In the pop culture/entertainment world, there have been unexpected breakups and rekindled relationships. Court cases exposed domestic violence, scandalous lawsuits, and so much more. To put it plainly, there’s a lot going on. In the midst of it all, I’ve heard folk asking for one woman to emerge from the shadows and offer her unique brand of commentary. That woman is Wendy Williams.
The Beginning
Williams has a storied and illustrious career in the media industry. She began as a DJ in the Virgin Islands before moving to D.C. and finally New York City. After bouncing around, she found her niche in the early 90s with her segment “Dish the Dirt.” Even back then, Wendy was exposing things the people in power did not want discussed. For instance, she was one of the first journalists to speak about Cosby’s sexual assault allegations in the nineties. Williams always had the ear of the people, even though she was new to radio. So much so that Cosby tried to get her fired. But she was just too good to let go.
Later, in 1998, her insinuations about Diddy’s sexuality would result in her losing her job at Hot 97. The two made amends in 2017 when Combs appeared on Wendy’s talk show.
Through out the decades, Wendy continued to dish the dirt, leaving industry influentials in a tizzy. What made her unlike other jockeys was she didn’t seek to be liked by celebrities. She was loyal to the audience, and her top priority was to keep them informed and entertained. Her popularity on radio eventually translated to a daytime television show where Wendy continued offering her unique brand of entertainment news, complete with her personal opinion.
Wendy’s opinions ranged from relatable and understandable to controversial and sometimes line-crossing. Still, regardless of what you thought of her, people couldn’t turn away.
Her Downfall
Things took an interesting turn when Wendy’s personal life became the news. After years of rumors and speculation about her husband’s infidelity, the tabloids confirmed his longtime mistress was carrying his child. The baby was the straw that broke the camel’s back, and Wendy filed for divorce. Around the same time, she was dealing with sobriety and was in and out of treatment. Soon afterwards, her health began to decline. In addition to Graves’ Disease, thyroid issues and lymphoedema, there was the moment where the audience saw her collapse on air.
Karma?!
Wendy was beloved for decades, but more than a few people, celebrities and others, who delighted in her downfall. They felt the dissolution of her marriage, battles with sobriety, and even the abrupt ending of her talk show was karma for all of the years she gossiped about others’ business.
The argument is flawed, to say the least. Wendy Williams had a job. She offered her opinion on celebrity news. Many of us do the same on social media all day without getting paid. And Wendy is far from the only celebrity to do so. Joan Rivers made a career of insulting other celebrities. Gossip rags like The Inquirer, PEOPLE and many more make millions trading celebrity business. And those are just her predecessors. We would be remiss if we didn’t acknowledge the impact Wendy’s formula has had radio shows like The Breakfast Club with Wendy’s protégée Charlemagne Tha God. There’s an entire blogosphere where celebrity drama and the subsequent commentary drives revenue.
But instead of celebrating the legacy she built and her influence on pop culture media, people were ready, willing and able to throw her away. After decades in the business, Wendy Williams was disposable. But now that the news is juicy and the entertainment space is missing a commentator with her presence, people want her back. Tweets have surfaced suggesting that Wendy would have something to offer that no one else could. Those people are correct. No one does it like Wendy. Not to mention, with people like Diddy making headlines these days we’re sure she has something to say. But society has a penchant for discarding Black women, in all walks of life. People are more invested in the messiness of Wendy’s life rather than the road she paved and what she might have still to offer.
Would Wendy Williams Handle The News Properly?
The public is fickle, and our collective memory is short. Those clamoring to have Wendy back might also be forgetting her history of handling stories about sexual assault and abuse. She famously said she was “sick of the MeToo movement,” conflating a 15-year-old Aaliyah’s marriage to singer R. Kelly as consensual. Her issues with many male celebrities stem from the fact she was seeking to out or expose their sexuality, often with the intent to shame them. Keke Palmer had to stand up to Wendy for doubting her story of sexual coercion with singer Trey Songz. Now, Songz currently has multiple open sexual assault cases. Also, despite support from the LGBT community, Wendy had to walk back on offensive comments she made about gay men wearing women’s clothing.
The calls for a Wendy Williams return seem rooted in the notion that Black women are only welcome when they are servicing us. When they’re suffering physically, emotionally and even psychologically, we cast them aside, mocking or even relishing in their misfortune. There’s little to no acknowledgment for the roads they’ve paved, the perspectives they offered or the culture they shaped along the way. Wendy’s critics and fans alike could have challenged her more harmful rhetoric when she was at her peak. Instead, they focused on regarding her personal struggles as payback for their favorite celebs. The calls for her return now that the news is juicy prove just how unserious that critique of Williams was to begin with.