Wendy Williams Will Return to TV After Health Issue Caused ‘Less Than Stellar’ Shows

Wendy Williams is set to return to her namesake talk show following a scheduled two-week hiatus prompted by “less than stellar shows.”

According to Us Weekly, Williams will be back on air with live broadcasts of The Wendy Williams Show on Monday, Jan. 7, marking the first episode since she apologized for slurring her words during a botched introduction of the hip-hop group The Lox.

The 54-year-old host had blamed her strange behavior on painkillers that she had taken for her recently injured shoulder, which she earlier announced has a hairline fracture.

“I sincerely apologize if you feel that today’s show was less than stellar. I’m on your TV screens every day wanting to spread laughter, entertainment and cheer. As I reported earlier in the week, I have a hairline fracture on my upper arm, which hurts like hell. I’ve never broken a bone or experienced a fracture in my life,” Williams wrote on Instagram. “In the key place where the fracture is, and trying to scurry around and do too much, I am now paying the price.”

“I’ve never taken a pain medication in my life (except when I got snatched over 20 years ago) until this week,” she continued. “I did that to power through and try to deliver a great show for you, against the better judgement of the many people around me who genuinely care for my well-being. I really do ride or die for my craft and give 200%.”

The Ask Wendy author went on to promise fans “a better Wendy in 2019,” adding that she would “get some much needed rest and healing over these next couple of weeks. (Yes I am definitely juicing over the next couple of weeks).”

Williams, 54, had last taken a brief break from her show in February, when she announced that she would be taking a three-week leave as she sought treatment for Graves’ disease and hyperthyroidism, informing fans that her doctor had prescribed “three weeks of vacation.”

The weeks-long hiatus came just a week after she was forced to cancel a number of tapings of The Wendy Williams Show due to the flu, which had followed months after she collapsed during a live Halloween broadcast, an incident that she claimed was the result of dehydration.

The talk show host’s number of health crises in the past year have reportedly concerned friends and co-workers, who claimed that Williams “has been exhibiting strange behavior for weeks.” The source added that Williams “can barely stand at times, and has totally checked out.”