‘The Wendy Williams Show’ Exec Reveals Confidential Scoop
It was more than just the host’s ongoing health issues that brought The Wendy Williams Show to signal its end. In the latest scoop revealed by Debmar-Mercury executives, the show had been struggling during its final season. It is a known fact by now that Wendy Williams’ physical and mental health has been declining for quite some time. Not just that, her near and dear ones have also expressed concern over her drinking issues time and again.
Producers Questioned Wendy Williams’ Sobriety On 25 Occasions
As revealed by the Debmar-Mercury insider, Wendy’s struggle with alcohol dependency was one of the reasons that led to the show being called off. During a span of four years, the producers questioned the executives about her sobriety on at least 25 different occasions.
[Source: YouTube]
The higher authorities had to take charge and decide whether to broadcast the show live. Although Williams often stated that she was fine, in some cases, the makers had to review the second taping to ensure that was the case.
As per Daytime Confidential, in most instances, except one, the episodes were aired on schedule. The insider also revealed that the employees at the show would find alcohol bottles stuffed up in the ceiling tiles & other weird locations in the office.
Wendy Williams Struggled With Multiple Health Issues
The sources also mentioned that Williams had been dealing with alarming health issues since summer 2021. However, they weren’t comfortable discussing her health issues publicly. With time, it became clear that the former host was dealing with more than lymphedema and Graves’ disease.
[Source: YouTube]
This is something that she had previously revealed. Lonnie Burstein, Debmar-Mercury’s executive VP of programming, which produced & distributed Wendy, said that a single underlying condition for Wendy’s deteriorating condition hasn’t yet been identified.
Execs Suggest Guest Hosts As A Temporary Solution
The 58-year-old’s ongoing health struggles led to the inhibition of Season 13’s scheduled progress. The show’s executives also advocated opting for guest hosts temporarily.
[Source: YouTube]
Talking about the suggestion of guest hosts, Burstein said, “And at that point, it was about keeping the stations happy as much as, if not more so than, keeping the viewer happy. We were battling for the life of the show. Wendy comes with a stink to it. It’s the same reason for the 12 years preceding, we struggled to book guests. She was tough on many celebrities, and a lot of celebrities hate her. It’s also why she had success, she’s no holds barred. But even people who were interested in doing a talk show wanted no part of hosting it.”
Later on, Wendy finally retired from the show, and her slot is now taken over by Sherri, hosted by Sherri Shepherd.
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