Wendy Williams will not be making her return to her “treasured purple chair” anytime soon after producers of her namesake show rolled out its lineup of guest hosts for its February schedule.
According to Deadline, several familiar faces across Hollywood will be returning, including comedian Michael Rapaport. The “Higher Learning” star will be taking over the syndicated talk show from Monday, Jan. 31, to Friday, Feb. 4.
Rappers Fat Joe and Remy Ma also will be returning, taking over hosting duties starting the following Monday, Feb. 7, through Friday, Feb. 11, “On Monday, February 14, through Friday, February 18, show favorite Bevy Smith and entertainment reporter Terrence J make their debuts as co-hosts,” the show wrote in a statement obtained by The Blast.
“Then, starting Monday, February 21, through Friday, February 25, actor, comedian, and Emmy Award-winner Sherri Shepherd makes her return to give the audience her hilarious and unique opinions on all the stories that matter,” the note continued.
Shepherd appeared to be a fan favorite after ratings shot up to a season high when she took over last November. However, the actress suffered her own health issues after undergoing emergency surgery to remove her appendix. This resulted in her missing her first day of guest hosting.
Lastly, “Michael Rapaport returns to close out the month, taking over the hosting duties from Monday, February 28, through Friday, March 4.”
Williams has been absent from her talk show since its fall premiere was first pushed from September to early October 2021 amid several health issues for Williams, including a breakthrough case of COVID-19 that initially pushed the show back to Oct. 4. After Williams’ recovery, the show did return for its 14th season, but on Oct. 18, and with guest hosts and not Williams.
She continued to suffer other ongoing health conditions, including the effects of Graves’ disease diagnosis and a thyroid condition with which she was diagnosed.
It’s unclear when the talk show host will return. The last time she was spotted, Williams was walking out of a health-care facility in Miami and into a black SUV. When asked by a reporter how she was doing, she replied, “Wendy is doing fabulous.”
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