'Wendy Williams Show' Producers 'Scrambling' To Replace Her After Health Crisis?

8:00 am, January 22, 2021

Close up of Wendy Williams in a pink cardigan and blouse — (Ron Adar/Shutterstock.com)

Wendy Williams’ comments on her show frequently shock her viewers, but the most talked-about moments of the show came after a few on-air appearances raised questions about her state of mind and health. One report says that Fox executives are desperately hoping to find a replacement for the host since she may no longer be able to appear on the air. Here’s what’s going on.

Wendy Williams A ‘Mess’

Calling her a “train-wreck,” the National Enquirer says that Williams’ “wacky behavior” has the producers of her talk show “frantic” and “scrambling” to find a fitting replacement for her. “Things are very bad,” an unnamed show insider tells the outlet. With Williams at one point slurring Adele’s name, being unable to properly say “coronavirus,” and making little sense in several tangents, network executives reportedly originally looked to Nick Cannon and Jerry O’Connell as possible replacement hosts for if and when Williams needs to step away from the program. Cannon fell out of favor, however, after anti-Semitic comments put him on the outs with general public.

O’Connell, meanwhile, had a frosty reception when he briefly took over as host. “They tried Jerry O’Connell when Wendy was out for three weeks last year — but he tanked with viewers,” the tipster explains. “There is an urgent need to find someone they believe can take over when things get too far out of control.” And with things getting worse and worse as each day on set goes on, the more pressing the need to swap her out. “Wendy’s a mess, and it remains to be seen how long producers will be able to put up with her problems before they decide to pull the plug!”

What’s Going On With Her Show?

The show briefly went on hiatus after the death of Williams’ mother, but she seems to have maintained her role. That being said, it’s absolutely true that the controversial host has had her fair share of gaffes, including a number of moments that even had her critics concerned. In fact, our top Wendy Williams story of last year was one from the Globe that said she’d had a stroke on the air after her struggle to pronounce “Adele.” The rumor spread like wildfire, with many on Twitter seeming to agree that she’d had some sort of medical emergency.

Instead, it turned out to be a moment of exhaustion that turned a common flub into a viral moment, and Williams’ has continued to host the show without issue. While the outlet also implied that her past struggles with sobriety may be the cause, the scares ultimately didn’t sink her ratings, put her status as host at risk, or legitimately threaten her health. The narrative about Nick Cannon coming for her job is a years-old one, and we haven’t seen any signs that indicate that he’d step down from his highly successful run as host of The Masked Singer for the far less popular program.

Wendy Williams Probably Isn’t Going Anywhere

If Williams’ past controversies, which include mocking Joaquin Phoenix for having a cleft palate scar from when he was an infant, homophobic comments about fashion, and joking about a murder victim, didn’t earn her the boot, then we have no reason to think that her job’s in danger. For that matter, it doesn’t make sense to argue that Cannon’s anti-semitic remarks made him ineligible for the role when Williams’ similarly controversial words didn’t affect her career. This tabloid and its alleged insiders obviously don’t have any idea what goes on behind the scenes, and we don’t expect to see anyone besides Williams hosting The Wendy Williams Show.