Wendy Williams' Ex Kevin Hunter Is Furious Over Handling Of TV Icon's Legacy
If you're a dedicated viewer of daytime television, then chances are you heard of "The Wendy Williams Show." Since its debut in 2008, Wendy Williams has captivated audiences with her scandalous Hot Topic segment and eye-opening interviews. However since the Season 12 finale, Williams has remained absent from the show due to an array of health problems — including a breakthrough case of COVID-19.
In October 2021, fans were left disappointed after the TV figure announced that she wasn't returning for the Season 13 premiere. "Wendy continues to be under medical supervision and meets with her medical team on a daily basis." the statement read (via iHeart). "She is making progress but is experiencing serious complications as a direct result of Graves' Disease and her thyroid condition." Due to Williams' hiatus, the show continued with guest hosts like Michelle Visage, Leah Remini and frequent stand-in Sherri Shepherd.
However in February, the distributor of the popular talk show Debmar-Mercury announced that "The Wendy Williams Show" would end after its 13th season. The organization also revealed that Shepherd would be taking the time slot with her own show. "Since Wendy is still not available to host the show as she continues on her road to recovery, we believe it is best for our fans, stations and advertising partners to start making this transition," said Ira Bernstein and Mort Marcus of Debmar-Mercury. As the series finale aired on June 14, Williams' ex-husband had come out to critique the aforementioned distributor.
Wendy Williams ex-husband Kevin Hunter is upset with the series finale
Shortly after "The Wendy Williams Show" aired its final episode, viewers criticized the series finale for not including Wendy Williams. One fan wrote on Twitter: "Wendy Williams deserves so much better. She built this show and its audience— to not even pay her the bare minimum respect of letting her appear on its farewell episode is egregious." Another viewer wrote: "It's official No more Wendy Williams Show. An end of an era. She was done wrong on so many levels."
However, fans weren't the only critics of the show, excluding Williams. In an interview with ET, the talk show host's ex-husband Kevin Hunter also slammed the decision. "It is the first time in the history of talk shows for this to be done, especially for a show that has been on for more than 10 years," he told the news outlet. "There is absolutely no reason why a bigger celebration that involved Wendy couldn't happen."
Hunter went on to say that he wasn't happy with the final episode, especially due to the "blood, sweat and tears" that went into the creation of the show. "I am truly sorry that the show's fans have to see it go down the way that it is," he added. Even though Williams was not present for the finale, the bittersweet episode featured a video montage of the public figure and her impact over the years (via Entertainment Weekly).