The Wendy Williams Show will air its final episode this Friday after nearly 14 years filled with hundreds of notable guests, accolades and numerous controversies.
According to Variety, which first broke the news of the show’s series finale, the daytime talk show host will not be present for the final episode. The series finale will include a video montage celebrating Williams’ TV run.
“The final original episode of The Wendy Williams Show will air on Friday, June 17th with a video tribute to the iconic host. The series comes to an end after 13 successful years in syndication,” a spokesperson for the show told Variety.
The 57-year-old TV host, who has been the show’s original host since its premiere in 2009, has not been on the air in her famous purple chair since 2020 following a series of health issues. Williams has Graves’ disease, an autoimmune disorder affecting the thyroid.
Since her two-year absence from the show, a number of guest hosts have filled in, including Leah Remini, Fat Joe and Remy Ma. Most recently, the show has been hosted by former co-host of The View, Sherri Shepherd, who will host the show’s series finale.
Representatives for Williams did not immediately respond to NPR’s request for comment regarding the show’s finale.
In February, executives announced that this fall, The Wendy Williams Show will be replaced with a new show hosted by Shepherd, titled “Sherri.” The new show will move into the time slots previously held by Williams, producer and distributor Debmar-Mercury told The Associated Press.
“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,” company co-presidents Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein said in a statement.
While Williams’ fame catapulted during her daytime talk show, she got her start ruffling the airwaves on the radio.
Her fearlessness in speaking about anyone and everything dates back to her time sitting behind the microphone.
Williams’ show, The Wendy Williams Experience, was the pinnacle of her 23-year career in radio. The show was syndicated nationally on WBLS in New York City and was listened to by an audience of more than 12 million people, according to the Wendy Show’s website.