Sherri Shepherd closed out her time on The Wendy Williams Show on Friday, bringing the former TV home of Wendy Williams to an end before her own show premieres in the fall. The show spent 13 years on the air and gave fans and critics memorable moments almost regularly.
Williams has been missing in action due to her growing health issues and legal issues, including a battle with Wells Fargo over her frozen funds. The former host has tossed plenty of shade at her replacement too, but Shepherd has remained respectful and full of praise for her predecessor. According to ET, she opened the finale by calling it a “big day” and praising the “incredible staff and crew.”
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“Most of all, we have to thank you, Wendy Williams,” Shepherd said to applause. “You have to say – there is nobody like Wendy Williams. From her days on the radio, to ruling daytime talk for 13 seasons, Wendy earned her title as the queen of all media. If you think about it, Wendy Williams changed daytime talk with her unique take on ‘Hot Topics,’ her one-of-a-kind celebrity interviews, the signature ‘As Wendy’ segments and, of course y’all, her famous ‘How you doin?’”
Shepherd closed the moment by calling Williams “an icon” that’s “loved by so many, so many.” The show then went into a montage of Williams’ time on the show and some of her memorable moments.
While the finale for The Wendy Williams Show was full of praise for the exiled host, the same can’t be said for those in Williams’ life. Co-creator and ex-husband Kevin Hunter had nothing kind to say about the production company on the show and the handling of the former star’s exit.
“I feel like it is a travesty on the part of Debmar-Mercury to have such an unceremonious departure without Wendy being involved,” Hunter told Entertainment Tonight. “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. There is absolutely no reason why a bigger celebration that involved Wendy couldn’t happen.”
Williams has not been the host of the show since 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic tossing a wrench into a lot of plans. As for her feelings toward the show ending, Williams made it clear she would return but wouldn’t be tuning in to her replacement.
“I won’t be watching her because I know what she’ll be doing and that’s not really my thing … you know what I’m saying?” Williams said about Shepherd’s new show. “But I love, I love being on my own show. And I love that people love to watch it, you know, all the time.”
