Wendy Williams is a well-known American television host, radio personality, and author. She gained widespread recognition for her bold and outspoken style as the host of “The Wendy Williams Show,” a popular daytime talk show that aired for over a decade. Williams became a prominent figure in entertainment journalism with her distinctive personality and candid approach to discussing celebrity gossip, pop culture, and hot topics.
Content of This Article
- Wendy Williams’ Appearance
- Facts About Wendy Williams
- Wendy Williams’ Net Worth
- Early Life
- Wendy Williams’ Husband and Family
- Wendy Williams’ Career
- Wendy Williams’ Controversy
- Wendy Williams’ Real Estate
Wendy Williams’ Appearance (Height, Hair, Eyes & More)
| Height | 5 ft 10 in
1.78 m |
| Weight | 138 pounds
63 kg |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
| Body Type | Average |
| Sexual Orientation | Straight |
Facts About Wendy Williams
| Nationality | American |
| Estimated Net Worth | $20 million |
| Religion | Christian |
| Zodiac Sign | Cancer |
| Birthplace | Asbury Park, New Jersey |
| Birthday | July 18, 1964 |
Wendy Williams’ Net Worth
As of 2023, Wendy Williams’ net worth is approximately $20 million. She’s most famous for hosting the T.V. talk show “The Wendy Williams Show” from 2008 to 2022. Williams earned a yearly salary of $10 million for the show. Some years, she filmed 180 episodes, which means she made $55,000 for each episode.
Early Life
Wendy Joan Williams was born on July 18, 1964, in Asbury Park, New Jersey. She’s the second of three kids in her family, born to Shirley (formerly Skinner) and Thomas Dwayne Williams. Her parents were quite accomplished, with both holding master’s degrees. Shirley was a special education teacher, while Thomas was a teacher and school principal.
After the 1970 race riots in Asbury Park, the Williams family relocated to Wayside, a primarily white, upper-middle-class neighborhood in Ocean Township, New Jersey. They were active Baptist church members and spent their summers in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts.
During her childhood, doctors recommended medication to help manage Williams’ hyperactivity. She also struggled with her body image, mainly because of a diet her parents put her on after gaining weight in elementary school.
Because she grew up in the suburbs, Williams sees herself as “a woman with a diverse background who happens to be Black.” She identifies as Christian, although she doesn’t go to church anymore. She believes that “God is everywhere” and makes a point to pray every day, multiple times a day.
Education
Wendy Williams completed her high school education at Ocean Township High School in 1982. She was one of just four Black students in her class and graduated ranked 360th out of 363 students. This contrasted with her older sister, Wanda, whose academic achievements earned a university scholarship at 16.
Williams attended Northeastern University in Boston, intending to become a television anchor. However, less than a month after starting, she switched from television communications to radio because she saw it as a faster way to advance her career, even though her parents disapproved of this decision.
In 1986, Williams graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication, and to make her parents happy, she also minored in journalism. While at college, she worked as a disc jockey for the college radio station, WRBB, and her first celebrity interviewee was rapper L.L. Cool J. As an intern for Matt Siegel at the contemporary hit radio station WXKS-FM, Williams even recapped the soap operas Dallas and Dynasty on air.
Wendy Williams’ Husband and Family
Wendy Williams tied the knot with her first husband, Bertrand “Bert” Girigorie, in 1994. In her autobiography, she uses a different name to talk about him and mentions that they went their separate ways after just five months of marriage. Eventually, they divorced approximately eighteen months later, in 1995.
Williams crossed paths with her second husband, Kevin Hunter, in 1994. They took their vows on November 30, 1999. Before successfully welcoming their son, Kevin Samuel, into the world on August 18, 2000, Williams endured several miscarriages.
In April 2019, Williams filed for divorce due to irreconcilable differences, especially after Hunter fathered a child with someone else. Although the divorce was officially completed in January 2020, Williams’ legal last name remains Hunter.
Wendy Williams’ Career
Shortly after graduating from Northeastern University, Wendy Williams launched her career as a disc jockey. Her first job was at WVIS, a small radio station in Frederiksted, U.S. Virgin Islands, known for its focus on calypso and reggae music. However, Williams wasn’t satisfied with this role because she didn’t feel she was learning much about radio from her colleagues.
Williams decided to explore other opportunities because of low pay and the challenge of being far from her family. She started sending her resumes and demo tapes to different radio stations. After eight months at WVIS, she secured a position at WOL in Washington, D.C. However, the station’s oldies radio format didn’t quite match her personality.
Williams continued to send her tapes to various stations. Finally, on November 1, 1987, she got her foot in the door as a weekend fill-in at WQHT in New York City. When the urban contemporary station offered her a full-time role working overnight shifts, she left her position at WOL.
Williams got let go from WQHT after two years on the job. She briefly worked overnight shifts at WPLJ before WRKS hired her. Initially, she worked as a fill-in, but WRKS gave her a permanent morning position in May 1990 after WBLS began recruiting their staff.
At WRKS, Williams joined Jeff Foxx and Spider Webb as part of the station’s “Wake-Up Club.” During this time, she started dishing out gossip about rappers and celebrities in a segment called “Dish the Dirt.” Some celebrities she talked about, like Bill Cosby and Russell Simmons, called the station and tried to get her fired, but without success.
As Williams became a popular radio personality, WRKS moved her to host the evening drive time slot in April 1991. By 1993, she was the highest-rated host in her time slot in the New York City market and even received a Billboard Radio Award for R&B Major Market Radio Air Personality of the Year.
In addition to her radio work, Williams co-hosted American Urban Radio Networks’ syndicated Top 30 USA song countdown program in 1993 and USA Music Magazine in 1994.
The Wendy Williams Show
On July 14, 2008, Wendy Williams launched her daytime talk show, “The Wendy Williams Show,” initially in four cities during the summer of 2008. During this trial run, The New York Times noted that the show brought a “breakthrough in daytime television” by introducing the concept of the “backtalk show.”
After a successful start, Fox made a deal with Debmar-Mercury to broadcast the show nationally on their stations, starting in July 2009. Additionally, BET secured the right to air the show in the evenings. In 2010, BET expanded the show’s reach by broadcasting it in 54 countries through BET International.
Williams’s show garnered an average of 2.4 million daily viewers, and she frequently vied with Ellen DeGeneres for the top spot as the number one female daytime television host.
Other Appearances
Wendy Williams took on various roles in the entertainment world. She hosted a game show called “Love Triangle” for GSN in 2011, where she and Hunter served as executive producers. In the same year, she portrayed a judge on the Lifetime network series “Drop Dead Diva” and made a guest appearance as a judge on “The Face” in 2013.
Williams even joined the competition on the twelfth season of “Dancing with the Stars,” where she was paired with Tony Dovolani. Unfortunately, she was eliminated early in the competition.
In addition to her T.V. work, Williams appeared in the film adaptation of Steve Harvey’s book, “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man,” titled “Think Like a Man” in 2012, and its sequel, “Think Like a Man Too,” in 2014.
Books
Wendy Williams has authored three nonfiction books. In August 2003, she co-wrote her autobiography with New York Daily News journalist Karen Hunter, “Wendy’s Got the Heat.” This book delves into her life, covering childhood challenges, her battle with drug addiction, and her marriages. Atria published it and debuted at number nine on The New York Times Best Seller list for nonfiction. The paperback version was reprinted in August 2004, just a month before her second book, “The Wendy Williams Experience,” hit the shelves. This book is filled with celebrity gossip and interviews.
In May 2013, Williams released an advice book, “Ask Wendy.” Over the years, she has also contributed columns to Honey and Life & Style magazines. Williams has ventured into fiction writing as well. She penned a trilogy centered around the life and career of radio shock jock Ritz Harper. The first two novels in the series, “Drama Is Her Middle Name” (2006) and “Is the Bitch Dead, or What?” (2007), were co-authored by Williams and Hunter.
Wendy Williams’ Controversy
Whitney Houston Feud
Wendy Williams has had numerous conflicts with celebrities and has often been on the receiving end of criticism for her comments. Her confrontations with famous figures escalated to the point where she received threatening items like bullets and dead fish.
One of the most notorious moments in Williams’ career occurred during her 2003 interview with Whitney Houston. Williams probed Houston about her marriage and breast implants in this interview, leading to a heated exchange. Houston even remarked that she would have physically fought Williams if she were younger.
In a subsequent interview with Williams, Houston’s confidant, Robyn Crawford, revealed that they had contemplated confronting her years earlier due to her comments about Houston on the airwaves.
Victim Blaming
In 2016, Wendy Williams faced accusations of victim-blaming singer Kesha. She questioned why Kesha hadn’t recorded any evidence of the alleged sexual abuse by record producer Dr. Luke. Williams later apologized, explaining that she was skeptical because some people make false claims about such serious matters as rape.
Then, in January 2018, Williams drew criticism from activist Tarana Burke. This happened when Williams commented on an alleged 14-year-old victim of R. Kelly, suggesting that the victim had allowed the situation to happen and expressing frustration with the Me Too movement.
Negative Remarks
In early 2020, Wendy Williams faced criticism for several comments she made on her show. In January, while discussing actor Joaquin Phoenix, she used her finger to imitate a cleft palate, a condition that Phoenix has denied having. Many viewers interpreted this as mocking him, and Williams later apologized on her show.
Williams has also been accused of being insensitive to transgender individuals. In one episode of her show, she stated that transgender women can never truly be considered women, even telling her audience to stop wearing women’s clothing. She later apologized for these remarks after saying that being a woman required menstruation.
Williams faced further criticism for making comments that were seen as homophobic while talking about the fictional holiday “Galentine’s Day.” She responded with an emotional video posted on her official social media channels, offering another apology.
Shortly after that, while discussing the tragic death of Amie Harwick, Williams made a joke related to Harwick’s ex-fiancé Drew Carey and his role on “The Price Is Right.” She referenced the show’s catchphrase, “Come on down!” in response to the news that Harwick had been thrown off a balcony.
Parenting Style
Wendy Williams has faced disagreements with others over parenting styles and other sensitive topics. Actress Alyssa Milano criticized Williams’ views on public breastfeeding, as Williams had expressed discomfort with it, suggesting that breasts are primarily sexual rather than for feeding infants.
Wendy Williams’ Real Estate
Wendy Williams and her former husband, Hunter, primarily lived in a 6,000-square-foot home in Livingston, New Jersey, which she purchased for $2.1 million in 2009. However, in August 2020, Williams sold this house for $1.475 million.
In April 2019, Williams removed Hunter from her personal and professional life. She terminated his involvement in her show and enlisted a team of financial advisors to safeguard her assets. She also severed all ties with him and hired a new manager. Williams acquired a Manhattan penthouse for $3 million as part of her property portfolio.
In March 2023, it was reported that Williams was selling her belongings as she prepared for a move to Los Angeles, indicating a significant cross-country relocation.
Net Worth of Other Notable TV Hosts
Tucker Carlson’s Net Worth
Tucker Swanson McNear Carlson, an American commentator renowned for his conservative viewpoints, has been a formidable presence in both the online and television media spaces. With a career that spanned several platforms, he most notably hosted “Tucker Carlson Tonight” on Fox News from 2016 to 2023. Subsequently, he embarked on a new venture, hosting “Tucker on X.” Carlson’s journalistic journey included stints at various newspapers and magazines, his co-founding of “The Daily Caller,” and the publication of three books. Despite facing challenges, such as his departure from Fox News following a significant lawsuit settlement by the network and the controversial sale of his D.C. home after an unsettling encounter with protesters, his financial achievements remain commendable. As of his Fox News exit in 2023, Tucker Carlson’s net worth was estimated at $30 million.
Andy Cohen’s Net Worth
Andy Cohen is a renowned American television host, producer, and author who has left a significant mark on the entertainment industry. Best known for his captivating hosting style on the late-night talk show “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen,” Cohen has built a loyal following. He is also notable for his influential role as an executive at Bravo TV, where he was instrumental in creating the iconic “Real Housewives” franchise. His diverse career encompasses a wide range of achievements, from television to radio, books, and even real estate investments. As of 2023, Andy Cohen’s net worth is estimated to be around $50 million.