Maybe it’s time to call it a day on the current season.
“The Wendy Williams Show” announced on Thursday that its host will continue her absence from the talk show through February and into early March.
Fat Joe, Remy Ma, Michael Rapaport, Bevy Smith, Terrence J and Sherri Shepherd are all set to return as guest hosts for the month of February and through March 4.
When asked if Williams, 57, is likely going to sit out the rest of the season, a rep for the famed host told Page Six, “Don’t overreach.”
While we won’t overreach in our assumptions, we can look back on the fact that Williams has been absent from her show since its premiere was first pushed from September to early October 2021 amid ongoing health issues.
“Wendy, I know you’re watching right now, and on behalf of myself, our panel, your co-hosts, we love you and can’t wait to have you back in that purple chair,” Michael Yo said during the show’s premiere.
Since then, other celebrities including Leah Remini and Whitney Cummings have metaphorically sat in Williams’ famed purple chair.
As previously reported, a disheveled-looking Williams was spotted departing a Miami wellness center back in the fall, when she told paparazzi she was “doing fabulous.” She then promised fans “much more Wendy stuff” before ending the conversation, though she hasn’t followed through on any of the aforementioned promises.
The “How You Doin’?” host was spotted back in New York City at the end of December, but it doesn’t seem like she was in the Big Apple for long, as her son, Kevin Hunter Jr., shared an Instagram Story of his mom spending time with him eating breakfast in bed in Miami.
A source tied to Williams told Page Six that there is “a lot of truth” to the rumors swirling about her absence.
“It’s one thing to see what we have seen in the studio, but it’s another thing when certain staff members make it to her home … When the cameras and mics are off, the liquor comes out,” the insider alleged.
However, a rep for Williams insisted the stories about her health are “inaccurate” and dismissed rumors that she would never return to her show as “speculation.”