‘Wendy Williams’ Producer Loses Hope, Devastated By Diagnosis
The former co-executive producer of The Wendy Williams Show has spoken up about the daytime talk show host’s diagnosis. Suzanne Bass has held out hope that Wendy Williams would eventually be able to return to television, but after her diagnosis was made public this week, she is left feeling devastated for her friend and former boss. Continue reading to see what Suzanne had to say and how there were signs that something was wrong long before a diagnosis was made.
Suzanne Bass Opens Up About Wendy Williams’ Diagnosis
Wendy Williams’ medical team shared that she received a diagnosis of primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) on Thursday. Since then, a number of people close to Wendy have come forward to speak about what it feels like now that the cause of the talk show host’s health issues has been pinpointed.
Suzanne Bass and Wendy Williams spent every day together for years as they produced The Wendy Williams Show. After she was removed from daytime TV and proceeded to publicly spiral downward, Suzanne said that she always held out hope that Wendy would make a big comeback. However, given her new diagnosis, the former producer knows the chances of that happening are slim.
Image: YouTube/Entertainment Tonight
“Since Wendy’s been off the air, there’s been a huge void in both daytime TV and pop culture,” Suzanne Bass told People. “I think there’s always been a glimmer of hope for a comeback for her, but since this diagnosis, that seems impossible. It makes me very sad.”
She acknowledged that it often takes time to diagnose conditions like the one Wendy is facing. Suzanne admitted that she was saddened by the fact that there wouldn’t likely be a comeback for Wendy. More than that, she’s devastated by the “finality” of her diagnosis.
The Wendy Williams Show producer said, “I’m more sad about her health, not that she can’t make a comeback. To have this sort of diagnosis, there’s some finality to it.”
There Were Signs Something Was Wrong Years Ago
Recalling her time on The Wendy Williams Show, Suzanne Bass said that there were signs that something was wrong long before any diagnosis was made. There were moments on the show, which ran from 2008 to 2022, where you could tell that something was happening with Wendy.
“You can go back and see the show, and there’s really long periods of quietness where she’s not speaking,” Suzanne recalled. “And you’re thinking ‘What’s happening? There were early signs [of something wrong] where you’re grasping for words, having a hard time collecting your thoughts and remembering things. Maybe that’s what was happening back then.’”
Image: YouTube/Lifetime
The former producer admitted that she has only spoken to Wendy Williams a couple of times since the show ended. She said that Wendy struggled to remember things during their conversations and Suzanne was often reminded of her mother who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
The Lifetime documentary Where Is Wendy Williams? will shine a light on some of the moments leading up to this diagnosis. It is scheduled to air tonight at 8 p.m. EST.
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