The end of an era has come with a whimper, not a bang. The Wendy Williams Show quietly went off the air without its eponymous host and it’s a disappointment that fans are finding hard to believe. They’re not the only ones unhappy with Wendy Williams’ lackluster sendoff after 14 years with the show.
Wendy Williams Misses Last Episode
Wendy Williams’ talk show went without its titular host for its entire final season, though fans hoped she would at least return for the last episode. A sendoff of the show without her was what fans got instead, though her presence over the 14 years that the show was on the air was impossible to forget. In lieu of an appearance from Williams, the show instead rolled several video clips of the former shock jock, including a long montage of the host.
Longtime fans of Williams all seem to agree, this has to be the worst-case scenario when it comes to how the show would end. When William’s absence from the show was first announced in the latter half of 2021, fans were hopeful that her time away would be brief. That wasn’t to be, however, and Williams soon found herself sidelined due to a COVID-19 diagnosis before other health and personal issues forced delays.
Replaced By Sherri Shepherds
As she concentrated on her health and getting well, Williams was replaced on the show first by a series of rotating hosts before finally Sherri Shepherd was tapped to fill her spot full time. It was Shepherd who closed out the show, and it’s Shepherd who will pick up the mantle of talk host moving forward after her hosting abilities impressed enough to land her a show of her own. So, where does that leave Williams?
RELATED: How Wendy Williams Is Reportedly Reacting To Sherri Shepherd Taking Over Her Show
Fan Reaction On Twitter
It feels unconscionable that Williams wasn’t a part of the show’s final episodes, especially that all-important last episode. The show bears her name, but she wasn’t even in the studio and the video montage for her, while touching, is a pale comparison to her actual presence. Fans online certainly agreed and the disapproval was especially high on Twitter.
Comparisons To Britney Spears Roll In
Many fans highlighted the similarities between Williams’ current circumstances and the recent end of pop star Britney Spears’ conservatorship. Last summer, Spears’ controversial conservatorship ended after a long legal battle with the singer’s father. Williams is also facing a conservatorship battle, but it wasn’t her family that brought about this fight.
Wells Fargo, apparently the bank used by Williams, successfully petitioned for conservatorship after arguing the talk show host was a “victim of undue influence and financial exploitation.” Williams has denied these allegations and used social media to condemn the move. She also accused her former manager, who was placed in charge of her finances, of misappropriating funds.
Favorite Moments Honor Williams’ Legacy
Others honored Williams’ legacy by sharing clips of their favorite moments of her from the show. We saw several of our personal favorite moments, as well as some of Williams’ silly bits from early in the show’s history that we’d forgotten about. Though it was by no means anywhere near enough to replace Williams, it did help some fans say goodbye.
Who could forget about Williams’ long-held fear of “the killer?” We certainly never will, and in fact, we found even longer compilations of the talk show host discussing her various solutions and strategies for dealing with her nameless foe.
Halloween episodes were always a blast, especially when noted NON-horror fan Williams spotted a frightening mask in the audience during a crowd shot.
More recently, Williams came under fire for her support of Britney Spears. It wasn’t necessarily the fact that she supported the pop star that got her into hot water, but rather her choice of words when it came time to address Spears’ family.
When The Audience Gets The Spotlight
We love seeing Williams interacting with her audience members, but we’re pretty sure this audience member would have been perfectly happy without a callout from Williams. Then again, if Williams hadn’t noticed her, we wouldn’t have had this classic Wendy Williams Show moment.
A trip through Wendy Williams’ history isn’t complete without a mention of her wigs. They were practically a character of their own over the years, so much so that Williams used to hide little things in them, like notes, to pull out on camera much to the delight of her audience.
There truly will never be another like Wendy Williams again. Her impact on TV and pop culture, whether you loved her or hated her, can not be denied. We hope this isn’t the last we’ve seen of Williams. We wish her the best in the future.
