ll be ready to come back and be free and ready to do my thing.”
ABC News reporter T.J. Holmes, who interviewed Williams, added that the “things” she has to work on “have nothing to do with her health” and that he was told she was “healthy enough” to get back to work. He also said that she’s the one who reached out to ABC for the interview.
After 13 seasons, “The Wendy Williams Show” is expected to remain in original production at least through May, and the final season will likely run through August with reruns. Staffers from Williams’ show reportedly will move over to “Sherri,” and the new show will inherit Williams’ time slot when it debuts in September.
Williams said goodbye to her passionate fans in July at the end of her show’s 12th season. Although she said she’d return after “two months and two weeks,” her comeback was repeatedly delayed by health issues, including a case of COVID-19 last fall.
The Emmy nominated host’s mental well-being has also been called into question as reports and rumors about her health have swirled for months. However, her attorney has insisted there are “no concerns about her state of mind.”
A source close to Debmar-Mercury, who was not authorized to publicly discuss the details of Williams’ show, told the L.A. Times that the producer-distributor is “100% committed to Sherri Shepherd for the fall” and would not change course even if Williams decided to return to a daily talk show.
While Williams has been out, several entertainers guest-hosted her program, and Shepherd landed the highest ratings of the show’s 13th season.
Episodes of “The Wendy Williams Show” — with Shepherd at the helm, along with guest hosts Kym Whitley, Finesse Mitchell, Fat Joe, Remy Ma, Carson Kressley and Vivica A. Fox — have already been lined up through April 1.
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