Wendy Williams Addresses On-air Behavior After Criticism From Ex-DJ

Wendy Williams seemed to address recent speculation on her show Monday after viewers raised an eyebrow at her behavior on Friday’s episode.

“You know I come here every day and I try to do the best that I can for you,” Williams said at the opening of “The Wendy Williams Show.”

“I appreciate you watching," she said. “But even after all of these years, it’s still work, an effort put in for the hour that I’m out here with you, you know? I guess every day is not perfect but I’m not a perfectionist. I’m not perfect.”

On Friday, Williams spoke slowly during the show and took long pauses, mispronouncing Adele as “Hodel” in front of her socially distanced audience.

Some fans speculated that the host was struggling with a relapse. Williams is no stranger to addiction, having dealt with drug abuse in the past. She checked into a sober house in 2019.

Williams, 56, who grew up in Ocean Township, has also dealt with other ongoing health challenges. She has Graves' disease, an autoimmune disorder that causes hypothyroidism and a host of related symptoms.

In 2017, she fainted on air in her Halloween costume, later saying that she had been overheated and dehydrated. Williams has left the show several times for doctor-mandated health breaks because of the autoimmune condition, most recently in May. She returned in September.

Williams, who has been hosting her show since 2008, did not say what may or may not have caused her to seem different during Friday’s show.

“I love entertaining you,” she continued on Monday’s show. “And it’s not easy. You’re a tough crowd.”

Her on-air comments arrived after DJ Boof, who used to be the DJ for Williams' talk show, spoke out about behind-the-scenes drama in reply to a comment on Instagram.

“Y’all have no idea what’s really going on and everyone there is afraid to speak up because they don’t wanna lose their jobs,” he said. “This is going to play out bad ... I feel sorry for the workers and victims.”

The talk show has replaced DJ Boof with DJ Suss One.

In August, Williams sold the Livingston home she shared with her ex-husband Kevin Hunter and their son Kevin Jr. for $1.4 million. She filed for divorce from Hunter in 2019 following reports that he fathered a child with a mistress.

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