Wendy Williams Recalls Fainting On-Air a Year Ago

It was one year ago on that Wendy Williams collapsed live on stage, and the talk show host made sure to commemorate the experience on her Wednesday show.

Last Halloween, Williams fainted during her live show while in a Statue of Liberty costume, explaining later that it was due to dehydration and becoming “overheated” in the costume.

This year, the 54-year-old Williams dressed in a Queen of Hearts costume and addressed the incident to the audience, saying it didn’t exactly fall on a holiday she enjoys in the first place.

“You know it’s not my favorite date; it never has been, for all of my life it never has been. And it of course it’s also the one-year anniversary of my ‘faintation.’ So the day doesn’t necessarily bring up a good mood to me. But I’m dressed up,” she said.

She added that she only dressed up in honor of her fans this year.

“I love you for watching. And I’ve got my heart necklace and all that … so I’m dressed as the Queen of Hearts,” she said.

Williams has been dealing with a number of health issues over the past year, including her hyperthyroidism and Graves’ disease diagnoses, which may have factored into her Halloween collapse.

“That was not a stunt,” she said on her show last October. “I overheated in my costume, and I did pass out. But, you know, I’m a champ, and I’m back.”

In February, the talk show host took a nearly month-long break from public appearances to try and get her health under control at the insistence of a doctor.

“My doctor has prescribed — are you ready? — three weeks of vacation,” she announced on her show at the time after detailing her symptoms, which include difficulty sleeping and irritability. “I was pissed. Encore performances, really?”

After, she told PEOPLE that she had to learn more about self care after her diagnosis.

“I had a storm going in my body is the best way I can explain it,” she said in March. “I love doing my show. But I love me more.”

Williams said the experience taught her to prioritize her health, and stop skipping doctor’s appointments for work and family commitments.

“There’s a lot of smart women doing dumb things with their health and I fell into that category as well,” she said. “I’m glad my situation was caught in a timely manner.”

Photo credit: Wendy Williams Show