Wendy Williams facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wendy Williams
Williams in 2018
Born	Wendy Joan Williams (1964-07-18) July 18, 1964 (age 60) Asbury Park, New Jersey, U.S.
Other names	Wendy Williams Hunter
Education	Northeastern University (BA)
Occupation	Broadcaster media personality writer
Years active	1986–2023
Television	The Wendy Williams Experience The Wendy Williams Show Wendy Williams: What a Mess!
Spouse(s)	Bert Girigorie ​ ​ (m. 1994; div. 1995)​ Kevin Hunter ​ ​ (m. 1999; div. 2020)​
Children	1

Wendy Williams Hunter (born July 18, 1964) is an American broadcaster, media personality, and writer. From 2008 to 2021, she hosted her own popular TV talk show, The Wendy Williams Show. This show was seen all over the country.

Before her TV career, Williams was a radio DJ and host. She became well-known in New York City for her bold and direct style on air. She gained attention for sharing strong opinions about celebrities. In 2006, a VH1 reality TV series called The Wendy Williams Experience showed what went on behind the scenes of her radio show.

Williams has also written several books. She has appeared in many films and TV shows. She even toured with her own comedy show. She also created her own product lines, including fashion, jewelry, and wigs. In 2009, Williams was honored by being inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame. On her 50th birthday, her hometown of Asbury Park, New Jersey, named a street after her: Wendy Williams Way.

In 2023, Williams stepped back from broadcasting due to health challenges. She was diagnosed with conditions that affect her speech and thinking.

Growing Up

Wendy Joan Williams was born on July 18, 1964, in Asbury Park, New Jersey. She was the middle child of Shirley and Thomas Dwayne Williams. Both of her parents were teachers. Her father, Thomas, became the first Black school administrator in Red Bank, New Jersey, in 1969. After some difficult events in Asbury Park in 1970, her family moved to Wayside. This was a mostly white, middle-class suburb. They went to a Baptist church and visited Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts, every summer.

As a child, doctors suggested medication for Williams because she was very active. She also struggled with how she felt about her body. This was because her parents put her on a diet after she gained weight in elementary school. Williams was a Brownie in the Girl Scouts. She also volunteered at a hospital as a candy striper. Her parents thought she would become a nurse.

Williams as a sophomore in Ocean Township High School's 1980 yearbook

Williams was an announcer at her younger brother's Little League Baseball games. She finished Ocean Township High School in 1982. She was one of four Black students in her class. Her grades were not as good as her older sister's, who got a university scholarship at 16. Williams has said she didn't listen to hip hop music. Instead, she liked rock bands like AC/DC because they were popular with her friends. She considers herself "a multicultural woman who happens to be Black."

Williams went to Northeastern University in Boston. She wanted to become a television anchor. But less than a month later, she changed her major to radio. She felt she could advance her career faster in radio. Her parents did not like this decision. Williams graduated in 1986 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication. To make her parents happy, she also got a minor in journalism. She worked as a disc jockey for the college radio station, WRBB. Rapper LL Cool J was her first celebrity interview there. As an intern for Matt Siegel at radio station WXKS-FM, Williams would talk about the soap operas Dallas and Dynasty on air.

Media Career

Early Radio Days (1986–1994)

Just two weeks after college, Williams started her career as a disc jockey. She worked at WVIS in the Frederiksted, U.S. Virgin Islands. She didn't like it much because she didn't learn as much as she hoped. The pay was low, and she missed her family. So, Williams started sending her resume and demo tapes to other radio stations.

After eight months, she left WVIS. She got a job at WOL in Washington, D.C. But she found the oldies music format didn't fit her personality. Williams kept sending tapes. On November 1, 1987, she started as a weekend fill-in at WQHT in New York City. This station hired her full-time for overnight shifts, so she left WOL.

Williams was fired from WQHT after two years. She then worked briefly at WPLJ before being hired by WRKS. She started as a fill-in. In May 1990, WRKS gave Williams a permanent morning position. She joined Jeff Foxx and Spider Webb on the "Wake-Up Club." Here, Williams began talking about rappers and celebrities in a segment called "Dish the Dirt." Some celebrities, like Bill Cosby and Russell Simmons, called the station. They tried to get her fired, but they were not successful.

As she became a popular radio personality, WRKS moved Williams to host the evening show in April 1991. By 1993, she was the most listened-to host in her time slot in New York City. She won a Billboard Radio Award for R&B Major Market Radio Air Personality of the Year.

In 1993, Williams co-hosted Top 30 USA, a syndicated song countdown. In 1994, she co-hosted USA Music Magazine. By mid-1994, WRKS's ratings were dropping. This was due to competition from hip hop station WQHT. To fix this, WRKS moved Williams back to mornings on September 26, 1994. Her show was called "Wendy and Company." However, WQHT bought WRKS less than three months later. Williams was moved to WQHT on December 12, 1994. She started hosting the evening show there.

Growing Fame (1994–2008)

By this time, Williams went to parties to get information for her show. She also read tabloid newspapers. She continued her gossip segments. She also gave relationship advice to teenage girls during "Ask Wendy." Williams's ratings went up a lot. This happened after she read a magazine article about a rapper who said he was gay.

Williams created a website, www.gowendy.com. It was a part of her radio show. It had photos and rumors about celebrities. It got up to 100,000 views per day. In April 1997, WQHT suspended Williams for one week. This was because she mentioned her website on air. The station suspended her again in September 1997. This time it was for comments she made online about her colleague Angie Martinez's boyfriend, Q-Tip. Later, WQHT permanently removed Williams. Her fans protested outside their offices. By this time, Williams had received over 50 letters from the station. These letters were about her "lack of good judgment." She thought her removal was due to pressure from music industry leaders. She stood by her comments, saying she stopped caring about artists.

She was fired from Hot 97 in 1998. Williams was then hired by a Philadelphia urban station, WUSL ("Power 99FM"). She was very open about her personal life on air. She helped the station's ratings go from 14th place to 2nd.

Williams in 2005

In 2001, Williams returned to New York radio. WBLS hired her full-time for a syndicated 2–6 p.m. show. Her friend, MC Spice, offered his voiceover services. He often added short rap verses just for her show. The New York Times said her show worked best when she shared personal stories and made sharp comments. By 2008, her show was heard in many cities. Williams left her radio show in 2009. She wanted to focus on her TV program and spend more time with her family.

Many people remember Williams's 2003 interview with Whitney Houston. Williams asked Houston about her marriage. They began a shouting match. Houston said she would have fought Williams if she were younger. In a later interview, Houston's friend Robyn Crawford said they had planned to confront Williams years earlier. This was after Williams talked about Houston on air. Wu-Tang Clan performer Method Man had a public disagreement with Williams in 2006. This happened after she shared details about his wife's health.

The Wendy Williams Show (2008–2021)

In 2008, a company called Debmar-Mercury offered Williams a six-week TV trial. She would host her own talk show. On July 14, 2008, Williams's daytime talk show, The Wendy Williams Show, started in four cities. During this trial, The New York Times said the show was a "breakthrough in daytime." It introduced a new type of talk show. After a successful trial, Fox agreed to broadcast the show nationally. This began in July 2009. Also, BET bought the rights to show it on cable at night. In 2010, BET started airing the show in 54 countries around the world. The show had about 2.4 million viewers daily. Williams often traded places with Ellen DeGeneres as the number one female host on daytime TV.

Williams on The Wendy Williams Show in 2011

Williams hosted a game show for GSN called Love Triangle (2011). She and her husband, Kevin Hunter, were executive producers. Williams played a judge on the Lifetime network show Drop Dead Diva (2011). She was also a guest judge on The Face (2013). Williams was a contestant on Dancing with the Stars in its twelfth season. She was paired with Tony Dovolani. She was the second person eliminated. Williams later said the show's producers made her look like an angry black woman, which is a harmful stereotype.

Williams appeared in the film Think Like a Man (2012), based on Steve Harvey's book. She also appeared in its sequel, Think Like a Man Too (2014). In 2012, it was announced that Williams would work with producers Suzanne de Passe and Madison Jones. They would create movies and TV shows for diverse audiences. These projects would be called "Wendy Williams presents." Their first project was a VH1 adaptation of a Star Jones novel.

In February 2013, Williams and her husband, Kevin, started a TV production company. It was called Wendy Williams Productions. It would create reality TV and game shows. Williams was an executive producer for the show Celebrities Undercover (2014). Williams also executive produced a movie for Lifetime, Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B. It premiered on November 15, 2014. The film caused some discussion about its casting and how it showed Aaliyah's relationship with R. Kelly. It mostly received negative reviews from critics. In September 2015, a documentary series called Death By Gossip with Wendy Williams started on the Investigation Discovery channel. Williams hosted and produced it. In 2013, Williams played Matron "Mama" Morton in the Broadway musical Chicago. She performed from July 2 to August 11, 2013. A TV Guide series, Wendy Williams: How You Doin', Broadway?!, showed her preparing for the musical. Her own company produced it.

Williams in 2019

Williams's health issues caused her to take breaks from hosting her show. This included three weeks in 2018 and six weeks in 2019. During this time, Williams received some criticism for comments she made on her show.

Williams hosted her show from home from March to May 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. After that, she took a break due to tiredness from Graves' disease. She returned to the studio in September of that year. The next month, Williams competed in season four of The Masked Singer as "Lips." She was eliminated after her first appearance.

In July 2021, Williams received criticism for how she talked about the death of 19-year-old TikTok star Swavy. She compared their social media followers. Williams said, "I have no idea who this is" and told her audience about his death in a casual way. Williams did not return to her show after that month due to health issues. Guest hosts filled in for her. She tested positive for a breakthrough infection of COVID-19 in September 2021.

Williams in 2022

Production of The Wendy Williams Show ended in 2022. This was due to Williams's ongoing health challenges.

Other Activities

Books and Writing

Williams has written several books. She released her autobiography, Wendy's Got the Heat, in August 2003. She wrote it with journalist Karen Hunter. It talks about her life, including childhood difficulties and marriages. The book was published by Atria. It reached number nine on The New York Times Best Seller list for nonfiction. The book was reprinted in paperback in August 2004. A month later, Williams's second book, The Wendy Williams Experience, came out. It had celebrity gossip and interviews. In May 2013, Williams released an advice book, Ask Wendy. Over the years, Williams wrote columns for Honey and Life & Style magazines.

Williams has also written fiction books. This includes a series about a radio host named Ritz Harper. She co-wrote the first novel, Drama Is Her Middle Name (2006), with Hunter. Zondra Hughes co-wrote the third book, Ritz Harper Goes to Hollywood! (2009). Many people thought Ritz Harper was similar to Williams. In 2014, Williams released a romance novel, Hold Me in Contempt. She said she co-wrote it with an English professor who was a ghostwriter.

Music and Comedy

Williams interviewed Blu Cantrell in 2003. Their conversation was released as a DVD with the singer's album Bittersweet. Williams and Virgin Records released a compilation album, Wendy Williams Brings the Heat: Volume 1, in June 2005. It featured various rap artists. It sold 29,000 copies by November of that year.

In 2014, Williams was invited to be part of Lipshtick. This was an all-female comedy series in Las Vegas. Williams made her sold-out comedy debut on July 11, 2014. Her comedy tour was called "The Sit-down Comedy Tour." Williams returned to Lipshtick later that year. Williams also hosted her "How You Laughin'" Comedy Series in November 2014. In 2015, Williams announced a 12-city comedy tour called "The Wendy Williams Sit Down Tour: Too Real For Stand-Up."

Helping Others

In 2005, Williams gave a $1,000 scholarship. It was for a Black female high school student who wanted to study communications in college. Students in 2006 and 2007 also received internships at WBLS. In 2009, she helped raise money and school supplies for Asbury Park Middle School.

After Hurricane Sandy in 2012, Williams visited her hometown of Asbury Park. She paid for hot meals for 300 people. She also paid for face painting and balloon animals for children. She supported Barack Obama in the 2012 presidential election. She also promoted an NAACP voter helpline. Williams was a main speaker at Philly Pride in 2012.

In 2013, she took part in The Heart Truth fashion show. This was to raise awareness for women's breast cancer. Williams supported the 2015 removal of the Confederate battle flag from the South Carolina State House. Williams attended Los Angeles Pride in June 2019. She also rode on a float in July at the WorldPride parade in New York. In September, Williams became an ambassador and honorary board member of the Lymphatic Education & Research Network.

The Hunter Foundation

Williams and her ex-husband started The Hunter Foundation in 2014. This was a non-profit group that helped programs fighting poverty. In 2016, they hosted dinners for over 1000 people in need through the foundation. In 2017, the group gave $1000 for a new emergency food pantry. In 2018, they paid for a student's college tuition. In March 2019, The Hunter Foundation launched a 24/7 national hotline. The Foundation was closed after Williams's divorce in May 2019. After that, Williams worked with SNAX-Sational Brands and Operation Backpack. Their goal was to raise money for backpacks filled with school supplies for children in homeless and domestic violence shelters in New York.

Products and Endorsements

While working for WRKS, Williams was a spokesperson for a hip-hop clothing brand. In 2006, she became a spokesperson for George Veselles champagne and Alizé liqueurs. Williams launched a jewelry and shoe line called "Adorn" on shopping channel QVC in 2012. Williams started a "Save the Twinkie" campaign when the company went bankrupt. She made a Facebook page and promoted the snack on The Wendy Williams Show. In 2013, Williams released a wig collection for online stores. She sold her own clothing line in 2015 on shopping channel HSN. She continued this partnership the next year with shoe and winter clothing collections.

Personal Life

In 1994, Williams married Bertrand "Bert" Girigorie. She said they separated after five months and divorced about eighteen months later. Williams met her second husband, Kevin Hunter, in 1994. They married on November 30, 1999. Her husband became her agent. She had several miscarriages before giving birth to their son in August 2000. In April 2019, Williams filed for divorce. The divorce was finalized in January 2020. Her legal last name remains Hunter.

Health and Public Life

In late October 2017, Williams fainted during a live show. In February 2018, Williams shared that she has Graves' disease. This condition affects her thyroid. She had been diagnosed with it almost two decades earlier. This condition can cause her eyes to bulge slightly. Williams wears wigs in public because her thyroid condition can thin her natural hair. In March 2019, Williams said she had been living in a sober house "for some time." She also shared that she has vertigo. Later that year, Williams said she had been diagnosed with lymphedema. This condition causes swelling in her ankles.

Williams's bank, Wells Fargo, froze her accounts in January 2022. They asked a court to decide if she needed legal support due to her health. She disagreed with these claims. She accused her former manager and a Wells Fargo financial advisor of wrongdoing. A judge appointed a temporary financial guardian in March, and this was confirmed in May. Williams entered a wellness facility to help with her health. She returned to public life in November. She planned to launch a podcast, but it was not released.

Her representatives stated that Williams was diagnosed with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia in 2023. She entered a facility for cognitive care. A documentary about Williams's life since 2022, Where Is Wendy Williams?, aired in February 2024. The temporary financial guardian tried to stop its release. She claimed the documentary took advantage of Williams. In November 2024, legal documents described Williams as "cognitively impaired, permanently disabled and legally incapacitated." However, in January 2025, Williams said on the radio show The Breakfast Club that she was "not cognitively impaired." She compared her legal situation to prison. She mentioned the many limits placed on her. She called for changes to the legal support system, saying it is "broken." Her niece, Alex Finnie, also on the show, supported her. Finnie said Williams "sounds great" and that her state "does not match [that of] an incapacitated person." Finnie encouraged people to support Williams using the hashtag #FreeWendy.

Achievements and Legacy

City University of New York professor Tanisha C. Ford says Williams helped create the style for other personalities' gossip segments. Scholars ThedaMarie Gibbs Grey and Bonnie J. Williams-Farrier believe Williams is one of the African American women who made the phrase "sipping tea" popular on TV. Williams's voice is often used on TikTok. Her quote "That's what she said, and you know what? I— what was that? ...OK ...James" is in over 100,000 videos. Other phrases like "Oh she passed away?" and her mispronunciation of singer Dua Lipa's name as "Dula Peep" became internet memes. YouTube users have made videos of Williams's funny sayings. For example, her misinterpreting the word "corona" as "cornova."

Williams was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2009. On her 50th birthday in 2014, Asbury Park renamed the street where she grew up Wendy Williams Way. She received the 2,677th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on October 17, 2019. A wax figure of Williams is at Madame Tussauds New York. In Washington, D.C., items from Williams's career are at a television exhibit. These include a microphone, an outfit, and a wig she used. A documentary, Wendy Williams: What a Mess!, and a TV movie, Wendy Williams: The Movie, are based on her life.

Film and Television Appearances

Films

Television Shows

Documentaries

Awards and Honors