Wendy Williams Confirms What We Suspected All Along About Her Return To Her Show
It's no secret that Wendy Williams' health struggles have been affecting her return to her eponymous talk show. The first setback for the premiere of the 13th season of "The Wendy Williams Show" occurred when Williams began canceling promotional appearances due to on-going health issues and contracting COVID-19, Page Six reported. The show was set to return to television screens in mid-September, but had to be pushed back several weeks because Williams was not yet ready to return to her purple chair. Her absence even prompted executives to come up with a back-up plan for Nick Cannon to replace her. However, executives have held off on the replacement and invited guest hosts to fill in for Williams in the past few months.
Williams also reassured fans that she's looking forward to being back on the show. In November, she shared an update about her health on social media and thanked fans for their support. Addressing her fans directly, the 57-year-old said she knows her health is a "hot topic," and noted that while she's making progress, "it's just one of those things that's taking longer than we expected." She added she's "a woman of a certain age, and I know enough to listen to my doctors," and she would be back in "my purple chair as soon as we all agree I'm ready."
While Williams is confident about her future on the show, her return is not as imminent as it has been made out to be.
Wendy Williams won't return to her show in the New Year
As Wendy Williams continues to fight her health battles, some of her best buds are stepping up as guest hosts when "The Wendy Williams Show" returns in January 2022 with new episodes. Executive producer David Perler announced the slew of guest hosts set to fill in on December 8, per Page Six. Fat Joe and Remy Ma will split hosting duties in the first week of January, whereas comedian Michael Rapaport — who filled in previously — returns for the second week. Following Rapaport are comedic duo Kym Whitley and Finesse Mitchell who will take the third week, leaving Sherri Shepherd to close out hosting duties for the month.
"We're looking forward to producing new and exciting shows in 2022 and we can't wait to return in the new year with all of our guest hosts," Perler said in a statement (via Deadline). "Each of the outstanding guest hosts brings a unique and distinctive style to the successful 'Wendy' format with their individual personalities while also making sure that Wendy's show remains consistent for the loyal Wendy watchers."
Although the timeline suggests she'd be back in February, Perler did not confirm when Williams — who recently left a wellness center — would return to her hosting duties.
Fans are showing their support for Wendy Williams
Due to the fact that Wendy Williams has stepped back from her show in order to deal with her health issues, she's not able to directly connect with her audience the way that she used to when she was on the set of her popular show. However, that doesn't mean that her fans aren't still eager to reach out to her — and that's exactly what they've been doing in order to show their support for the star who seems to be going through so much while away from the cameras.
"We miss you Wendy. Hang in there. Feel better," one viewer shared on Twitter. Another person, who is clearly both a fan of Williams as well as someone who seemingly knows what it's like to face obstacles, tweeted, "We love you Wendy. We fight our Demons every day. Hang in there." Another fan tweeted, "Hi Wendy. Hope you are feeling better," echoing what so many others were saying on social media. They also filled the star in on the fact that guest hosts Leah Remini and Michelle Visage "are rocking it. We love Leah & Michelle hosting. What great energy."
In fact, the guest hosts have been doing so well that some people have even suggested that it might be time for Williams to step back and for someone else to take her place.
Some think it's time for Wendy Williams to leave her show
It's unclear whether or not Wendy Williams will ever be able to return to host her successful show, although many fans are hoping that it's only a matter of time before she's back on stage chatting away. At the same time, there are others who apparently feel like it might be better for Williams to leave her show behind permanently. Beyond that, they think that others should take her place.
"Sorry/Not sorry, but cancel this show already," one person tweeted before adding, "Surely some other celeb is ready to give their own show a try." That could be a fair point considering so many other celebs have jumped on talk show hosting gigs over the years. Along with notable names like Ellen DeGeneres and Rosie O'Donnell, other famous figures like Kelly Clarkson, Drew Barrymore, and Busy Philipps have taken the hosting seat to various levels of success — or failure, for some.
As for Williams' show, there seem to be two forerunners when it comes to possible replacements, the same who were mentioned before. Leah Remini and Michelle Visage have the support of plenty of fans who, as one viewer tweeted, want TV executives to "GIVE THESE TWO THEIR OWN SHOW!!!" Will that happen? We'll just have to wait and see!