Wendy Williams Fans Sound off After Firing Petition Goes Viral

After Wendy Williams made controversial comments about Joaquin Phoenix and appeared to mock those with cleft lips and palates, a Change.org petition to get her fired earned thousands of signatures. The petition itself has sparked a wider conversation about her future as the host of her popular daytime television show. Williams later apologized for her comments, but that has not stopped people from signing the petition.

Change.org user Corey Perry launched the petition, simply titled "Get Wendy Williams Fired" earlier this month. The petition now has more than 67,300 signatures.

"So this ignorant piece of work decided to mock Joaquin Phoenix and his 'hare lip, cleft lip, palate' on daytime television and even went as far as pulling her upper lip with her finger, she is a total disgrace," Perry wrote. "Kids can be cruel and as a mother of an amazing little guy who was born with complete bilateral cleft lip, hard and soft palate, I am completely disgusted that she thinks it's ok to ridicule and make a joke out of something that is completely out of our control."

In the end, Perry wrote, "What I am saying is that she is a disgusting human being and in my opinion, if Don Cherry got fired for saying 'you people' than she should be banned from daytime TV."

Since the petition went viral, fans have let their opinions on Williams be known in other venues.

"I think she is a bully. I dislike her greatly," one fan wrote on Facebook. "I would love nothing more than to see her without a show. But for now, in this county she is protected, she has the freedom of speech. I don't like it...but here we are."

"She's a horrible person, I don't think that she has apologised to Joaquin personally, that's what she needs to do, and then stop being such a rude bully on tv," another wrote. "I don't know how she got that job in the first place."

"No matter what the people she works for donates, still does not give her the right to judge or make fun of any person," another commented. "She should lose her job and be shunned by the industry."

"Get me the petition...I'd sign it in a heartbeat," another commented on Facebook. "She would have a meltdown if The View (no, I don't watch that show either) belittled her like she does everyone she talks about on national TV. Hope she can take it like she dishes it out."

This latest controversy for Williams began earlier this month when she mocked Phoenix, who has been busy accepting awards for Joker lately.

"When he shaves off his mustache he's got a hairline fracture. He's got one of those — what do you call it? Cleft lip, cleft palate," Williams said on her show before she inserted her finger into her mouth like a hook.

Williams was quickly called out on social media and finally apologized in a Jan. 15 tweet to Canadian Football League player Adam Bighill, whose son was born with a cleft palate. Williams said her show made a donation to Operation Smile and the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association.

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