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Fans ofThe Wendy Williams Showknow the host, Wendy Williams, for her hot takes and authentic personality which turned her into one of daytime television’s most popular voices. But with the days of Williams’ talk show now behind her, fans and audiences seem curious about what her net worth might look like today.
Well, believe it or not, despite her success through her talk show and appearance in a handful of documentaries, Williams is now in a precarious situation regarding her finances. Beyond her on-screen persona, although Williams had delved into various entrepreneurial ventures, including authoring several books and launching her own fashion line, her meager net worth has left fans shocked amid her challenges involving health issues and struggles with addiction.
How Much Did Wendy Williams Earn from Her Talk Show?
At the height of her career,Wendy Williamswas a powerhouse in the talk show world. With her fan-favorite personality andunapologetic authenticity, onThe Wendy Williams Show, the host earned a fortune per episode. Reports fromCelebrity Net Worthindicate that she earned a staggering $10M annually from her show, which worked out to around $55,000 per episode.
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With such an eye-watering sum, Williams was considered one of the highest-paid hosts on daytime television. Her sharp commentary and no-holds-barred interviews not only attracted millions of viewers but also secured lucrative endorsement deals. It seemed like nothing could stop her—until everything did. In February 2022,The Wendy Williams Showwas surprisingly canceled.
However, according toStyleCaster,Williams had stopped hosting the show in September 2021, as she had taken a medical leave, due to her health struggles with Graves disease, which she was diagnosed with in 2018. Thereafter, things only got worse for Williams, as her then-attorney filed a motion in December 2022, stating that Williams hadn’t received any income fromThe Wendy Williams Showduring her medical leave.
Wendy Williams’ On-Screen Appearances and Entrepreneurial Ventures
Although Wendy Williams was battling with health scares while dealing with her legal troubles surrounding lack of payment, her bank account was still being supplied with enough cash from her other ventures. Beyond her talk show, Wendy had authored several best-selling books, includingWendy’s Got the Heat, Drama Is Her Middle Name, andIs the Bitch Dead, Or What?
But that’s not all, Williams also launched her own fashion line, expanding her brand beyond her on-screen realm. Partnering with the Home Shopping Network, she debuted a line of dresses, pants, sweaters, and skirts. Williams also had a line of jewelry that was sold on the home shopping network QVC calledAdorn by Wendy Williams. However, despite these successes, the financial stability that seemed assured began to wane.
Wendy Williams’ Divorce and Financial Battle Against Kevin Hunter
Soon Wendy Williams, who was married to her second husband Kevin Hunter since 1997 faced a tumultuous divorce in 2019, which became a major turning point. After Hunter’s alleged infidelity to Williams on a number of occasions came to the limelight alongside his reported controlling and physically abusive behavior, the host filed for divorce from Hunter after 22 years of marriage.
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But sadly, Williams and Hunter’s split not only involved emotional turmoil but also substantial financial fallout. During the finalization of the divorce in 2022, Williams and Hunter reportedly chose to forego alimony. However, as perCheatSheetreports, the host kept her ex-husband on her $1M life insurance policy and continued to cover his health insurance.
Williams and Hunter agreed to sell their New Jersey home and share the proceeds, and Hunter signed over his shares of Wendy Williams Productions to her. Thereafter, the talk show host also gave Hunter $250,000 to find a new home, and he received an undisclosed lump sum of money in addition to a severance payment from Wendy, Inc. The fallout from their relationship left Williams grappling with her finances just as much as her personal life.
How Did Wendy Williams Lose Her Money?
Despite previouslyaccumulating a net worth of $20M, Wendy Williams recently revealed having “no money”, whileCelebrity Net Worthreported her current net worth to be $500,000. So, what happened to her massive fortune? Well, considering how her net worth stemmed primarily from her tenure as the host ofThe Wendy Williams Show, it dwindled after the cancelation of her talk show in 2022.
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Thereafter, as Williams began suffering from Graves disease, she lost access to her financial assets after Wells Fargo froze her accounts and petitioned for temporary financial guardianship. According toTHR, Fargo claimed that Williams was the “victim of undue influence and financial exploitation” and failed to make her own financial decisions.
Soon, a New York judge appointed guardianship over Williams’ finances in 2022, and her former manager, Bernie Young, was put in place as the host’s guardian. Williams later revealed in a documentary about how Young used $10,000 of her money to pursue guardianship. Thereafter, Sabrina Morrissey was appointed as Williams’ guardian and the host continues to live under a court-appointed guardian.
Having financial guardians in charge of her monetary affairs, Williams lost access to her hard-earned money, based on claims made in court about her health and the soundness of her mind. Therefore, her current net worth remains a mystery with fans left to wonder if she receives any kind of allowance under the terms of her financial guardianship.
What is Wendy Williams Doing Right Now?
After the tumultuous phase of her life began with her Graves disease diagnosis in 2018, followed by her divorce in 2019, and the cancellation ofThe Wendy Williams Showin 2022, Wendy Williams is said to live under legal guardianship and reside in a facility to treat ongoing cognitive issues, as of February 2024. Later on, her medical team released a statement claiming that the host wasdiagnosed with frontotemporal dementiaand aphasia in 2023.
Despite her apparently deteriorating health, Williams was recently spotted in public in September 2024, for the first time since her dementia diagnosis was revealed. It was reported that during her public outing, the host had stopped by a herbal supplement and holistic health product shop.
Wendy Williams appeared in Her DocumentaryWhere is Wendy Williams?
Meanwhile, despite being diagnosed with serious health scares similar to Bruce Willis, Wendy Williams appeared in the Lifetime documentaryWhere is Wendy Williams?Released in two parts in February 2024, Williams is said to have received $82,000 for the documentary that depicted her deteriorating health (viaUSA Today).
I have no money, and I’m gonna tell you something, if it happens to me, it could happen to you.Williams shared in her 4 episode documentary.
However, following Williams’ appearance in the documentary, her guardian Sabrina Morrissey, filed an amended complaint as part of a lawsuit against A+E Networks, claiming that Williams was not capable of consenting to be filmed for the documentary. Morrissey also asked for the profits from the documentary, claiming that she will need “significant funding to provide for proper medical care and supervision for the rest of her life.”
Sabrina Morrissey also tried unsuccessfully to preventWhere Is Wendy Williams?from airing, but the judge ruled that Lifetime could go forward with it.
Where Is Wendy Williams?is currently streaming on Philo.
Krittika Mukherjee
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3217
Krittika Mukherjee is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on films, TV shows, and celebrity news with over 3,000 articles published. With an educational background in Journalism, and a keen interest in filmmaking, Krittika blends factual precision with creative flair, when crafting her editorials, or dissecting fan theories.Her coverage often includes news and analyses of critically acclaimed films, celebrity news, and franchises like the Wizarding World, LOTR, DC, and MCU—particularly Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts, Superheroes, and fan theories. As a Wizarding World aficionado, Krittika has spent countless hours exploring hidden backstories, unadapted book moments, spells, and trivias surrounding J.K. Rowling’s lore.An imaginative writer with a way with words, Krittika has worked as an entertainment journalist for the past two years and a web content writer for a year. She brought her experience and expertise to FandomWire to pursue her desire for sipping coffee while dissecting films and tracking celebrity drama.
