Earlier today it was officially confirmed by Debmar-Mercury, the producer-distributor of ‘The Wendy Williams Show,’ and FOX TV stations that after 14 seasons the show is officially coming to an end.
The news came alongside the announcement that the show will be replaced by ‘Sherri,‘ hosted by Sherri Shepherd, in the fall. Sherri has been filling in as a guest host for the show throughout the current season and returned this week to do so. Sherri took the opportunity to make her official announcement of her new show and react to the ongoing rumors during the top of the show on Tuesday.
Now, in a statement issued by Williams’ spokesperson Howard Bragman, the popular talk show host shared her reaction to the news. The statement reveals that Wendy is in support of Sherri and hints at the possibility that she will return at some point.
“It’s been a challenging time for Wendy as she deals with her health issues. She is incredibly grateful to Debmar-Mercury, to Sherri and everybody else who has supported the show through this time,” Bragman said.
“She, more than anyone, understands the reality of syndicated television — you can’t go to the marketplace and sell a show that’s The Maybe Wendy Show. She understands why this decision was made from a business point of view, and she has been assured by Debmar-Mercury that should her health get to a point where she can host again and should her desire be that she hosts again that she would be back on TV at that time.”
Debmar-Mercury Co-Presidents Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein echoed the sentiment in their statement accompanying the Sherri announcement as they reflected on the success and longevity of The Wendy Williams Show and left the door open to Williams making a TV comeback in the future.
“We all have a great love and affinity for Wendy, who grew into a true icon during her 12 incredible seasons as the solo host of a live, daily talk show dishing on ‘Hot Topics’ and interviewing celebrities,” they said. “Since Wendy is still not available to host the show as she continues on her road to recovery, we believe it is best for our fans, stations and advertising partners to start making this transition now. We hope to be able to work with Wendy again in the future, and continue to wish her a speedy and full recovery.”
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In case you missed Sherri’s announcement and reaction today, get into it below.
Update: following the statement from Wendy’s spokesperson earlier, her new personal IG page shared the following to her IG stories.
There clearly is some miscommunication going on within Wendy’s camp. Hopefully everything gets sorted out soon!
