‘She’s Been Great For So Long’: Charlamagne Tha God Is Unsure of Wendy Williams Comeback Following Divorce and Health Issues

Wendy Williams and Charlamagne Tha God have been industry friends for years since “The Breakfast Club” host was her intern on “The Wendy Williams Show.” The two are more friendly these days, but at different points in their careers they were estranged. And despite the show’s cancellation amongst other rumors, Charlamagne wishes nothing but a successful comeback for his former mentor.

“Can she make a comeback? I mean yeah, God willing,” he said during an appearance on E! News’ “Daily Pop” on Wednesday, July 27. “Will she? I don’t know. I would hate to see her go out this way, only because she’s been so great for so long.”

Irv "Gotti" Lorenzo Celebrates With Universal Motown Records Group
NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 28: WBLS on-air personalities Wendy Williams (L) and Charlemagne attend Irv “Gotti” Lorenzo’s Universal Motown Records Group party at the Utopia III September 28, 2006 in New York City. (Photo by Ray Tamarra/Getty Images)

The TV personality host reminded hosts Loni Love and Adam Rippon about Wendy’s impact on the industry despite viewers who have negative opinions of her. 

“Regardless of how you feel about Wendy Williams, love her or hate her, you can’t deny that she’s one of the most successful media personalities of all-time,” he explained. “Not just from radio, but to make the transition to television and do 13 seasons of a daytime talk show as a Black woman … that’s big.”

Wendy has battled a lot over the last few years but the biggest blow might have been ending her long-running television series earlier this year. Sherri Shepherd and other guest hosts filled in for the beloved talk show host for season 13 amid ongoing health issues and a financial dispute with Wells Fargo Bank. 

“I don’t want to say going out this way because we don’t know if it’s the end,” said Charlamagne. “But I would hope that this is not the ending. I would hope that she gets healthy and gets to bounce back and bow out the way she wants to.”

In the midst of her crumbling marriage to ex-husband Kevin Hunter in 2019, Williams went to a sober living house for alcohol addiction. She reportedly left the facility and relapsed after finding out about Hunter welcomed a daughter with his decade-long mistress, Sharina Hudson

Charlamagne is the person who introduced Hunter and Hudson, which likely caused friction in his relationship with “The Wendy Williams Show” host as well. Williams filed for divorce in April 2019, the same month she told her audience that Charlamagne reached out to possibly patch up their issues over dinner. Later that month on “The Breakfast Club,” the radio host blasted Hunter’s affair and crowned him “Donkey of The Day.”

Williams and Hunter finalized their divorce in January 2020, which was publicly told from her perspective in the 2021 Lifetime biopic, “Wendy Williams: The Movie.”

Still independent.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Back to top