Guest co-host Sherri Shepherd and her audience said goodbye to The Wendy Williams Show Friday, saluting the chat show’s host as an “icon.”
Preceding the show’s Hot Topics segment, Shepherd commented, “You have to say — there is nobody like Wendy Williams. From her days on the radio, to ruling daytime talk for 13 seasons, Wendy earned her title as the queen of all media.”
She added, “If you think about it, Wendy Williams changed daytime talk with her unique take on ‘Hot Topics,’ her one-of-a-kind celebrity interviews, the signature ‘As Wendy’ segments and, of course y’all, her famous ‘How you doin?'”
Shepherd then addressed Williams directly, saying, “Miss Wendy, you are an icon and you are loved by so many, so many,” leading to cheers of “Wendy! Wendy!” from the studio audience.
Williams wasn’t present for the final taping. Instead, as reported, a video highlight reel of her time on the show was unspooled.
Williams missed every taping this season for heath issues. She’s also embroiled in a financial conservatorship situation, accusing Wells Fargo bank of freezing her assets.
Shepherd will host her own eponymous talk show in the same syndicated time slots previously occupied by Williams’ show starting in the fall.
Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.