Wendy Williams leaves wellness facility and says she’s ‘back and better than ever’
Former daytime TV star Wendy Williams has left a wellness facility she checked into in August and is “home and healing.”
“Wendy is excited about the road ahead and looking forward to releasing her many projects,” her publicist Shawn Zanotti said Wednesday in a statement to The Times.
The erstwhile “Wendy Williams Show” host also thanked her fans in the statement for the “love, support and many prayers” that have come her way, adding that she’s “back and better than ever.”
After 13 seasons, Wendy Williams’ syndicated daytime talk show has come to an end. Her time-slot replacement, Sherri Shepherd, hosted the finale.
Williams, 58, entered the facility in August. It was announced in mid-September that she was there “seeking help to manage her overall health issues.”
“She is taking some time to focus on her health and wellness as she prepares for a major comeback for the next level in her career with ‘The Wendy Experience Podcast,’” Zanotti said at the time. “Ms. Williams is being treated by a team of some of the best doctors in the world. We ask for your prayers and well wishes during this time.”
The TV and radio star’s struggle with Graves’ disease and other thyroid concerns delayed Season 13 of her syndicated talk show, which wrapped over the summer with guest host Sherri Shepherd at the helm. Williams bid farewell to her “Wendy watchers” at the end of the show’s 12th season in July 2021 amid her health and personal struggles, including an ongoing legal battle with Wells Fargo.
In June, Williams told TMZ that she was also dealing with lymphedema, which was causing her feet and legs to swell.
Williams also told “Extra” in June that she was going to partner with Apple for a podcast after an amicable split with “Wendy” production company Debmar-Mercury, which replaced her show and debuted Shepherd’s “Sherri” in its place last month. Apple did not confirm the announcement, but Williams has been teasing the podcast on social media for months.
The Radio Hall of Fame inductee got her start in radio, DJing at her college station in the 1980s and hosting for KISS-FM in New York City in the 1990s before landing her TV show in 2008.
Times staff writer Christie D’Zurilla contributed to this report.
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