The Wendy Williams Show is nearing the end of its current run, with reports claiming that staffers are hoping for Wendy Williams to make an appearance for the upcoming final episode in June. The 57-year-old was forced to pull out from her show in late 2021 to focus on her health, with her return later having faced several pushbacks before a decision was made in February to end the program. Sherri Shepherd is set to take over Wendy’s time slot in the fall when her show premieres — but the crew who’ve worked with the latter over the past 14 years are hopeful they’ll be able to put together a tribute for her before saying their goodbyes.
An insider told Page Six, “There’s talk [of how to say goodbye], and a lot of people on staff feel like there should be a tribute to [Wendy] or some kind of farewell. It’s her show and she’s not there for it.” According to the publication, her production crew isn’t keen on ending the show without Wendy being there, mainly since most of her staffers have been working with her right from the start, when the show premiered back in 2008.
Over the years, the staff members have shared “fond memories” working with the former radio personality, so the idea of not celebrating their achievements as a collective team with Wendy in tow wouldn’t seem right. “People want her to come back,” the source added. “A lot of people — especially the mid and low-level producers — signed up for the job because of Wendy. It feels like it’s just going to end [without her]. It’s weird.” It’s believed that most of the staffers who worked on Wendy’s show will keep their job roles and move over to Sherri’s platform.
View this post on Instagram
While the New Yorker herself has said that she plans on bringing her show back by the year’s end, a recent report had further claimed that there were also offers on the table for Wendy to helm her very own podcast, with Spotify and iHeart both keen on the idea of welcoming her on their platform. But signing an icon like Wendy is going to cost a significant figure, with one source alleging that if she was to front a podcast on Spotify, she’d want to have a contract that’s similar to the $100 million deal that was presented to Joe Rogan when he joined.
“She sees Joe Rogan has a $100 million podcast deal, and now she wants that kind of money,” they said. “They like the wild cards, but even at Spotify, they don’t give you the money unless you prove yourself first, and Wendy wants money upfront.”
Wendy has yet to make it known whether she’ll be attending the final taping of her show or not.