Wendy Williams Was ‘Never Seriously Considered’ to Be Asked Back for Talk Show’s Last Episode: Exposé

BY: Walker

Published 2 years ago

Following the report from The Hollywood Reporter published Wednesday, detailed what led to the demise of the daytime TV staple — and how Williams’ struggles with addiction and chronic illness took a toll on her and her show. More details continue to emerge.

via: People

As Williams’ health struggles kept her from hosting the show’s 13th and final season, one of the season’s many guest hosts — Sherri Shepherd — took the reins amid her absence.

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Shepherd, who is now gearing up to launch her own talk show in Williams’ former time slot, was also present for its unceremonious sendoff that featured a tribute to its namesake but did not include a special appearance from her.

In a new report from The Hollywood Reporter, the news outlet claimed that the show’s production company, Debmar-Mercury, “never seriously considered” having Williams, 58, return for the series finale episode.

“To put her on as a guest or to do a video message from her would be a disservice to Wendy, who is so much bigger than that,” said a series producer, who spoke anonymously to THR.

Instead, Debar-Mercury opted to air a highlight reel from Williams’ time hosting the series. Shepherd, 55, introduced the segment and later delivered a heartfelt sendoff message to Williams.

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“We knew we really didn’t want it to feel like an in-memoriam because she’s very much alive,” said Debmar-Mercury Senior VP Marketing Adam Lewis. “We weren’t going to do this huge countdown with celebratory balloons because it didn’t feel celebratory.”

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