Daytime talk show host Wendy Williams dropped a bombshell on viewers on March 19 when she revealed that she has been living in a sober house. The leading lady of The Wendy Williams Show has been open about her struggle with cocaine in years past, but her confession that she is currently recovering from addiction is undoubtedly news to many. Williams shared the truth because of her nature as an "open and truthful person," saying this:
Well, for some time now, and even today and beyond, I have been living in a sober house. When you see me come to work, glammed up, right after the show, I go across the street. I do my pilates. I told you, two hours a day. I like to take care of my body. You know I’ve had a struggle with cocaine in my past, and I never went to a place to get the treatment. I don’t know how, except God was sitting on my shoulder and I just stopped. But there are people in your family, it might be you, who have been struggling. And I want you to know more of the story. So this is my autobiographical story, and I’m living it, and I’m telling you this. After I go to the pilates, I go to several meetings all around town in the tri-state area, and I see my brothers and sisters caught up in their addiction and looking for help. They don’t know I’m Wendy, they don’t care I’m Wendy. There’s no autographs, there’s no nothing. It’s the brothers and sisters caught up in the struggle, and it’s been really interesting, this ride. Only Kevin and Kevin have known about this. Not my parents, nobody. Nobody knew, because I look so glamorous out here.
The announcement from Wendy Williams that she has been living in a sober house comes shortly after she returned from an extended hiatus from The Wendy Williams Show. The show remained on the air with guest hosts filling in during her absence, and they were successful enough that Williams was reportedly concerned that she might lose her show to one of them as a result.
Wendy Williams' confession on March 19 left her understandably tearful. She was sharing something with the entire world that only her husband Kevin and their son knew. While I can't vouch for the reactions of viewers en masse, I certainly had no idea that more was going on with Wendy Williams that she'd already confessed and met the eye. She does look perfectly glammed up almost every time she appears in front of the camera, and she does suffer from other health issues.
Not too long ago, Wendy Williams actually said that she was at home, with no mention of a sober house. At the time, she stated that the reason why her hiatus from The Wendy Williams Show lasted so long was because her thyroid was acting up, and that caused complications with her Grave's disease.
Wendy Williams has dealt with health complications impacting her on-camera in the past. Back in the fall of 2017, she collapsed on live television, and Williams later stated that she was overheated in the costume she wore, and she simply passed out as a result.
More recently, back in December 2018, Wendy Williams shared a message on social media in which she apologized for a show that went poorly because she was on painkillers, taken due to a "hairline fracture" on her upper arm. We can only hope that her time in the sober house now is giving her the help she needs to get and stay well.
Check out Wendy Williams' full message about what has been going on in her life:
Wendy Williams gave no indication that she plans on taking another break from her show, so perhaps viewers can count on more updates from her as the recovery process continues. New episodes of The Wendy Williams Show air on weekdays.
