The Wendy Williams Show came to a somewhat unceremonious end this year, as its host battled health issues that prevented her from returning for the 13th season. As Sherri Shepherd closed out the series’ final episode — which featured a tribute to Wendy Williams, if not the TV personality in the flesh — and clips from the show were scrubbed from YouTube, there was some concern regarding the fate of the host’s iconic purple chair and other memorabilia. Well, Wendy fans, worry no longer, because the former host herself has provided us with an answer to what happened to the chair, along with an update about her next career move.
Wendy Williams returned to Instagram on November 3, telling her fans to “#StayTuned” on the official page for her upcoming podcast The Wendy Experience. While it’s great to see the host making moves to return to the media following a stint in rehab, many fans were also excited to see that the purple chair also lives on:
After The Wendy Williams Show’s series finale — which her ex-husband Kevin Hunter called a “travesty” — it was reported that the chair was going to be “thrown out,” along with the host’s wigs, shoes, artwork and other belongings. However, her manager Will Selby seemed to refute those claims, saying he’d told Wendy Williams that they should go get them since they belonged to her and were iconic. Now we have the proof!
Listeners of The Wendy Experience will be able to rest assured that the professional gossiper will be sitting in her rightful place when she delivers whatever new content she’s got planned for the pod. While Wendy Williams had announced her pivot away from television earlier this summer, it was unknown what the status of her career path was after getting help for her alcohol addiction. Following her stay in rehab, it was even reported she might be interested in opening her own restaurant. Just imagine if all the chairs therein would be modeled after the talk show's.
The talk show host may be “home and healing” now, according to her representative, Shawn Zanotti, but some scary stories emerged about Wendy Williams amid this latest step in her recovery. Sources claimed she couldn’t stop drinking and kept having to be reminded that her show had been canceled, and another worrying claim emerged about her being “at death’s door” during a relapse in 2020.
Details have also come out about the confusion that surrounded The Wendy Williams Show’s 13th season. Insiders report that a Zoom staff meeting — intended to clarify the show’s situation after the premiere date was pushed back — went south after Wendy Williams became incoherent, and Debmar-Mercury’s co-presidents abruptly ended the call. In the end, Williams didn't return to the show for any of its final season installments, with a series of guest hosts filling in. The decision was made for Sherri Shepherd to permanently take over the time slot with her own show, Sherri, which debuted in September.
It’s good to see Wendy Williams back in our news feeds, and particularly in her iconic purple chair. Hopefully her health is now in a place where she can tackle the new podcast and whatever else is next. In the meantime, check out our 2022 TV schedule to see what premieres are coming up.
