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As it turns out, Wendy Williams will now have all the time she needs to work on her mental health.
On Tuesday morning, Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein — co-presidents of Debmar-Mercury, the production company behind The Wendy Williams Show — announced that Sherri Shepherd will launch her own talk show this fall.
The comedian/actress had been among the many fill-ins for Williams over the past few months and had just recently been confirmed as the permanent guest host for the duration of 2022.
Alas, Shepherd will now anchor her own, separate program in the near future.
Where does this leave Williams?
Without a job.
For the time being, at least.
“Sherri is a natural who proved her hosting skills for many years as a panelist on The View, on Fox’s Dish Nation and again this season as a popular guest host of Wendy,” Bernstein and Marcus said today.
“Like our viewers, we have been impressed by the unique comedic twist Sherri puts on our daily live Hot Topics segment, her creativity and interactions with our guests.
“Her love for the content and daytime fans is obvious, and we are excited to partner with her to create another long-term talk franchise.”
The Debmar-Mercury executives also praised Williams, noting the enormous success she has been over the years.
“This is also a bitter-sweet moment for us and our partners at Fox,” thhey said.
“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.
“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.”
Williams has been battling numerous medical issues for several months now.
In November, she was spotted in a wheelchair amid speculation that she was suffering from dementia.
Prior to this sighting, Williams had talked openly about having been diagnosed with the autoimmune disorder Graves’ disease and how this made her overwhelmingly tired on a near-daily basis.
In October 2020, meanwhile, as she emceed her program from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic… Williams appeared to act all loopy and strange, prompting concern over her mental well-being.
Earlier that same year, there was a rumor that Williams had attempted suicide.
Fans hadn’t heard much from Wendy since the confirmation this fall that she wouldn’t be able to host the season premiere of her talk show.
But Williams filmed a video of herself on the beach in Miami just last week, vowing to return at some point to the small screen, while also tip-toeing around her ongoing medical concerns.
“I am going back stronger,” Williams promised in this footage.
“At [57] years old, there are things that happen to people. I would say things usually start about 40 and they go up from there, you know, so you’ve got to eat the right food.”
In this new video, the former shock jockette noted “at [my age] sometimes people start to hunch over,” adding that she wants to be “all I can be” to “get back to New York and get on down with The Wendy Williams Show.
Perhaps someday she’ll have a chance to host a different version of this series.
“[Wendy] continues to deal with a number of medical issues, including Graves’ disease, and she and her team are taking it one day at a time,” an insider previously told People Magazine, adding:
“But reports of a stroke, drugs or addiction issues or a dementia diagnosis are all false.
In a a separate statement to Page Six, Williams’ publicist said the following earlier this year:
“She thanks everyone who has been patiently awaiting her return and believes that, thanks in large part to the love and support of her son, her family, her new team of doctors and a change of scenery, she is on the mend.”
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