Wendy Williams ‘can’t dress herself without help’ & ‘doesn’t recognize friends at times’ as fans worry about her health
WENDY Williams can’t dress herself without help and doesn’t even recognize her own friends at times, The Sun can reveal in a heartbreaking update on the star's health.
Sources said the once witty, sharp host of The Wendy Williams Show isn't the same as she used to be as she battles multiple medical problems.
A source close to the show told The Sun: “The spark is gone. That Wendy, who for ten years had that spark in her eyes, that cheeky grin and that little wink is not the same now.”
The insider added some days are better than others for the once feisty daytime diva.
“She’s not always functioning like she used to be. She has days where she needs help eating, getting out of bed and getting dressed.
"Sometimes she goes out in a robe and without shoes on- the old Wendy would never have allowed herself to be seen out like that.”
Even more heartbreaking, the source added, she doesn’t always recognize people whom she’s known for years.
“There are people who Wendy knows- who have worked closely with her- and there are days that she has no idea who they are.”
A second source close to Wendy’s family told The Sun that fans shouldn’t expect a video address from the host, at least for now.
“She really can’t do a video. She’s been having a hard time holding a conversation.”
Most read in TV
That insider alleged that while things appear to have gotten worse in recent months, she was struggling with her recollection while she was on the show too.
“She was forgetting things on the show a lot- information on stories, celebrities’ names.
"That’s why she would lean on producers, to help feed her information.”
The 57-year-old host has been absent from her eponymous program since the start of the season in September, with fans left guessing what's wrong with her, why she hasn’t addressed them, and if she’ll even return to the show.
WENDY HOSPITALIZED
The Sun was first to report that Wendy had been transported to a New York hospital in September of 2021 following a 911 call for a person in need of psychiatric services.
Soon after, the daytime talk show host quietly hired a crisis public relations manager.
Meanwhile, The Wendy Williams Show would release four statements between September 9 and October 12, blaming her absence from her show and any promotional duties on a breakthrough COVID case, “ongoing medical issues,” and symptoms from Graves' disease.
On November 8, the show’s Instagram released a statement from the 57-year-old host saying she was still coping with health issues, and as a “woman of a certain age” she knew to listen to her doctors and that “right now, Wendy has to focus on Wendy.”
It was the only statement that purportedly came from Wendy since the start of the season.
TROUBLING INCIDENT
The Sun exclusively reported earlier last week that at the start of the pandemic lockdown in 2020, the host allegedly struggled with her addiction issues which spiraled into a dark and troubling incident in May of that year.
Just before the host's team claimed she was hospitalized for Graves' disease that month, Wendy experienced a disturbing episode with a handful of people present as she was working from home.
According to sources, Wendy’s manager was summoned to her penthouse apartment after she had appeared unwell during a Zoom show taping earlier in the week.
Her manager and a small group of confidants arrived to the host’s home to lend support to the struggling talk show queen.
According to multiple sources, Wendy had stripped naked in her room and was shouting vulgar comments.
The host was eventually taken to the hospital, where she would remain for weeks.
Reps for Wendy and The Wendy Williams Show did not respond to The Sun's multiple requests for comment.
WILL SHE EVER RETURN?
In 13 seasons, this is the longest the host has been off the air, and she has yet to address fans in any real way since the show went on summer break on July 12, 2021.
As Wendy fans continue to hope that she will return to host the remainder of the season, The Wendy Williams Show announced that the roster of fill-in guest hosts will continue through the end of January.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Meanwhile, there has been no announcement on the possibility of the show being renewed for another season.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
