The Rise And Fall Of Wendy Williams, And Her $20 Million Fortune
Wendy Williams has been a strong force in the entertainment industry for many years, and her loyal fans have watched her rise to fame every step of the way. After investing all her time and energy into her career, she has forged an impressive $20 million net worth, and continues to remain front and center on the entertainment scene. In spite of seeing huge success, it hasn't always been a smooth path for the television star. Williams has faced significant hurdles and setbacks along the way, many of which have led to a leave of absence from her show, and have seen Williams check in for rehabilitation of both her body and mind.
Wendy William's long-running career in the entertainment industry began in 1986 when she snagged a degree in communications and a minor in journalism from Northeastern University. She immediately landed a radio job in the Virgin Islands which paid her a very modest wage of just $3.75 an hour. Clearly her calling, Williams saw huge success behind the microphone, and spent 23 years generating her income by hosting radio shows.
In search of a change and interested in further advancing her profile, Wendy sought opportunities to be in front of the cameras, and transitioned from radio to television by hosting The Wendy Williams Show.
Known best for the Hot Topics segment of the show, and her innate ability to dive right in to the tough talks that generate a whole lot of controversy, Williams became a regular in the headlines.
Never afraid of speaking her mind, even when her views were not of popular opinion, Williams gained notoriety for being an outspoken, opinionated host, and fans tuned in religiously to see what she would boldly say next.
Her earnings from The Wendy Williams Show top $10 million a year, which breaks down to roughly $55,000 per episode to host her own show.
Proving to be a true entrepreneur, Williams quickly discovered that her fame could be used to leverage additional income streams, and she found huge success in areas other than her hit talk show. She has penned her own books, taken on a number of endorsement deals, and even created her own double feature biopic which premiered on Lifetime. Wendy Williams: What A Mess documentary and Wendy Williams: The Movie biopic were both met with fan excitement and worked to generate instant cash for Williams, while also elevating her fame and relevance in the industry.
Her efforts at becoming an author proved to be wildly successful as well. Wendy penned her first book in 2004, titled Wendy’s Got the Heat, and has gone to write several more in her later years. Demonstrating her versatility and desire to always strive to achieve new levels of success, she became a New York Times bestselling author for her efforts on Ask Wendy: Straight Up Life Advice for All the Drama In Your Life.
There were several moments in time that Wendy's fans were all-too-aware of her struggles with addiction. In spite of the fact that she knew she had to appear in front of the cameras to film The Wendy Williams Show, her addiction to drugs and alcohol prevented her from making responsible choices. Fans witnessed numerous instances of Wendy's inability to hold it together in front of the cameras. This included inappropriate behavior, crass commentary, and often times, was visible through her off-beat behavior and visible struggles to stay composed.
Realizing that this issue was too obvious to be concealed from her fans and followers, Wendy eventually embraced her addiction by revealing her struggles to fans. Her genuine, candid discussions about her inability to stay sober became the topic of many headlines, which made things even worse for the star.
She went through a number of stints in rehab, and at one point she admitted to booking herself into a sober living house to keep herself straight.
In addition to her struggle to keep her addiction issues at bay, Williams was faced with a number of debilitating health struggles. She shared her Graves disease diagnosis with fans, along with her lymphedema diagnosis as well. After seeing a number of negative comments about her swollen ankles on social media, she bravely shared her health condition with fans, causing many to take a few steps back to evaluate how her physical ailments were affecting her career.
There were significant delays in the taping of The Wendy Williams Show, as she was unable to physically attend the set when she was ill, or relapsing from her addiction issues. In 2022 Williams took a medical leave of absence from the show, and it was announced to fans that the show would cease to exist after her departure. Now well-versed in having to compensate for her health and addiction related absences, the producers of the show made a move and brought in Sherri Shephard as the host of her own show. She will take over effective the end of February, 2022, and Williams will step back to focus on her recovery.
She will be losing roughly $10 million a year when this change takes place.
Amid her health struggles and her battle with addiction, Wendy Williams was forced to endure another big hit which affected both her personal life and her pocket book. In April of 2019 she filed for divorce from her husband, Kevin Hunter. The two had been together for 25 years, and married for 22 of them.
Throughout their relationship, there were rumors of Hunter's infidelity, but when he fathered a child with his mistress, that was the end of the road for his marriage to Wendy. In spite of stating she had been aware of his unfaithful ways for a number of years, she was visibly distraught over the outcome of her relationship, which ultimately ended up taking a toll on her both emotionally, and financially.
She suffered greatly when she was forced to pay her ex-husband $250,000 for new living arrangements, and was on the hook for wildly expensive alimony payments. She sold their mutual $2 million luxury home in New Jersey and moved into a Manhattan home which cost her $15,000 per month.
There has been a significant slide in Williams' finances in recent years. In 2020, her net worth was valued at a whopping $60 million, and it dropped sharply at the time of her divorce, taking her to a $40 million valuation. As of today, she continues to live luxuriously off her earnings and holds an impressive, yet greatly diminished $20 million fortune, as she takes a step back from the public eye to focus on healing.
Sources: Women's Health Magazine, People, ENews
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